Valparaiso University Opens Center for Games and Interactive Entertainment

Valparaiso University hosted the opening event for the new Center for Games and Interactive Entertainment on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. The Center is a resource for students across programs with an interest in the games industry and a means of connecting them and campus with businesses in the field. It is also a resource for professors wanting to incorporate games in their curriculum as teaching devices. The Center for Games and Interactive Entertainment is made possible by a $25,000 Ball Venture Grant awarded in 2023.

Joseph Goodman, founder and CEO of the role-playing game company Goodman Games was present as the guest of honor at the center’s opening. Goodman has actively contributed to several gaming courses at Valparaiso University and is generously donating $4,000 worth of books and accessories to support the Center. A lifelong gaming enthusiast, Goodman is excited about the potential this space and Valpo’s gaming-centered programs could have for himself and the industry. 

“It’s really cool to me that a university is making this part of its offerings, where a kid like I was can do this as a formal, structured program, and make it part of the education processes,” Goodman said at the event. “And now that I do this professionally, I have to hire people. I view games as jobs, and having kids come out of programs like the ones here with credentials makes it easier for people like me to find them.”

According to a recent report by the Entertainment Software Association, video gaming alone has had an economic impact of $101 billion in 2024, while supporting over 350,000 jobs in the United States.  A report from The Business Research Company projects significant growth in the board game sector as well, suggesting that whatever kind of gaming a student is interested in, Valparaiso University is setting them up to join a strong and growing market.

The Center for Games and Interactive Entertainment contains state-of-the-art gaming technology, including a virtual reality arena, a video game console and computer lab, a “couch co-op” room for cooperative gameplay and a “livestream” studio for students to create their own content. It also has a board game library and a large collection of rule books for tabletop role playing games. Digital or otherwise, all games cover a wide range of content, from history to fantasy, science to science fiction, and beyond. 

“People can have a very narrow definition of what a game is,” said Martin Buinicki, Ph.D., professor of English and Richard P. Baepler Distinguished Professor in the Humanities. “Because of that, it took a little bit of time to explain that this was not just more time to put people in front of computers, or more time to play Monopoly.”

Thanks to its inclusion of board and role playing games, Valparaiso University’s Center for Games stands as a unique place in higher education for Northwest Indiana, and notable amongst similar institutions across the nation. 

The Center for Games will enhance Valparaiso University’s ties with regional businesses and beyond by encouraging more students to engage thoughtfully and enthusiastically with the industry. Professor Buinicki envisions pop-up events for games like Pokemon or Magic: The Gathering, where local businesses can sell merchandise and connect with students, among other partnerships with professionals in the industry.

“The possibilities of getting the community involved is vital for our institution to understand what the industry needs,” said Richard Sévère, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of English. “We are thinking about how we can prepare our students to meet that need. Those collaborations are going to be so dynamic and important.”

According to Professor Buinicki, several of his colleagues across departments at Valparaiso University have already recognized the potential for interactive media as learning tools, such as using history-based games to gain a deeper understanding of important events. With the Center for Games, professors can be sure that students have the means to play any game they wish to assign. Plans are also in development to invite local K-12 educators to the Center to learn more about incorporating games in the classroom.

Outside of gaming, the Center has been a big project for the student workers in Valparaiso University’s Information Technology Services department. Tim Benz ’25, a biology major seeking a lab tech position in the Chicago area, was one of the student workers that used his skills to bring the center to life. 

“I applied myself to learn the background knowledge we needed to get this room up and going,” Benz said.  “We had to make sure that everything was seamless from the user side, that everything was manageable and secure for anyone to use and have fun.”

Multiple, diverse departments at Valparaiso University are offering pathways towards careers in the gaming industry. Professor Buinicki leads a minor in game narrative and design as part of the University’s English department, and the music department launched a course in video game music in the spring of 2025.

“The center will be a place where students of any major from across campus can go, both to play games and to learn more about designing and making them,” said Professor Buinicki. “The game industry has become so vast and so exciting that you don’t necessarily have to be in any one program to be interested in game design.”

 By supporting this interdisciplinary cooperation, the Center for Games and Interactive Entertainment is furthering the goals of Valparaiso University’s strategic plan Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward.