Animation of red wooden house on stilts
Games student working on digital game artwork on a screen.
A creature standing against a black background in computer graphics

Game Development BA(Hons)

Master game development skills while specialising in your chosen discipline.

Key details
Location
Penryn Campus
Course duration
3 years / 4 years
Attendance
Full-time / Professional Placement

Course overview

We’re ranked as the number one university for game design in England (Princeton Review, 2023), and we take that accolade very seriously. On this Game Development degree, you’ll establish your specialism within the field, gaining industry-level technical, creative and professional skills within an environment that mirrors a real games development studio. You’ll also work as you might in industry, learning to communicate and collaborate effectively as you operate in multi-skilled teams to develop your own games from the outset.

Why study this course at Falmouth?

  • Build your own games from day one and have the opportunity to establish your own company in your third year 
  • Work in one of the largest and best-equipped dedicated game-making spaces of any university in the UK 
  • Learn in a department dedicated to gaming and be surrounded by people working in all aspects of the industry 
  • Develop a multidisciplinary approach, using Unity and Unreal to touch upon all aspects of game creation 
  • Showcase your work to industry leaders through our annual Games Expo and gain professional insights via guest lecturers  
  • Have the flexibility to change your area of specialism based on your skills and interests 

Lead images: Louis Sullivan, Repeater Roulette by Average Soup.

Overviews of each specialism

Overview

Get into teams from the start to learn core game art abilities, such as environment modelling and game engine integration, using industry-standard packages, processes and pipelines.

Course routes

On this Game Development: Art degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or the option to study Game Development: Art BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year and/or professional placement study options. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details:

UCAS codes

  • BA(Hons) 3 year: W281   
  • Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) 4 year: FY02
  • Professional placement BA(Hons) 4 year: PY29

Overview

Prototype and implement the rules, systems, puzzles and levels that shape player experience, iteratively testing and refining them.

Course routes

On this Game Development: Design degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or the option to study Game Development: Design BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year and/or professional placement study options. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details:

UCAS codes

  • BA(Hons) 3 year: W284
  • Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) 4 year: FY28
  • Professional placement BA(Hons) 4 year: PY31

Overview

Become a gameplay programmer who implements and tests core game mechanics and evaluates how players interacts with them.

Course routes

On this Game Development: Programming degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or the option to study Game Development: Programming BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year and/or professional placement study options. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details:

UCAS codes

  • BA(Hons) 3 year: W285
  • Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) 4 year: FY30
  • Professional placement BA(Hons) 4 year: PY33

Overview

Create backstories, dialogue, quests and player journeys, learning to translate foundational writing skills into narrative design for games.

Course routes

On this Game Development: Writing degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or the option to study Game Development: Writing BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year and/or professional placement study options.

Modules may be taught across Penryn and Falmouth campuses. From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details:

UCAS codes

  • BA(Hons) 3 year: W286
  • Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) 4 year: FY31
  • Professional placement BA(Hons) 4 year: PY34

Course details

Games Academy showreel 2020

You'll get a feel for all the skills and disciplines in game development, before specialising in one of five routes – but you'll have the flexibility to change your route at any point during your first year. You'll then progress from small tasks to games with a more challenging scope as you take on team-led projects. 

Course study options  

You can gain your Game Development BA(Hons) degree in three years or choose to add an Integrated Foundation Year and/or professional placement year. Discover the full course details for each study option, below.     

  • Three year degree 
  • Four year degree with Integrated Foundation Year 
  • Four year degree with professional placement 

1

FOR GAME DESIGN IN ENGLAND*

 

Year one

You'll learn what it takes to make a game, including game creation, project management and pipelines, pitching ideas and considering theories about what games are and how they engage players.

Modules

Development Foundations  

Through several small-scale team projects, you’ll learn the basic principles, terminology, roles and tools used in the development of digital products and services. You’ll then develop a pitch that will inform the project you’ll pursue in the Multidisciplinary Teamwork module. 

Digital Creativity

In this module, you’ll explore and experiment with digital media formats, including text, image and sound. You’ll transform an existing digital artefact into a new form, as a means of appropriation, before integrating it with digital game technologies to make them interactive. 

