Esports Iron Skillet
Saturday, February 21, 2026, 10:15am — Online Event Watch SMU vs TCU Esports in an all-day gaming tournament! Cheer your SMU team on in this annual event at https://www.twitch.tv/smu_esports...
News & Events
Explore what's new, noteworthy, and upcoming at SMU Guildhall.
SMU Guildhall News
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Capstone games completed in Fall 2025 are set to release February 17 and March 2 on Steam.
February 04, 2026
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New program for fall 2026 leverages SMU Guildhall’s renowned expertise and Dallas’ industry strength for exceptional student creators.
December 05, 2025
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A panel interview with Borderlands 4 developers from Gearbox Software including seven SMU Guildhall alumni
November 05, 2025
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After a positive commercial release on Steam, this game by SMU Guildhall alumna Anona Yang will release additional DLC content on October 9, 2025.
October 07, 2025
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An annual team building day for the newest SMU Guildhall cohort
September 18, 2025
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An interview with SMU Guildhall alumna Emily Zhang, associate systems designer at Gearbox, about her experiences as an Asian woman in gaming.
September 17, 2025
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Study demonstrates GPT-4 can create believable non-player characters with consistent personality traits.
August 26, 2025
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SMU Guildhall hosted its 2025 annual GameJam as part of Orientation Weekend.
August 23, 2025
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Calling all aspiring game designers! Join us for Guildhall Academy, a summer camp for grades 8-12
May 27, 2025
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SMU Guildhall's 2025 Diploma Ceremony will take place Saturday, May 17th from 11:30am-12:30pm, with reception to follow from 12:30-2:30pm.
May 17, 2025
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SMU Guildhall Thesis students showcase their independent study projects.
May 09, 2025
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SMU Guildhall students are invited to join the Student Activities Committee for an Escape Room event.
April 12, 2025
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SMU Guildhall will host its annual Career Fair for job-seeking alumni and May 2025 graduates on April 10, 2025.
April 09, 2025
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SMU Guildhall recognizes its alumni and students who served as honorary speakers at the 2025 Game Developer's Conference.
March 25, 2025
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During SMU's annual Giving Day event, you can contribute to helping Girls-in-STEM.
March 11, 2025
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Learn how SMU researchers are integrating Augmented Reality, location-based tracking, and game-based learning into a new app.
February 28, 2025
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A wrap-up summary of SMU Guildhall's Fall 2024 industry and alumni participation, which linked developers with students for networking and learning.
January 31, 2025
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Join us for bagels and coffee while playing SMU Guildhall's newest student-made video games.
December 16, 2024
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SMU will host the 7th Annual STREAM Day for Upward Bound Math & Science on Saturday, December 7th.
December 07, 2024
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SMU team including Guildhall researchers create large datasets to address bias and fairness issues found in facial recognition (FR) technology.
November 15, 2024
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Join SMU Guildhall, SMU’s graduate school for Video Game Development, to play their newest student-made games!
November 14, 2024
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Join SMU researchers for a look at a new AI Quantum Chemistry Empowered Drug Discovery Platform, SMARTCADD.
November 11, 2024
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Despite revenue and consumer gains, game creators find themselves at a concerning, all-too-familiar crossroads of consolidations and cutbacks.
November 08, 2024
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Join SMU Guildhall Deputy Director of Research, Corey Clark for a seminar on 'Bridging the Gap in AI: From Language Models to Intelligent Collaborators'
November 08, 2024
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AI and Quantum Mechanics research uses an open-source SmartCADD tool to better identify disease treatments.
October 07, 2024
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A SMU research team, including SMU Guildhall faculty, will present a new tool for enhancing AI transparency and accuracy at the IEEE Conference.
July 30, 2024
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Calling all aspiring game designers! Join us for Guildhall Academy, a summer camp for grades 8-12
May 28, 2024
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SMU Guildhall Thesis students showcase their independent study projects.
May 10, 2024
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SMU Guildhall Deputy Director of Research Corey Clark Named 'AI Impact Innovator' on the 2024 Dallas Innovates list.
