It is with immense gratitude and a profound sense of responsibility that I step into the role of Editor-in-Chief (EiC) for the IEEE Transactions on Games (ToG). I am deeply honored to lead a journal that has firmly established itself as a premier venue for rigorous and impactful research in game technologies, design, and applications. This success is a testament to the dedication of the previous EiCs, the editorial board, and the vibrant community of authors and reviewers who have contributed to its growth and current impact factor.

As I take on this new role, I am excited to share my vision for how we can collectively build upon this strong foundation to broaden the journal’s content, expand its community, and elevate its global impact.

Unifying and Broadening the Games Research Landscape

Since the 1990s, the field of game research has blossomed, evolving from specialized symposia into a diverse ecosystem of conferences. However, this growth has also led to fragmentation. As EiC, my primary goal is to make ToG the central hub for this interdisciplinary field, unifying our diverse communities and attracting excellent technical research in this area that may not have previously found a home here. Games research spans a multitude of disciplines, including artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, psychology, education, and health. To reflect this breadth, I will work to expand the current content on procedural generation, game AI, and game analytics, as well as include content from emerging and high-impact areas, such as generative AI, XR/AR, serious games, esports, game user research, social and cooperative games, engineering methods for community engagement, and the application of games in mental health and education, to mention a few areas.

To achieve this, I plan to strengthen the journal’s collaborations with leading conferences, including IEEE CoG, CHI PLAY, AIIDE, Serious Play, International Joint Conference on Serious Games, and Foundations of Digital Games. By establishing collaborative partnerships and cultivating closer relationships, we can ensure that ToG accurately reflects the forefront of technical games research.

Fostering a Thriving and Inclusive Community

A journal is only as strong as its community. To raise ToG’s visibility and impact, the TOG editorial board will lead proactive outreach campaigns at major conferences, maintain a robust digital presence, and curate timely special issues on high-impact topics. Building on current special issues such as LLM and Games and Ethics in Game AI, we will expand to exciting new frontiers including Generative AI for Game Development, XR/AR and Immersive Experiences, Games for Mental Health and Well-being, Serious Games and Learning Analytics, Esports Analytics and Performance Optimization, Open Game Data and Reproducible Research, Advanced Player Modeling and Personalization, Community-driven and Social Games, Responsible and Inclusive Game Technologies, AI-assisted Game Design Tools, and more. These initiatives will attract high-quality submissions and increase the journal’s citation rate and relevance. Particularly, I am excited to highlight the growing importance of social design and community-based engagement in games, which explores how games can foster meaningful social connections, collaborative problem-solving, and positive behavioral change within and beyond gaming communities.

Furthermore, with a firm commitment to enhancing the peer-review process, we will champion reviewer mentorship and recognition programs to cultivate a sustainable and supportive review ecosystem. By onboarding new reviewers and providing clear guidance, we can improve the quality of feedback and shorten the time from submission to publication, which is crucial for a fast-moving field like ours. We will also actively commission reviews and surveys of emerging “hot” topics, providing valuable syntheses for our readers and attracting citations across disciplines.

A Connected and Forward-Looking Future

My vision is for the IEEE Transactions on Games to be more than a publication; it is to be the nexus of innovation shaping the future of technical game research across science, engineering, education, and society. We will work to ensure that the groundbreaking research published in ToG reaches the widest possible audience, from academia to industry, informing and inspiring the next generation of technology and interactive experiences.

This journey requires a collective effort. I am deeply grateful for the continued advice of the previous EICs, the support of the editorial board, our dedicated reviewers, and you, our readers and contributors. Together, we can expand the playfield, break new ground, and solidify IEEE Transactions on Games as the most prestigious and comprehensive journal for technical games research. The most exciting chapter for our community is just beginning, and I invite you all to be a part of it.

Magy Seif El-Nasr

Professor and Department Chair, UC Santa Cruz

Editor-in-Chief, IEEE Transactions on Games