Austin, TX
Moody College of Communication Welcomes New Karch Gaming Institute
AUSTIN, Texas — A new gaming institute at The University of Texas at Austin will help position students for careers in the rapidly growing video game industry. UT’s Moody College of Communication will be home to the Karch Gaming Institute, which will be dedicated to shaping the next generation of creative leaders in the gaming industry thanks to a generous gift from Matt Karch, CEO of Saber Interactive, a worldwide video game developer and publisher, on behalf of the Karch family.
Aided by the $5 million gift, the Karch Gaming Institute will teach students about all aspects of the digital gaming industry from concept to distribution to the convergence of gaming with film, broadcast and other media. Students will gain the skills and knowledge needed to thrive as leaders in the most profitable sector of entertainment.
“At Moody College, we are continuously evolving to meet the needs of our students and the industries they want to work in upon graduation,” said Anita Vangelisti, Moody College interim dean. “This generous gift will help advance our offerings in an exciting and growing field that aligns so well with our existing strengths in new media and radio, television and film, while also providing our students with even more experiential, collaborative learning opportunities alongside our outstanding faculty and industry experts.”
According to the Entertainment Software Association, the U.S. video game industry generated more than $100 billion in annual economic impact in 2024 while supporting almost 350,000 U.S. jobs. As the gaming industry continues to rapidly grow and expand, the institute will go beyond traditional education, offering students a comprehensive curriculum that combines the rich history, cultural context, ethics and art of storytelling in gaming with practical and hands-on courses focused on the business and development workflows of the industry.
“I have spent the past 25 years immersed in the business of making games,” Karch said. “In that timespan, the industry has grown at an unprecedented rate. Until today, the same couldn’t be said about education in the gaming space. The University of Texas at Austin and Moody College are the perfect place to build the world’s leading game education program. It is a world-class university in one of the country’s leading hubs for game development. This program is designed to give students the knowledge and skills that many of us game veterans have only been able to acquire with decades of practical experience. The Karch Gaming Institute will play a key role in training future leaders of our industry. I am proud to be able to be a part of that.”
With the support of the Karch Gaming Institute, Moody College is developing courses with the initial goal of creating a minor to focus on the business and production of digital games. This initiative will be unique, multidisciplinary, and offer exciting opportunities to UT students to connect with this vibrant industry.
The institute will offer the first two courses, “Business of Gaming: From Concept to Console” and “Gaming Usability Lab Fundamentals” this fall for any UT student. The concept-to-console course will feature guest speakers from various UT departments and careers within the gaming industry and will include hands-on exercises such as concept pitching techniques. The usability lab course will teach students how this type of lab is used within the industry. As part of the course, students will be given access to a not-yet-released game to use as a case study.
Faculty members from Moody College will oversee the curriculum and instruct the courses in partnership with faculty members from the College of Fine Arts and College of Natural Sciences.
“It’s impossible to deny the growth of the video game industry and its intersection with the entertainment industry,” said Cindy McCreery, chair of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at Moody College. “Video game leaders have shared with me the missing component for many students once they’re out of school has been understanding the big-picture ecosystems and workflows when it comes to video game development to distribution. These courses will help to fill those gaps, better preparing students for these emerging career opportunities upon graduation.”
Those interested in learning more about the Karch Gaming Institute should stay tuned to Moody College’s website. The latest news will also be posted on Moody College’s Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook sites.
About Moody College of Communication
Moody College of Communication is one of the largest and most comprehensive communication colleges in the country, consistently ranked among the top communication and media studies programs in the world. With programs in Advertising and Public Relations; Communication Studies; Communication and Leadership; Journalism and Media; Radio-Television-Film; and Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Moody College provides students with the most current and in-demand skills and hands-on, life-changing experiences in one of the most vibrant cities in the nation.
About Saber Interactive
Saber Interactive is a worldwide publisher and developer consisting of 13 studios in the Americas and Europe. Creating games for all major platforms based on original and licensed IPs, Saber’s titles include “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2,” “John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando,” “Jurassic Park: Survival,” “Turok: Origins,” “World War Z,” “SnowRunner,” “Expeditions: A MudRunner Game” and “RoadCraft.” Founded in 2001, Saber is known for two decades of development partnerships with leading developers and publishers, including producing “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” for Nintendo Switch, “Halo: The Master Chief Collection,” “Crysis Remastered,” and many others. Learn more at https://saber.games.
