Mission

PONG - Playlab fOr inNovation in Games is a laboratory of the Computer Science Department at the Università degli Studi di Milano. Our main goal is to become a cultural landmark for quality research on videogames, in the broadest sense of the term.

Description

PONG activities focus on research - both fundamental and applied - related to the design and the development of videogames and of the way gaming devices are used. Our interests include the broadest number of possible application for videogames, ranging from entertainment to serious games.

Due to the intrinsic multidisciplinary content of videogames, our main methodological approach aims at knitting effectively together different perspectives - e.g. by coupling theoretical research with qualitative and quantitative approaches, action research methodologies and HCI paradigms. Thus we try to ensure a clear perception of the inter-relations between technical aspects and player experience, devoting - at the same time - the appropriate attention to cultural, social and psychological issues that are of paramount importance in the broadest application range of videogames.

In particular, PONG activities will focus on the design and development of innovative solutions (which can also exploit different types of devices), in the following areas: design approaches, interaction models and distributed architectures for videogames. Pong activities will include single and multiplayer games, playable both as stand-alone or online (including mobile devices).

Research, Industrial, and Internship Collaborations

University of Padua, Italy - Prof. Claudio Palazzi

Politecnico di Torino, Italy - Prof. Paolo Giaccone

Lappeenranta University of Technology, Finland - Prof. Jouni Ikonen

Digital Tales, Italy

Ubisoft Milano, Italy

Teaching Collaborations

Videogame Design and Prgramming
Politecnico di Milano, Master degree in Computer engineering (Prof. Pier Luca Lanzi)