Dr Renusha Athugala is helping to reshape Vietnam's games industry through innovative design education.
Dr Athugala leads the Game Design program at RMIT Vietnam’s School of Communication & Design, where he champions the transformative power of games beyond entertainment.
His research focuses on the integration of arts and science through interactivity, exploring new ways to solve modern challenges.
He recently co-created "SenseScapes", RMIT Vietnam's first staff-made permanent interactive art installation. This innovative project, which responds to human movement with recorded Vietnamese nature sounds, exemplifies his commitment to blending technology with local cultural elements.
Through his work, Dr Athugala is helping bridge Vietnam's creative gap in the games industry while preparing students for diverse challenges through a balanced focus on technical skills, design thinking, and teamwork.
"What I like about games is their uniqueness and the great potential they bring," Dr Athugala said.
"Many people still think that games are only for entertainment. That is not true. Games and interactive media art represent a blend of art and science, opening up amazing possibilities for modern problem-solving."
His vision comes at a crucial time for Vietnam's games industry. With the country ranking among the world's top five for game publishing, there is an urgent need to develop local design expertise alongside technical skills.
Hear more of his perspectives on game design and interactive media in our video:
Dr Renusha Athugala is helping to reshape Vietnam's games industry through innovative design education.
Games serve many purposes beyond entertainment, such as education, healthcare, training, simulation, storytelling, and raising awareness.
My name is Renusha Athugala and I’m the Program Manager for the Game Design program at RMIT Vietnam.
My research focuses on interactivity, specifically exploring ways to integrate arts and science. I believe interactivity is the foundation of games.
At RMIT, I have had a great opportunity to continue my practice-based research and also collaborate with other academics. Through our Interactive Campus initiative, myself and my colleague Thierry Bernard, we created the first interactive campus project, "SenseScapes."
SenseScapes is a sound installation where nature sounds are triggered by human motion and movement. The good thing about it is these nature sounds were recorded in Vietnam, and the project was designed and developed based on both our PhD research.
This is the first staff-made permanent interactive art installation on the RMIT Vietnam campus.
The potential of the games industry in Vietnam is undeniable at the moment. Vietnam is in the top five countries in the world for game publishing, with 4.2 billion downloads.
When we talk about revenues from games and applications in Vietnam, they are expected to reach US$2.7 billion by 2026. That’s a big number.
This has been in the news recently as well.
Vietnam still faces a significant challenge, which is a lack of original content. While developers possess the necessary technical skills, there is a noticeable gap in design expertise. I believe this deficit is due to insufficient support from academia.
So, this is why we’re here.
We started our bachelor’s degree in Game Design at RMIT Vietnam to address this issue. So, we aim to provide the education and training necessary to develop both technical and design skills for the Vietnamese games industry.
What I like about games is their uniqueness and the great potential they bring. So many people still think that games are only for entertainment. That is not true.
In fact, games and interactive media art represent a blend of art and science. This opens up amazing possibilities for modern problem-solving.
We emphasise the importance of developing students' soft skills and teamwork abilities, ensuring they are well-rounded and prepared for diverse challenges in the industry.
My philosophy in life is that you must do what you love.
It brings me great joy to see students learning and growing each semester. This is why I teach. How and what we teach shapes the students and their future, and this is what defines us as individuals.
As a designer, I need the freedom to be creative, and I’m happy to say that I get that at RMIT here. The interactive installation we completed, along with the upcoming one, shows this support.
Whenever I need a break or I have some time to spare, I usually spend it playing games or creating music. I compose instrumental music, which allows me to express my creativity and passion.