Videogame On—in Brooklyn
- Laura Kusisto for The Wall Street Journal March 18th, 2013
- Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323415304578368512875147492.html?KEYWORDS=kusisto#
Downtown Brooklyn, which has been struggling to attract more hip technology companies, has lured a new tenant that arguably epitomizes the nerdy-cool image it wants to project—a videogame institute.
New York University is launching an interdisciplinary center to train budding game makers in the design, coding and artistic theory of the rapidly growing game industry, which has expanded to include mobile apps and even promotions for TV shows and films.
The center—known as the Media and Games Network, or Magnet—is slated to open in the fall in a 40,000-square-foot space in an office building at 2 Metrotech Center. It will house programs ranging from a master's degree in game design to a doctorate in educational communications and technology.
The city has invested heavily in trying to attract more technology companies, in part to offset stagnant job growth in more traditional local industries such as finance and law. The videogame industry could be an important area for growth, drawing on the city's strengths in the arts, media and entertainment.
