BA (Hons) - Games Design

Year one

• Cultural Contexts
  Intro to the cultural, historical and social contexts in which creative work from a range of disciplines will be discussed, examined, and analysed.
• Collaborative Practice
  Explore and practice the skills involved in creative collaboration.
• Drawing, Visualisation and Concept Art
  Develop your creative ideas through concept art, world-building, and visual storytelling techniques. You’ll explore drawing, illustration, and digital visualisation methods used in professional games production to create characters, environments, and immersive visual experiences.
• 3D Modelling
  Learn professional 3D modelling techniques used across the games industry to create assets, environments, and digital worlds. You’ll develop skills in modelling, lighting, form, scale, and visualisation using industry-standard software and workflows while responding to professional-style creative briefs.
• Gaming For Game Designers
  Examine the mechanics, systems, and theory behind successful games and interactive experiences. Through gameplay analysis, prototyping, and level planning, you’ll explore what makes games engaging while developing your understanding of player interaction and game design principles.

Year two

• Working in the Creative Industries
  Develop the professional skills needed to succeed within the creative sector. Through industry engagement, workplace observation, portfolio development, and career planning, you’ll build confidence in professional communication, collaboration, and creative entrepreneurship.
• Cultural and Ethical Awareness in Games
  Critically explore the cultural impact and ethical responsibilities of games and interactive media. You’ll examine representation, inclusivity, accessibility, player communities, and ethical design practices while considering the wider social influence of games within contemporary culture.
• Concept To Prototype
  Work collaboratively within simulated studio environments to develop original game concepts in response to industry-style briefs. You’ll explore project planning, production pipelines, creative problem solving, and team-based development while transforming ideas into playable prototypes.
• Concept Art & Visualisation 2
  Refine your artistic voice and develop advanced visualisation skills for games and digital media. Through anatomy, illustration, digital painting, and visual storytelling, you’ll create professional concept artwork while developing your own creative style and portfolio.
• Texturing
  Develop professional texturing workflows used within modern game production. You’ll learn how to create realistic and stylised surfaces, materials, and digital assets through UV mapping, digital painting, lighting, and material development techniques.
• UI and UX for games
  Explore how interface design and user experience shape player interaction within games. You’ll investigate accessibility, usability, player psychology, and interaction design while creating user-centred interfaces, prototypes, and gameplay experiences.

Year three

• Theory and Research Methods in the Arts
  Develop critical thinking, research methodologies, and analytical skills that support advanced creative practice. You’ll explore theoretical approaches, independent investigation, and academic research techniques relevant to games, media, and digital culture.
• Dissertation
  Undertake an independent research project focused on a specialist topic related to games, creative media, or digital culture. You’ll develop skills in academic writing, critical analysis, research planning, and scholarly investigation while producing a substantial written dissertation.
• Group Game Project
  Collaborate within a production team to develop a professional-quality game project using industry-style workflows and studio practices. You’ll build experience in project management, communication, production planning, and collaborative creative development.
• Markets, Audiences & Exhibition
  Understand how games and creative media reach audiences through marketing, branding, exhibition, and digital distribution. You’ll explore audience engagement, creative promotion, and professional presentation strategies within contemporary creative industries.
• Major Project
  Produce an ambitious self-directed final project that reflects your specialist interests, creative identity, and professional ambitions. You’ll refine advanced technical and creative skills while creating portfolio-ready work designed to support progression into industry or postgraduate study.