May 02, 2024
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SMU Guildhall celebrates the Steam and EGS launch of two new student-made games: Kneedle Knight and Asurya's Embers.
February 21, 2024
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Let's celebrate! Join us for bagels and play SMU Guildhall's newest student-made video games.
December 11, 2023
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Dallas Morning News Feature: SMU Guildhall, which helped establish Texas’ reputation in the gaming industry, honors two decades of gaming education.
November 22, 2023
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Discover SMU's world-renowned, graduate-level video game design program.
November 06, 2023
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SMU Guildhall is turning a video game into a crime fighting tool, using a $1.187M federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.
November 06, 2023
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SMU Guildhall celebrates its 20th anniversary during the 2023-2024 academic year, including a two-day celebration.
November 01, 2023
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SMU Guildhall hosted its annual GameJam on August 19, 2023 as part of Orientation Weekend.
August 23, 2023
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SMU Guildhall celebrates the Steam release of three student-made games: Conjury Revell, Light of Alariya, and SeaFeud.
July 14, 2023
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SMU research uses video games and machine learning to provide law enforcement and policymakers with national data on victims, crimes and perpetrators.
June 21, 2023
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SMU Guildhall celebrated the accomplishments of students in Cohort 31 at the 2023 Diploma Ceremony and Graduation Reception.
May 13, 2023
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SMU Guildhall Thesis students in Cohort 31 showcase their independent study projects.
May 06, 2023
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SMU Guildhall's annual Career Fair for Game Development connects aspiring game developers with the video game industry’s top game studios and tech companies.
April 12, 2023
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Donate to support Guildhall Academy, a summer camp that works to teach middle schoolers and high schoolers to make a video game.
March 07, 2023
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Join us to celebrate the completion of our newest student games.
December 12, 2022
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Join us to playtest 10 new games by graduate students from SMU Guildhall.
November 10, 2022
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The 2022 annual SMU Guildhall GameJam will take place August 12, 2022 as part of C32 Orientation Weekend.
August 20, 2022
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SMU Guildhall celebrates the accomplishments of students in Cohort 30 at the 2022 Diploma Ceremony and Graduation Reception.
May 14, 2022
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SMU Guildhall Thesis students in Cohort 30 will exhibit their independent study projects.
May 06, 2022
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The SMU Guildhall Career Fair connects game development students and alumni with the industry’s top game studios and tech companies.
April 06, 2022
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SMU eSports came out victorious and took home the Year One Iron Skillet trophy.
February 23, 2022
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Don't buy into the hype about this being a move by Microsoft to own the Metaverse. But it is a strong signal that MS is in the game to stay.
February 02, 2022
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As game development teams around the world attempted to figure out how to work amidst unexpected shifts caused by the pandemic, these student teams overcame—and excelled. Here’s what they learned.
January 27, 2022
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A new research partnership seeks a patent for machine learning software for OCT images, aiding identity progression and treatment options.
January 24, 2022
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Join us on Zoom to celebrate the completion of our newest round of student games!
December 13, 2021
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Our invitation-only Commencement and Diploma Ceremony will honor Spring 2021 graduates.
May 15, 2021
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Our virtual Career Fair saw 219 interviews with Guildhall students and alumni, and 20 studio info sessions.
March 09, 2021
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Explore SMU Guildhall's new home, Gerald J. Ford Hall—which was recently unveiled and dedicated at SMU.
December 04, 2020
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Simmons School of Education completes IES Grant Prototype featuring SMU Guildhall game development contributions.
August 20, 2020
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SMU students successfully ship large-scale team game through unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic circumstances
May 29, 2020
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Guided by input from Cohort 28, we have decided to move our reception to a virtual location.
May 15, 2020
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Join us for the annual SMU Guildhall GDC Reception to connect with our rich network of alumni, industry partners, faculty and students.
March 18, 2020
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SMU Guildhall has released new student-made games created in the Fall 2019 semester: Goofballs, Rhome, Tex-Mechs, and Up in the Air.