AUSTIN, Texas — Some members of the Austin City Council are calling on the city manager to develop a plan for renaming Cesar Chavez Street after allegations of sexual abuse came out against the late labor leader earlier this year.
According to a memo on Friday to City Manager T.C. Broadnax, José Velásquez, Vanessa Fuentes, José “Chito” Vela and Zohaib “Zo” Qadri requested Broadnax develop a community outreach plan to gather input and assess the cost to the city, residents and businesses on renaming the street.
“The City of Austin is committed to upholding the dignity and safety of all people and affirms its unwavering support to survivors of sexual violence,” the memo said.
The council members outlined how the outreach plan should be developed and what should be included.
For the development of the plan, council members asked Broadnax to do the following steps:
- Work with the Equity Office, Transportation and Public Works Department, and other appropriate departments as needed.
- Engage Latino Community Leaders, labor unions, City Commissions and residents, businesses, neighborhood associations located on East and West Cesar Chavez Street.
- Assess estimated renaming costs to the city.
- Assess estimated renaming costs to residents and businesses on East and West Cesar Chavez Street.
- Follow additional guidelines provided by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
And the council members said the outreach plan should include:
- A series of hybrid listening sessions with at least two in-person sessions and one virtual session.
- An online survey for the public.
- A stakeholder survey for residents and businesses on East and West Cesar Chavez Street to understand the impacts of renaming the street.
The council members requested that Broadnax come up with a report by May 26 that included a plan, cost estimates and a proposed timeline for the renaming, according to the memo.
César Chávez was known for his work with the farmworker movement and co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers of America, with Dolores Huerta. Huerta said she was one of the young women and girls who were groomed and sexually abused by Chávez, which resulted in two pregnancies. She gave birth to the two children and sent them to live with other families.
In her statement, Huerta said she did not know about the other women and girls and that she stayed silent for 60 years because she worried that her coming forward would hurt the farmworker movement.
Other Texas cities have already distanced themselves from Chávez. In Fort Worth, the city removed the street toppers that honored Chávez.
The Cesar E. Chavez Legacy & Educational Foundation — the foundation that hosted the nation’s largest César Chávez march in San Antonio for 29 years — announced it will soon dissolve. The City of San Antonio moved the Cesar Chavez city holiday to Good Friday, and it is requesting the public’s feedback on renaming César E. Chávez Boulevard.
Also, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) has directed all public schools to suspend any instruction or activities related to Chávez.
Chávez died on April 23, 1993, at the age of 66.
ROUND ROCK, Texas — The family of a Round Rock ISD student that was hit by a car Wednesday issued a statement asking for prayers from the community following the incident.
The incident occurred just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Teravista Club Drive and Teravista Parkway.
The child was riding a bicycle when he was struck by a vehicle while crossing in a crosswalk. He suffered from “incapacitating injuries,” according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
According to the family statement, the victim sustained major injuries to his brain and neck. The family asked for prayers on Easter Sunday in support of the victim.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Child bicyclist sent the hospital with “incapacitating injuries” after being hit by car
The family of the victim are “asking the Lord to perform a miracle” on their son. They also stated that he “walked through life as everyone’s friend. He is a kind person that would help friend’s in need and with great confidence and strength, stick up for others who couldn’t stick up for themselves.”
Round Rock ISD confirmed that the student was a Teravista Elementary School student. The principal stated in the shared statement that counselors are available to help support students during this time.
The lead agencies on the Wednesday incident are the Round Rock Police Department and Texas DPS.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — “Albino” bluebonnets were spotted Friday at Inks Lake State Park in Burnet.
Inks Lake said park rangers found the unique bluebonnets beside the park’s headquarters.
Bluebonnets, or Lupinus texensis, in the U.S. are found in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Florida. The species is one of the six Lupinus species that are collectively designated the State Flower of Texas, according to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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“Albino” Bluebonnets found at Texas state park in Burnet (Inks Lake State Park photo)
“This rare variation is the result of a recessive gene that must be carried by both parent plants, so it’s pretty cool to see,” the park said.
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