NYU-Poly Cuts Ribbon on CITE, I Get Giddy About More Video Games

So, confession: On March 11th, I was invited to and attended the wonderful opening ribbon ceremony for the new Center of Innovation for Technology and Entertainment (CITE) at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, but I had to hop on a plane immediately to attend SXSW. Startup coverage and open bars (where I covered startups) prevented me from writing up the story on CITE, but the program is cooler than the new Tron: Legacy game, so I have to give the event its dues.

CITE was funded by a $2-million state grant, and fittingly, New York State Senator Martin J. Golden (R) spoke along with NYU-Poly President Jerry Hultin at the ceremony. I know, shocking: New York State giving two million dollars for an education program…at the behest of a Republican…for a program that encourages students to build and play video games. The sky is falling! Oh wait, that’s just the roof at half the city’s public schools.

Snark aside, this is money really well spent. The video game industry brings in $32 billion dollars globally each year, and everyone that’s observed the skyrocketing success of Zynga knows that it could be a huge economic boost for the city.

“With CITE, NYU-Poly’s researchers, students and industry partners are well poised to contribute to the economic growth of New York,” President Hultin said. “CITE will facilitate the collaborative development of ground-breaking digital gaming.”

““Investing in initiatives like CITE that foster collaboration between academia and industry ensures that New York will remain among the leading states as a hub of innovation,” said Senator Golden.

He also later referred to young people “twittering,” but we’ll forgive him for that. His support makes him pretty big G for a member of the GOP. President Hultin vowed to turn NYU-Poly into the “MIT of NYC”, which is a very baller statement, and right on. That’s exactly what we need to overcome the shortage of developers in this city as NYTech continues to grow.

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New York’s video game hub is pretty hot right now. The sector brings in $270 million dollars, has experienced a 5% growth rate, and is home to Kaos Studios, Take-Two Interactive Software, Atari, Large Animal Games, Zynga and a chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA). Zynga, creator of Farmville, CityVille, and owner of Angry Birds. We’d love to see a lot more gaming companies grow out of NYU-POLY and CITE.

The ceremony also featured a panel, moderated by NYU-Poly research director Katherin Isbister, and featuring: Frank Lutz, the mastermind creative director of Zynga New York; journalist Evan Narcisse, who write about videogames for everyone, including The Atlantic; and Chris Cross, the rockstar lead designer at Kaos Studios. All four emphasized New York’s need to push the limits of innovation and grow top-notch developers at home.

Afterwards, I rushed around to see the developments of many NYU-Poly game developers, which me and the rest of the Egotist crew (what what!) will highlight in this space in the coming months. Why? Because game mechanics are becoming integral to tech and marketing, and video games is an industry that can change this city.
We hope to see the state continue to support NYU-Poly.

Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) officially launched its new Center of Innovation for Technology and Entertainment (CITE) on Friday, March 11, 2001. CITE, funded by a $2-million state grant, will be a hub of innovation that fosters collaborations between researchers, students and industry partners. Pictured (left to right) are: Bill de Blasio, Public Advocate, City of New York; Jerry Hultin, President, Polytechnic Institute of NYU, and Senator Martin Golden, NY-22nd State Senate District.

Photograph courtesy of Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly) officially launched its new Center of Innovation for Technology and Entertainment (CITE) on Friday, March 11, 2001. CITE, funded by a $2-million state grant, will be a hub of innovation that fosters collaborations between researchers, students and industry partners. On hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were (left to right): Edward Reinfurt, Executive Director, New York State Foundation for Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR); Jerry Hultin, President, Polytechnic Institute of NYU; Senator Martin Golden, NY-22nd State Senate District; Katherine Isbister, Research Director of NYU-Poly’s Game Innovation Lab and Associate Professor with a joint appointment in Digital Media (Humanities and Social Science) and Computer Science and Engineering; and Michael Balagur, Architect, Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP.

Photograph courtesy of Polytechnic Institute of New York University.