February 04, 2020
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SMU Guildhall Director of Research receives Technology Inventor Award, recognizing pioneering accomplishments.
August 29, 2019
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SMU Guildhall welcomes all new students in C29 at our 2019 New Student Orientation and GameJam.
August 23, 2019
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An interview with the Dallas Morning News and SMU Guildhall Director Gary Brubaker
August 15, 2019
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SMU Guildhall student-made games FrostRunner and La Rana Win at MomoCon
May 27, 2019
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SMU Guildhall will honor its graduating candidates at our 2019 Graduation events.
May 17, 2019
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SMU Guildhall's Career Fair will introduce employers to candidates graduating in May 2019 (Cohort 27), alumni interested in new opportunities, and students graduating in May 2020 (Cohort 28). Attendance is free.
April 11, 2019
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FrostRunner Takes 3rd for Best Gameplay, 7th Consecutive Guildhall Win in the Competition's 6 Years Running.
March 22, 2019
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Certain Affinity will partner with SMU Guildhall for a new merit-based student scholarship, commemorating the life and work of Nels Nelson.
March 14, 2019
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SMU Guildhall has once again been named on The Princeton Review List, "Top 25 Graduate Schools for Game Design for 2019".
March 12, 2019
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SMU celebrates the groundbreaking for Gerald J. Ford Hall for Research and Innovation, SMU Guildhall's new home.
February 22, 2019
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SMU Researchers including SMU Guildhall's Boris Fisher have developed a VR Surgery Simulator for surgical training in developing countries.
February 22, 2019
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Literacy App game invites adult readers to hunt treasure to improve reading skills, tying for Grand Prize in $7M Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE competition.
February 08, 2019
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SMU Guildhall's newest round of published student-made games catch attention from the Steam community and beyond.
January 15, 2019
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Join us on Twitch for a live stream of a beloved annual tradition: SMU Guildhall Bagel Day.
December 07, 2018
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SMU Guildhall, in collaboration with Balanced Media | Technology and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, presents Extra Life game-a-thon.
December 01, 2018
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Join us for the Game Changers Speaker Series as we hear from Graeme Devine, Chief Game Wizard at Magic Leap.
November 09, 2018
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Do you like to play video games? Do you need a break from studying? Come play our SMU student-made games and let us know your thoughts!
November 05, 2018
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The inaugural OP Live Dallas esports event included gaming competitions, education sessions, meet and greets with esports pros, and more.
October 04, 2018
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What is OP Live Dallas all about? Learn more about our upcoming esports event.
September 20, 2018
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SMU Guildhall welcomes all new students in C28 at our 2018 New Student Orientation and GameJam.
August 17, 2018
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OP Live Dallas adds a collegiate Overwatch tournament, powered by Team Envy and the Dallas Fuel, to its lineup of events.
August 17, 2018
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Epic Games presents an educational component featuring Fortnite for OP Live Dallas, a premier esports event running Sept. 22-23, 2018.
August 02, 2018
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OP Live is pleased to announce that Team Envy and the Dallas Fuel will partner in the inaugural event this fall.
July 18, 2018
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GameStop will partner with eGency Global and SMU Guildhall for the launch of OP Live Dallas, a premier eSports event that will raise money for Children's Health.
July 03, 2018
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SMU Guildhall to honor graduating students at Spring 2018 Exhibition and Graduation.
May 18, 2018
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Are you interested in licensing SMU Guildhall IP or on-boarding experienced production-ready development teams? Join us as we showcase student game titles and teams.
April 19, 2018
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SMU Guildhall's Career Fair will introduce employers to job seeking alumni and students graduating in May 2018.
April 19, 2018
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Minecraft Players Are Helping SMU Researchers Find Better Cancer-Fighting Drugs
March 14, 2018
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SMU Guildhall has once again been ranked first in the world for graduate game design and development.
March 13, 2018
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Join us for the Game Changers Speaker Series as we hear from Ed Fries, Former Vice President at Microsoft and Co-Founder of the Xbox Project
February 02, 2018
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Help launch a modified version of the popular Minecraft “Bed Wars” designed to find new cancer therapies.
