Game developer from Klagenfurt writes best software Master’s thesis

Fabian Schober studied Applied Informatics. Aged 29, he is the founder of a video game studio and the winner of the “Dynatrace Outstanding IT Thesis Award” (DO*IT*TA for short) for his Master’s thesis. His work won out over other submissions from students at the University of Klagenfurt and impressed the jury with its strong practical relevance.

From software engineering to artificial intelligence to human-computer interaction – the DO*IT*TA showcases exceptional degree theses, inspires creativity and offers insight into the technologies of the future. Partnering with the University of Klagenfurt, one of the best young universities in the world (Times Higher Education (THE) Young University Rankings 2021), Austria’s top IT employer Dynatrace went in search of outstanding theses. Fabian Schober impressed the expert jury with his thesis on the 2D animation of characters. Besides appreciating the shopping vouchers, the 29-year-old is particularly delighted to receive recognition from a company that operates on a global scale. “This confirms that my work also resonates outside of science, which is important to me”, the tells us.

“The close ties between business and the university mean that our students can benefit both during and after their studies. The unique combination of theory and practice means that they are highly sought-after specialists in their field. The relevance of the work is confirmed by this award presented by a world market leader in the digital sector”, Clemens Heuberger, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences, explains.

From second choice to victory

Fabian Schober spent two years tinkering with his original Master’s thesis, but was unable to muster much enthusiasm for it. So he promptly changed his plans and explored the question of how new technologies from machine learning can be used in the development of video games. In the end, he fused this passion with the knowledge he had already acquired to create his scholarly thesis.

“Fabian Schober’s thesis reflects a combination of knowledge and passion for the subject that presents important approaches with practical relevance. DO*IT*TA aims to motivate people to scrutinise technical challenges, to shed light on them from a scientific point of view and, ideally, to solve them. That’s how innovation and technical progress come about”, jury member Raphael Wigoutschnigg states with conviction. He is a lecturer at the University of Klagenfurt and fosters innovation as a software engineer at the software intelligence company Dynatrace.

Games enthusiast with an entrepreneurial spirit

Having completed his Matura at the HTL Mössingerstraße, the Carinthian took up his computer science studies at the University of Klagenfurt. He also pursued his passion for game development on the side, as well as working as a web developer at Lakeside Park. Whilst his job and enthusiasm for video games had a big impact on his time at university, he continued to follow his passion for the gaming world and consequently set the foundation for his freelance activities. Together with a colleague, he realised the dream of running his own video game studio in 2021. The young entrepreneur is currently working on his first major project, which also qualified his start-up “Dirty Paws Studio” for the funding programme managed by the Carinthian Economic Development Fund.