Multidisciplinary Teamwork

In this module, you’ll work in a multi-skilled team to make a digital product or service in response to a prompt and some constraints. You’ll deepen your knowledge of organising a software development project as well as learning how to work with people from different backgrounds, and across different disciplines, towards a shared deliverable.  

Reading Games*

In Reading Games, you’ll begin to think closely and carefully about the formal nature of digital experiences; their markets, the contexts of their production and player experience.  

*Game Development: Programming students will study Data Fundamentals instead of this core module. 

Environment Art 1

In this module, you’ll learn the basic principles of environment art for games. You’ll generate environment art in a game context using digital tool sets to produce high-definition assets for use in the game development pipeline.  

Through this work, you’ll consider scene setup, planning, modelling methods and reference gathering, as well as UV mapping, texture creation, materials and shading. 

Environment Art 2 

Through a series of practical engagements, you’ll develop the skills you need to create technically accurate and exciting environment art suited to games. You’ll learn about working in accord with hardware limitations, exporting pipelines to a game engine, baking methodologies for game assets, texturing techniques for games, rendering, lighting and shadows. You’ll also continue to build on your understanding of the underlying principles of environmental art within a 3D game context.  

Game Design 1 

In this module, you’ll be introduced to game design practice. You’ll critically evaluate various established game designs, learn the techniques and principles of crafting rules to deliver authored gameplay experiences, and gain a deeper understanding of the role of a professional game designer. 

Game Design 2

In this module, you’ll explore and practice more advanced level design techniques using the most recent professional game development environments. You’ll learn to design, create, test and refine your game’s user experience and level designs. You’ll also explore the role of level scripting in the games industry by adding interactivity and puzzle-like elements.    
 

Principles of Computing  

In this module, you’ll learn the principles of computing, discrete mathematics, statistics and technical communication. Through a series of tasks, you’ll begin to use core computer science concepts, techniques and methods to solve practical problems and leverage algorithms in your solutions.  

You'll also delve into the history of computing, engaging with the plurality of voices in the profession and the controversies evoked by algorithmic bias.

Individual Programming Project 

In this module, you’ll refine your approach to computer programming by developing an architecturally sound project focused on object-orientated solutions. 

Through this project, you’ll build confidence with various interfaces that enable interaction within and across different system components. You’ll also boost your awareness of ethical considerations such as safety, accessibility, sustainability, and the impact of supply chains.

You’ll also practice more disciplined software engineering methodologies, develop your mastery of the notations for describing and refactoring system architectures, and apply the mathematics associated with circuit design.

Data Fundamentals

In this module, you’ll learn the fundamentals of the data science life cycle. This will include learning how to formulate questions, collect and clean data, explore and visualise data, make statistical inferences and predictions, and report insights in a way that informs decision making.

You'll also gain an awareness of the responsibilities, obligations, and legalities of working with sensitive and personal data including its collection, storage, analysis, management, and transmission.

Writing: Crafts & Contexts 

Through debates and written assignments on writing, authorship, genre, creativity and audience, you’ll explore the practice of writing as a discipline and a craft. You’ll also develop critical skills, strategies for writing to deadlines and an understanding of the cultural context and traditions writers and readers work within. 

Breaking the Rules: Remix & Writing Back 

This is a challenging and radical creative writing module covering remix and writing back in theory and practice. Using all kinds of texts as source material, you’ll be supported to break the rules and experiment with reversionary writing, collage, reviewing, adaptation, pastiche and parody. You’ll also consider genre, information content, point of view, tone and context.

Year two

With greater confidence in your skills, you'll mirror professional game development as you tackle a larger game project in a multi-skilled group. Over the course of the year, you'll research and experiment with various approaches and create innovative features. You'll investigate strategies to enhance the player experience and discover what drives industry trends and developments from guest speakers. All the while, you’ll develop the specialist skills that will inform your practice.

Modules

Game Form & Player Experience

In this module, you’ll explore theoretical approaches and concepts that are used to comprehend the relationship between game form and player experience. You’ll learn about and reflect upon ideas that seek to illuminate why players play, and why they find ‘ludic’ experiences pleasurable. 

