Our games design course is designed to give you a skill set that’s resilient to the rapid changes in an expanding and evolving industry. You’ll gain hands-on experience that will help you build your portfolio and develop your experience in a wide range of digital technologies that will open up career opportunities in a broad range of creative industries.
The games industry is rapidly changing, as technologies, platforms and users converge more and more each day. It is a complex and diverse industry that spans a variety of old and new technologies from print to computer software to 3D printed game pieces. Our BA/BSc in games design gives you the transferable skills and knowledge you need to become a successful games designer in this fast-changing industry. Led by academic staff experienced in AAA, indie, tabletop and mobile gaming, you'll develop your programming, technology, and story development skills, as well as enhancing your game-play design expertise.
Depending on your interests, you will work on the technical side of games programming design and testing in the BSc, while the BA is focused on experience design-led and focuses using on scripting and games engines to produce satisfying gameplay experiences.
In BA / BSc Game Design we use an iterative cycle of sketching, paper prototyping and responding to feedback across all modules. This is facilitated through a blended approach to teaching with a mix of in person and online teaching. Our course has been using online collaboration tools along with source control tools for the last couple of years to help prepare students for the distributed nature of the world of work.
We specialise in developing your design and communication skill and help you understand and evaluate the technologies and tools that are available to you in prototyping and testing your game ideas. Students will be introduced to a range of software and techniques to make playable prototypes quickly, including Adventure Game Studio, Unity, and Unreal.
You’ll get plenty of hands-on experience and opportunities for collaborating with students from our 3D animation, art and design, music, computing and graphics departments as part of our coordinated workshop activities.
You’ll develop your employability skills and industry connections with a range of work placements and internship opportunities. Our links with industry partners also give you access to live briefs, guest lecturers, and potential employers.
Former students have worked for CDProjekt Red, Capcom, and Ninja Theory among others. Our links with industry partners mean we have regular guest lectures, video interviews, and portfolio reviews as well as live briefs.
When it comes to support, you’ll be matched with a Personal Tutor to get the backing you need. You’ll also get support from our Student Learning and Graduate Academic Assistants who have personal experience in your subject.
Our games design course will help you realise your strengths and give you the broad knowledge, skill set and portfolio you need to succeed as a game designer, and in a variety of roles in the wider the creative industries.
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The overall themes of the BA/BSc Games Design programme are project work, analysis, research, reflection, collaboration, making, diversity, play and experimentation.
Year 1 provides an overall introduction, where you will begin to learn the essential skills you need to become an effective Games Designer. These include such skills as, programming, level design, mechanics and some basic 3D modelling and sound editing. You will also learn about the broader context of games; their history and cultural impact, player experience and theories relating to game design.
Year 2 develops the topics that were introduced in Year 1 with a greater emphasis on group work (including projects with students on other programmes) and experimentation. You will also start to specialise and choose your exit award. BA students will take a module in storytelling for games, whilst BSc students will undertake a game technology module.
Year 3 is where you can develop your skills still further and showcase your mastery with your final project. For BA students, these projects will focus on design (but with technical components), whilst BSc students will produce technically demanding levels or complete games (but with design components too). You also produce polished portfolios (of your project work over your 3 years of study) and undertake an industry focussed project, which may be the result of an internship, a live industry brief or on a negotiated topic.
We’ve made temporary changes to some course modules for students starting in 2020 in response to the coronavirus outbreak. If you’re applying to start this course or progressing into year one, two or three this autumn, there’s info on these updates below.
This module develops knowledge and skills in the use of core technologies related to games development. This includes an introduction to programming, essential 3D modelling and the use of games engines.
This module enables you to extend and apply the skills and knowledge developed in the previous module by producing working prototypes of elements of your own game that you've designed.
An understanding of the fundamental principles and approaches is an essential part of becoming a competent Games Designer. This module will introduce you to a range of topics including design methodologies, idea generation techniques, project planning methods, game mechanics, interaction design, user experience, player types and theories relating to play.
This module is focused on designing and implementing game elements. This will include taking part in a variety of project-based workshops involving non-digital prototyping, play testing and observation methodologies.
The module builds on your practical skills and knowledge. It introduces different approaches to programming and implementing games on a range of platforms, including mobile, tablet, PC, consoles and AR.
Collaboration and teamwork are vital skills for a Games Designer. This module enables you to work in teams from other programmes to design and implement a playable level.
Games have become a significant part of our lives. This module will explore some of the important cultural aspects that games have including such topics as ludology, ethnicity, gender, addiction, ethics, gamification and serious games.
An introduction to how narratives can be used and direct gameplay. You will learn the principles of storytelling, create stories, integrate stories with game mechanics and implement these.
Technical advances are constantly producing new game-related interfaces. This module allows you to explore a range of novel technologies and to produce ways of integrating these into game-play.
For those undertaking the BSc, this module will be focused on producing a working level or game via extensive programming and play-testing. Opportunities for live briefs and placements are built in.
For those undertaking the BA, this module will focus on producing a working level or game using scripting and a games engine. Opportunities for live briefs and placements are built into this module.
This module will enable you to devise and plan a coherent, achievable and innovative final project. A series of presentations and group presentations will help you get your project approved and ready for implementation.
Designing and making a new game requires a good deal of contextual research, design justification, project documentation and reflection. This module will help you develop the documentation to accompany your Final Project.
Having a professional portfolio is vital in helping you to begin your career, whether you want to start your own studio, join an existing indie studio or a major games company. This module aims to help you consolidate, present and disseminate the work you have already completed in your studies.
More information about this course
See the course specification for more information about typical course content outside of the coronavirus outbreak:
Optional modules are usually available at levels 5 and 6, although optional modules are not offered on every course. Where optional modules are available, you will be asked to make your choice during the previous academic year. If we have insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, or there are staffing changes which affect the teaching, it may not be offered. If an optional module will not run, we will advise you after the module selection period when numbers are confirmed, or at the earliest time that the programme team make the decision not to run the module, and help you choose an alternative module.
The programme is well resourced with state-of-the-art facilities - you will have access to over 30 workstations equipped with an impressive array of the latest software including Unity, Processing, OpenFrameworks, Maya, Z-Brush, After Effects, Flash, Final Cut Pro and Photoshop. Students will also have access to a Vicon Motion Capture and Green screen facility.
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.
Start: September 2022, EU/International induction: September 2022
Duration: 3 years full-time
Code: WP15
Start: October 2022
Duration: 1 year full-time +, 3 years full-time
Code: See How to apply tab
Start: October 2022
Duration: 3 years full-time, Normally 5 years part-time
Code: W614
