UW–Madison alumnus Brian Raffel’s path to the top of the video game industry has been anything but conventional. A former art student turned high school art teacher, Raffel co-founded Raven Software with his brother, Steve, in 1990, when they got a publishing deal for their first computer game, Black Crypt. What began as a creative side hustle is now a global company — part of Activision/ Microsoft — behind blockbuster titles, including many in the Call of Duty universe.

Through it all, Raffel has remained deeply committed to his Wisconsin roots and steadfast in his belief in the power of education — values that recently inspired a major donation to his alma mater.

“What I learned from the professors and teachers (at UW) — everything I took from that degree — had an impact,” he says. “So I feel like if someone becomes successful, they should try to give back, and stay part of that ecosystem.”

This year, Raven Software gifted 200 computers — valued at $1.26 million — to UW–Madison, enhancing research and learning opportunities for students across multiple disciplines. The computers are being distributed between the School of Education and the School of Computer, Data, and Information Sciences. In the School of Education, they will support courses in the Art Department and the Game Design Certificate program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction, benefiting hundreds of students annually.

The impact goes beyond teaching, however. In computer science, the machines are being used to support advanced computing and research simulations. “It’s a direct benefit to both education and research,” says John Garnetti, UW–Madison’s managing director of business engagement.

Garnetti was a core member of the team that helped coordinate the partnership with Raffel and his company. By aligning Raven Software’s regular technology refresh cycle with UW–Madison’s needs, the company was able to put high-quality computers — which might otherwise have been discarded — directly into the hands of students and researchers.