World Building: Pre-Production

In this module, you’ll work in a multi-skilled team on a digital ‘world creation’ project that you’ll continue to develop throughout the year. Through the project, you’ll get hands-on experience of world-building and exploratory concept work, prototyping, pre-production and early phases of production. 

World Building: Production

You’ll continue work on your collaborative ‘world creation’ project, delivering content in line with production milestones and the processes involved in preparing to release your world and reach your intended audience. 

Portfolio Development

In this module, you’ll work on a self-devised portfolio piece with a view to submitting it to an industry competition.   

From researching to execution, you’ll hone your skills and gain confidence as you develop your project within your chosen specialism. Experimenting with different techniques, you’ll build your portfolio and create a piece of work that conforms to industry norms. 

Developing Concept Art Vocabularies (option)

In this module, you’ll bring your existing understanding of concept art and visual culture into a production context. Working within a team on a practical project, you’ll develop your 2D skills, explore new and experimental media and investigate methodical approaches to making concept art in greater depth. You’ll also expand your ability to use appropriately relevant software, tools and materials, including collage and digital speed painting as well as new 3D approaches. 

Developing Character Art Vocabularies (option)

This module provides a more advanced study of character art creation for games. You’ll refine your experience with relevant software, tools, and pipelines; sharpen your observational skills and your understanding of human anatomy through life drawing; and further your understanding of development pipelines and processes. 

Developing Environment Art Vocabularies (option)

You’ll research and explore techniques and practices in the creation of environment art for games. Focusing on an identified area of interest, you’ll develop a research brief proposal before responding with a portfolio and a written analysis of that work. As ever, you’ll be encouraged to experiment and test out different techniques and approaches.

 

Level Design

In this module, you’ll learn to create game levels, from initial concept through blockout and finally using modular kits. 

You’ll look at designing enclosed and open world environments using different techniques from blockout to modular design. Through the process, you’ll investigate how to include game mechanics, narrative and sound design into your level builds. You’ll discover how quest design and environmental storytelling can influence the narrative of a game, as well as examining how audio can provide a sense of space for your players. 

Game Design 3

In this module, you’ll extend and advance your technical and creative understanding of game design by working on a basic game prototype that tests specific game mechanics. You’ll also define this mechanic fully within a Technical Design Document (TDD), which acts as a communication tool between the designer and the rest of an implementation team.

Level Design

In this module, you’ll learn to create game levels, from initial concept through blockout and finally using modular kits. 

You’ll look at designing enclosed and open world environments using different techniques from blockout to modular design. Through the process, you’ll investigate how to include game mechanics, narrative and sound design into your level builds. You’ll discover how quest design and environmental storytelling can influence the narrative of a game, as well as examining how audio can provide a sense of space for your players. 

Advanced Game Programming

On this module, you’ll learn more about the different areas of game programming through the process of producing a game from scratch. Through this, you’ll deepen your knowledge and understanding of languages and framework fundamentals as well as game engine architecture. You’ll also touch on artificial intelligence (AI) and will be challenged to incorporate it into your game or your game development process. Through this, you’ll consider how AI might impact society in the future.  

Level Design

In this module, you’ll learn to create game levels, from initial concept through blockout and finally using modular kits. 

You’ll look at designing enclosed and open world environments using different techniques from blockout to modular design. Through the process, you’ll investigate how to include game mechanics, narrative and sound design into your level builds. You’ll discover how quest design and environmental storytelling can influence the narrative of a game, as well as examining how audio can provide a sense of space for your players.

Writing for Games

This module introduces you to the craft of writing for games. How do established narrative techniques apply and adapt to interactivity? What does it mean to write for an active audience? What new storytelling methods are evolving to account for player agency? 

You’ll critically consider everything from small indie titles to AAA blockbusters, mixed reality to immersive experiences, to help you unpack the writing and narrative design methods you can use in your own games.  

Year three

During the final year of your Game Development degree, you'll produce a complete and potentially publishable game as part of a team. By pitching it to industry professionals, you'll receive reliable and insightful feedback. You'll also research a topic relevant to your project and build an online portfolio with a clear centrepiece, sharpening your real-world insights and building valuable career contacts.