December 21, 2017
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Join SMU Guildhall on December 2-3, 2017 for a special student-led game-a-thon, which will raise funds for Children's Miracle Network.
December 02, 2017
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Join us to play SMU Guildhall student-made video games and give us your thoughts.
November 13, 2017
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Panel Discussion: How SMU Research is using Minecraft to find a treatment for cancer
September 29, 2017
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Join SMU Guildhall for a private reception.
September 21, 2017
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SMU Guildhall is now an official gold sponsor for the video game emoji.
August 24, 2017
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SMU Guildhall's publishing arm, GameLab, hosted its first annual Game Jam as part of Orientation Weekend.
August 22, 2017
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SMU Guildhall welcomes all new students in C27 at our 2017 New Student Orientation and GameJam.
August 18, 2017
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Imaginuity-Guildhall partnership receives international accolades for website design.
August 10, 2017
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SMU's puzzle-solving smartphone app selected as one of eight to move to next round in $7M Adult Literacy XPRIZE competition.
July 18, 2017
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SMU Guildhall and cancer researchers level up to tap human intuition of video gamers in to beat cancer.
May 10, 2017
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Sixteen graduates hired to develop unannounced Virtual Reality video game.
May 09, 2017
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Tanya Watson, Co-Founder of Squanchtendo, to address graduating students.
April 27, 2017
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Student Developer David Rosario discusses lessons learned while developing Escape Velocity.
April 25, 2017
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Student developer Alexander Baird discusses lessons learned in designing the camera in 'Dawn.'
April 03, 2017
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SMU Guildhall has been named #1 graduate school for game design by Princeton Review.
March 21, 2017
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The SMU Guildhall website redesign wins top honors with a gold trophy from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals.
March 14, 2017
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In this blog, SMU Guildhall student developer Mario Rodriguez reflects on key questions his team had to answer while creating their first VR game.
February 21, 2017
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Join us for the Game Changers Speaker Series as we hear from Garrett Young of id Software
August 12, 2016
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SMU research teams link expertise in game design and education to build an immersive app benefiting adult literacy.
July 24, 2016
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A reflection on developing 'The Hidden Village,' an educational game that teaches students geometry through motion capture technology.
July 13, 2016
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SMU Guildhall student developer Max Krembs shares insights gained from his work on mobile literacy app, Codex: The Lost Words of Atlantis.
July 12, 2016
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SMU Guildhall game Inua was featured by Intel in a report about its First Place win for Best Visuals at the 2016 Intel® University Games Showcase.
July 12, 2016
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Game industry insider will discuss the greenlighting process in a talk to air live on Twitch.
June 16, 2016
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SMU Guildhall student games Gravitas and Scrapped have been Greenlit on Steam.
May 23, 2016
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Student developer Andrew Curley shares how team leaders can maximize both performance and personal satisfaction through well-aligned roles.
May 08, 2016
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National Videogame Museum opens its doors in Frisco and partners with SMU Guildhall to build a mural of Ralph Baer out of more than 600 Rubik Cubes.
April 13, 2016
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New SMU courses aim to address real-world ethical challenges from the political science realm to the video game industry.
March 23, 2015
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SMU Guildhall hosted Final Fantasy art director Yusuke Naora, from Square Enix in Japan, in the kickoff appearance at a national tour.
March 14, 2015
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FINAL FANTASY TYPE-0 HD developer Yusuke Naora to speak at SMU Guildhall, sharing personal experiences in video games and the visuals of the Final Fantasy® series.
February 18, 2015
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Newsweek covered SMU VR simulation, “My Voice, My Choice,” which utilizes a software program developed with SMU’s award-winning Guildhall video gaming program.
February 02, 2015
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Teen girls report less victimization after SMU's “My Voice, My Choice” immersive virtual reality environment training program.
January 19, 2015
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Andrew Scoggin of Dallas Morning News Neighborsgo gives readers a look at how Guildhall student games are developed and reviewed.
April 10, 2014