BSc (Hons) - Games Development with Integrated Foundation Year

Year one

The foundation year entry, gives you extra time to develop your experience and confidence, studying a broad range of subject specific Games Development modules and a broader range of media and creative industries modules that is designed to prepare you for the BSc. (Hons) Games Development degree. We ensure that you are taught how to focus your studies at undergraduate level, ensuring not only that you have the skills you need, but also a positive and ambitious approach to further study.

By successfully completing the foundation year you will learn all the necessary practical, technical and theoretical skills to help you automatically progress to degree level BSc (Hons) Games Development.

• Introduction to Coding & Maths for Games Development
  
• Creative Technologies for Game Developers
  
• Media in Context
  
• Media Narratives
  
• Professional Practice
  
• Published Media Products
  

Year two

A distinct feature of studying at the University of Cumbria is that in level 4, first year, you will study two modules with all level 4 students of the Institute of Art. These modules are Cultural Contexts and Collaborative Practice. Cultural Contexts introduces you to a range of approaches to reading a diverse range of visual creative arts, and Collaborative Practice is a module where you will work with other students and embark on a problem-solving project practising professional skills such as leadership, team-working and project management.

Also in the first year, we want you to engage in a series of core workshops and studio practice designed to introduce and develop key knowledge, technical skill set, and technique. Alongside this, and in definition of your production understanding, you will work collaboratively on a media arts live project.

• Gaming For Game Designers
  
• Coding for Games and Digital Media 1
  
• Collaborative Practice
  
• Creative Technologies
  
• Cultural Contexts
  

Year three

This year will look to develop ideation and conceptual skills, and allow you to be experimental in production creation and thinking. It builds on the foundational practice of level 4 and will build your confidence while progressing skill set and technique.

In the second year, the development of key production skill set and research is in refinement of practice and a growing appreciation, and identification of specialism interests. Modules may include external collaboration and live brief. The focus on professional practice will support your production and conceptual thinking and help in your transition into independent research and preproduction for final year project. This is an opportunity for you to build a practice that interests them and identify long term plans. The course will turn production interest into expert knowledge.

• Concept to Prototype
  
• Games Creation – Design to Distribution
  
• Coding for Games and Digital Media 2
  
• Game Technologies Workshop
  

Year four

The final year will look to tailor projects to your individual interests, specialism in practice and professional opportunities, supporting your thinking with high level technical skills and the development of industry level production outcomes - the final year of the course allows you to apply all the skills and learning from previous modules in creating a games artefact based completely on your own ideas, aesthetic style, and technical skill set. Modules will support your production, research and development, , and experimentation with advanced techniques in definition of final major project – you will graduate with a professional level skill set, clear career goals and a comprehensive understanding of the contemporary games development industry.

• Project Development & Experimentation
  
• Group Game Project
  
• Innovation, Enterprise & Distribution
  
• Research Portfolio
  
• Final Major Project