Moody College Video Game and Esports Symposium
Presented by the Karch Gaming Institute
The Karch Gaming Institute is proud to present the 2025 Moody College Video Game and Esports Symposium, a two-day in-person + online exploration of video games, the industries around them, their histories and legacies, convergences with cinema and animation, and much more!
Hosted by the Department of Radio-Television-Film, the symposium will take place in historic CMB Studio 6B, state-of-the-art Alienware Longhorn Esports Arena & Lounge, and virtualized online. Join us for an exhibition of student work, a video game (Smash) tournament with prizes, a lineup of speakers from academia and industry, a special screening of video game shorts, an expo of student games—including the winners of this year's Egads Global Game Jam(!)—presentations from student groups like Longhorn Gaming, surprise visits by friends of UT, and a network mixer and reception. Enjoy snacks and drinks throughout. Game On!
Thursday, October 23, 2025: Speakers and Networking
Location: CMB Studio 6B
12 - 11 p.m. Digital Lounge and Exhibition of Student Work
Student work from the Fall 2025 cohort from digital media production, business of video games, game usability analysis and exploring digital arts and media will be projected and presented on an array of monitors throughout the day. DJ Raul joins for the after party. See schedule below.
1 - 2 p.m. Dr. Tobias Scholz on Esports
Esports, the advanced training ground for the virtualized workforce of tomorrow, is here now at UT. Join us in conversation with Dr. Tobias Scholz, Associate Professor for Academic Esports and Company Esports at University of Adger, Norway, and one of the world's leading scholars in academic esports, to learn how you may already possess the skills of tomorrow through play today.
2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Dr. Byron Fong & Dr. Patrick Sullivan on Dungeons & Dragons + Video Games
UT and A&M have joined forces to explore, discover and present on first engine to bring Dungeons & Dragons into computer gaming, the Gold Box Engine. Byron Fong, Assistant Professor in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at UT Austin, and professor Patrick Sullivan, Assistant Professor, Associate Undergraduate Program Director for Performance and Visual Studies at Texas A&M University, present: "Before Doom: The Gold Box Engine and the Forgotten Foundations of Game Technology."
4 - 5 p.m. In Conversation with Matthew Garcia-Dunn on Writing and Directing Narrative across Games, Film, TV, Books & Comics
From Monsters University to League of Legends and beyond, to Arcane, Narrative Director and Lead Writer Matthew Garcia-Dunn, has had a formidable professional arc in 21st century media. Join us as we discuss crafting story, character, empathy and connection in different dimensions.
5 - 7 p.m. Reception and Networking Mixer
Food and refreshment accompany introductions, discussions, connections, and surprises.
7 - 11 p.m. Digital Lounge
DJ Raul takes us into the evening with a video game-inspired mix of techno / electronica and esoterica-like black midi to accompany a screening of selected video game shorts, cinematics, and animation.
Speaker Bios
Dr. Tobias Scholz, Associate Professor, University of Agder, Norway
A pioneer in esports research with 25 years of experience, Scholz specializes in academic esports and human resource management. He authored “eSports is Business” and co-edited the “Routledge Handbook of Esports.” As founder of the Esports Research Network and chief scientific officer of metagame, Dr. Scholz bridges academia and industry. His work in Norway focuses on developing innovative degree programs that use esports to teach future workforce skills. A member of the first generation of esports researchers also called the “godfather of esports research,” Dr. Scholz continues to shape the field's evolution, combining academic rigor with practical industry insights.
Dr. Byron Fong, Assistant Professor, Department of Radio-Television-Film, UT Austin
His research examines the global history of computer technologies and their impact on cultures of labor and media. His current book project, Kinetic Control: Interactive Movement in Video Game Aesthetics, historicizes video game aesthetics from 1985 to 1994 through the lens of technology, animation, and industry. He also has experience in museum exhibition design and archival collection assessment.
Patrick Sullivan, Assistant Professor, Associate Undergraduate Program Director for Performance and Visual Studies, Texas A&M
Patrick Sullivan is the program director of the film studies minor and has a graduate certificate in film and media studies. He is a historian of post-45 media with a particular interest in disparaged cultural forms and the aesthetic experiences they provoke. His articles and reviews appear in Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Invisible Culture, [in]Transition, and Film Quarterly. He is currently completing a book manuscript on network-era television sound.
Matthew Garcia-Dunn
Matthew Garcia-Dunn is an EMMY and BAFTA award-winning veteran of the video game industry. His work is featured in games such as LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, FREE FIRE, Marvel's MIDNIGHT SUNS, SPACE MARINE 2, SILENT HILL, ARCANE, and many others. Character, conflict, and structure create a harmony that powers any piece of storytelling, from video games to episodic content to feature films. He has been writing professionally since 2012.
Rune Andersen, University of Adger, Norway
Rune Andersen was once a K12 teacher before migrating to the sector of higher education where he began teaching in the bachelor of engineering program which evolved through multimedia into Academic Esports, game technologies and game didactics. Working with the use of technology and games in education and in pedagogy, Rune initiated, developed and currently runs the first complete and holistic bachelor's program in Academic Esports in Europe. The focus - 21st century and transferable skills from games to other areas of society. Developing the skillsets required for thriving in the workforce of tomorrow. In addition to teaching, Rune is the head of program Academic Esports and Game Didactics (Bachelor program), Assistant head of department of ICT: focus on external communication and innovation and Leader (and founding member) of the international research center for Academic Esports and Game Technologies.
Friday October 24, 2025: Xymposium and game eXpo (Hybrid)
Location: Alienware Longhorn Esports Area & Lounge (in the Union Underground)
12 - 8 p.m. Xymposium and game eXpo
Moody College, The Karch Gaming Institute and the Alienware Longhorn Esports Arena & Lounge (in the Union Underground) teamed up to support an student-produced hybrid terrestrial/virtualized non-linear play-exposition expo and exchange. Free console play all day in the Alienware Esports Underground, Egads presents winners of the Texas Global Game Jam (biggest student game jam of all time!), the state of esports at UT from Longhorn gaming, a Smash tournament with prizes, global exchange opportunities for students interested in esports, surprise guests throughout the day and lots more fun.
Co-hosted by Rune Andersen - Associate Professor Department of Information and Communication Technology, Director of Academic esports Program, University of Adger, Norway.
Presented by:
