Games art will be seen by some of the largest audiences in all of the history of art or of media. Yet as a representation of human civilization at the end of the 20^th Century and into 21^st Century there can be few media examples that so comprehensively fail to evidence the hopes, expectations, aspirations or even the existence of large sections of society.

This paper chronicles the development of RMIT’s three games programs, the attempt to provide for an industry still emerging from its modest home-base beginnings, to provide graduates with a broader art historical perspective than was then evident in the genre and to insinuate into the venture a greater respect for digital art and some of its emerging protocols.

The authors then review the first iterations of the programs, from the response of the media to their launch, through the vested interests of existing structures and disciplines. With five years of experience to draw upon we consider the development of cross disciplinary collaborations between schools, between members of staff and between students and we map the changing landscape across that period.

The authors also chart the deepening of commitment to the discipline of games evident in the evolving student body and consider both theoretical and practical protocols for developing and extending creative conceptual thinking in an on screen and technically driven environment.

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