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 gaming industry is rapidly changing, as technologies, platforms and users converge more and more each day. 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 and mobile gaming, you’ll develop your programming 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 and testing in the BSc, while the BA is design-led and focuses on scripting and games engines. We’ve got state-of-the-art facilities that give you access to over 30 workstations that are equipped with the latest software. Learning the essential skills you need to start your game design career, you’ll get to grips with the latest software, including Unity, Processing, OpenFrameworks, Maya, Z-Brush, After Effects, Flash, Final Cut Pro and Photoshop. You’ll also develop your skills with our Vicon Motion Capture and Green screen facility. You’ll get plenty of hands-on experience collaborating with students from our 3D animation, art and design, computing and graphics departments as part of our coordinated workshops. Developing your career ambitions, you’ll have a range of industry work placements in gaming companies. 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. 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 hep 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.
Games Design BA/BSc Honours
Gain the technical training and overall knowledge you need to succeed in the competitive gaming industry and beyond.
Duration
Attendance
Fees
Course Summary
Course Content
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.