Tokyo University of the Arts will open a new Master's program in Games and Interactive Arts at the Graduate School of Film and New Media from April 2026. The program will pioneer education and research in the field of games as a new artistic field in a digital society with advanced technology and an increasingly sophisticated information and communications environment.
Tokyo University of the Arts opened a game course in the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Media and Film, Department of Animation in 2019. Games are composed of an integrated combination of various elements such as art, music, video, programming, and other digital technologies, and are considered to be "a new form of comprehensive art in the modern era," and education and research related to games has been developed. Game expression and production techniques continue to evolve every day, and games are also playing a role as a tool to realize a better society, with research and practice using games expanding in fields such as medicine, education, and regional development.
The new Game and Interactive Art major, which will be established in April 2026, will place emphasis on practical exploration of expression in games and interactive art, aiming to deepen research through production. Daily production guidance will be conducted in a small seminar format, nurturing the ability to build collaborative relationships across fields, and regular critiques and play tests will provide opportunities to receive multifaceted feedback from the entire major. In addition, exhibitions will be held twice a year to disseminate the results to society at large.
There will be seven full-time faculty members (four professors, one associate professor, and two assistant professors), including Professor Junichiro Koyama (in charge of the planning and game design area), Professor Yoichiro Miyake (in charge of the game technology area), Professor Takashi Kiriyama (in charge of the social applications area), Professor Kazuhiko Hachiya (in charge of the culture and aesthetics area), Associate Professor Nahomi Maki (in charge of the visual expression area), Assistant Professor Ryoya Usuba, and Assistant Professor Keita Kanai.
The program has a capacity of 20 students and will be located at the Ueno Campus (Taito-ku, Tokyo). It is open to students not only from art faculties, but also from science and technology faculties and technical colleges. In all cases, students will be selected based on a comprehensive evaluation of their research plans for the master's program, in addition to the results of their creative activities to date.
Entrance examinations for students entering in 2026 are scheduled to be held in January or February 2026, and details on eligibility, application procedures, entrance examination procedures, etc. will be announced in the recruitment guidelines scheduled to be released in early August. In conjunction with the opening of the "Game and Interactive Art Major," the Graduate School of Film and New Media will no longer be accepting students for the Game Research field in the Media and New Media major and the Animation major.
On Thursday, July 2025th, 7, an announcement event titled "Why Geidai is Creating a Games Major" will be held for members of the press, game-related companies, and educational institutions, and on Saturday, August 24th, an entrance exam information session will be held for those wishing to enroll in the Game and Interactive Art major.
＜Presentation for the opening of the major: "Why Tokyo University of the Arts is creating a game major"> *Archived distribution is planned for a later date
Date and time: Thursday, December 7th, 24:17-00:18
Target audience: Media, game-related companies, educational institutions, etc.
Venue: Shibuya 404 Not Found – 404 PARK (Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo)
Speakers: Katsuhiko Hibino, President of Tokyo University of the Arts, and new professor of the Game and Interactive Arts Department
Cost: Free
Application: Advance reservations are required by July 7th via the reservation form (priority will be given to media representatives in the event of a large number of applications).
<Entrance Exam Information Session> *Archived distribution is planned for a later date
Date and time: Saturday, August 8 from 30:13 to 00:14
Target: Students who wish to enroll in the Game and Interactive Arts major
Venue: Tokyo University of the Arts, Ueno Campus, Faculty of Fine Arts, Central Building, Lecture Room 1
Speaker: Professor to take up the post of Game and Interactive Arts major
Cost: Free
Application: Advance reservations will be accepted from August 8th. Reservation methods will be posted on the Geidai website at a later date (first come, first served in the event of a large number of applications).
