Sammy funds UCSD's gaming program

The University of California, San Diego is the recipient of a Sammy Studios contribution of $290,000, the game developer/publisher said this week. The contribution will help support the campus' Experimental Game Lab and Center for Research in Computing and Arts. Sammy will also make available its SCORE game engine, free of charge, to the school. Both donations will help students address issues of next-generation gaming, including the creation of persistent online worlds, in-game streaming media, and new rendering techniques. "The creation of the Experimental Game Lab has enormous relevance to our industry," said John Rowe, president and CEO of Sammy Studios. "It brings a dedicated video game curriculum to a nationally ranked digital media arts program, ultimately producing a greater number of creative and savvy entrants into the industry."