CYBERJAYA: Malaysia's lead digital economy agency, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) together with Larian Studios, an industry partner, hosted Howest University of Applied Sciences Digital Arts and Entertainment (DAE) programme team for a 10-day fact-finding mission to explore potential collaboration with local universities and industry players with the aim to elevate game development education and the broader ecosystem holistically.
Currently ranked first in the world by The Rookies as the best game design and development school in 2021, the DAE team has expressed its formal interest to establish a faculty in the country as a hub for the Digital Arts and Entertainment programme.
MDEC's chief executive officer, Mahadhir Aziz, in a statement shared that based on the Southeast Asia Game Industry Report 2021, Malaysia has a game market of US$786 million (approx. RM3,434 mil), ranking us as the third-largest gaming market in Southeast Asia in 2020.
"We are also a beaming hub for homegrown game studios to develop their crafts. As we grow from strength to strength, it is imperative we continue to consolidate our educational efforts for budding young talents. With the expertise DAE can bring to the table, we're optimistic for the industry's future and MDEC will continue our mandate to deliver equitable access to our future generation," he added.
The venture is poised to add value to Malaysia's vibrant human capital development, consistent with the national aspiration to achieve inclusive, responsible and sustainable socioeconomic development outlined in the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital).
During the 10-day-stay, the delegation met with academic institutions as well as digital studios in the country to discuss strategic areas of opportunities and partnerships.
Multimedia University (MMU), UOW Malaysia, KDU University College, National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (ASWARA), Asia Pacific University (APU), The One Academy (TOA), UNDO Academy and Claz'Room College were institutions the DAE team visited along with creative studios such as PlayStation Studios Malaysia, Virtuos Studios, LemonSky Studios and Ten Ten Studios in their effort to obtain a better understanding of talent needs and distribution in Malaysia.
DAE's academic director, Rik Donald Leenknegt, said, the possibility to be part of the rise of a new game ecosystem is extremely appealing and "as an institution, we understand the needs of the industry and we know how to get people ready for the industry".
According to MDEC's director of digital creative content, Mohan Low, who was part of the hosting team said, the mission ended on a high note with the team from DAE being very impressed with the level of offerings by the academic fraternity in Malaysia.
"We have also noticed that there is a lot of support from the government, in particular from MDEC to help push the Malaysian game industry forward. This is a very important element. Further, the expansion planning in Malaysia gives us a perfect gateway to the South Asian market," said Leenknegt.
The visit has provided the DAE team exposure and familiarisation to Malaysia's gaming industry network and focused on bridging shared practice on industry-academia partnerships.
"We are optimistic that this keen interest will materialise into impactful and sustainable collaborations with Malaysian institutions via twinning programmes. In the long run, a formal presence of DAE in Malaysia will ensure a stronger and higher quality of talents to our game industry ecosystem," said Low.