Modules

Experience Design

In this module, you’ll be challenged to create an experience that showcases your specialist skills. This could include, but is not limited to, user experience design, writing projects for new media, a short but novel media experience, animation or graphical assets for specific media experience. 

Future Skills

Focusing on employability, you’ll develop a commercial awareness and entrepreneurial mindset.  

You’ll explore career options, including researching the skills required to set up your own business, establish yourself as a freelancer, or for use as an employee in a business or organisation.  

You'll also devise a group project around enterprise opportunities. Practical learning will be consolidated through critical reflection as you develop the ability to translate skills for an external challenge-led context. 

Professional Portfolio

You’ll consolidate and showcase your specialist skills and knowledge through the production of an industry-ready portfolio. You also receive portfolio, CV and career development guidance. 

Future of Games

You’ll explore how cultural and technological changes might influence the way games are made and played in future. You’ll critically examine various aspects of contemporary games and digital culture, confronting issues relating to sustainability and ethical production, equality and civil rights, and personal identity and ideology, among others. 

Major Collaboration

In this module, you’ll leverage your experiences and skills to deliver a substantial collaborative project. Working in a multi-skilled team, you’ll design and implement a digital product or service, such as an enterprise solution, mobile app, installation, game, web application, immersive experience or software development tool. 

Digital illustration underground tunnel with computers and plant growth. Girl holding baseball bat with spikes.
Seedbank BA(Hons) Game Development
Seedbank by Johanne Eika Bergill

Additional routes

Why study an Integrated Foundation Year route?

If you’re taking on a new subject that you haven’t studied in depth before, have been out of education for a while or have a non-standard educational background then an Integrated Foundation Year degree may be the right choice for you. It is a four-year degree with an Integrated Foundation Year to start, which allows you to explore the primary elements of your subject before progressing on to the remaining three years of the BA(Hons) degree.

What you'll learn

If you choose this pathway, you'll study five core modules in your Foundation year. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your subject. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

Modules

Explore

You'll begin your foundation year by working collaboratively with others to explore themes of the future. You'll take risks, experiment through play and be supported to break through barriers.

Technique

You'll take subject-specific workshops and develop essential technical and practical skills in your area of study. You'll also enhance your analytical and organisational abilities.

Apply

You'll work with your peer group to think beyond discipline by addressing a societal or global issue. You'll then showcase your work to your peers and deliver and accompanying evaluation of your process.

Industry

You'll enhance your creative and practical skills in your subject specialism by responding to typical industry briefs, underpinned by focused research and experiments. You'll also gain industry insights through guest lectures and workshops.

Launch

You'll develop your unique identity in your specialism through the production of a self-initiated body of work. Your final project will be the bridge to your next year, fully supported by evaluative reviews and critical analysis of the work you have created.

After the Foundation year, you progress into Year One of the full three-year degree, equipped with a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, and develop a practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen subject.

 

If you apply for and enrol onto a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year, you’ll have the option to switch onto a five-year version including a placement year. That means you’ll complete the first three years of your course before completing a placement in industry in your fourth year and returning to Falmouth for the fifth year of your programme. 

 

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the Employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. 

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

Game Development Liqued Sapling Karate Krab

Explore the games our students have created

Our Game Development students are doing-it-for-real, whether that's game art, programming, writing or design. Check out our students' showreels, game trailers and artwork below for a taste of what they get up to. Visit Our Games page to find out more.

Explore our games

Logo for Knights of Borria game 'Leximan'
Knights of Borria - Leximan

Knights of Borria set to launch new game ‘Leximan’ with major European publisher


A group of game developers who launched an independent game development studio following their studies at Falmouth University’s Games Academy have secured a new deal with publisher Marvelous Europe to release their new game Leximan.  

Read more

How you'll learn & be assessed

You'll create original games through group work, professional practice and Game Jams. You'll also develop practical skills through practice-based workshops and learn to evaluate and improve your work through group tutorials, crits, and individual tutorials. 

You'll share specialist first-year modules with other Games Academy courses.

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

100% of your assessment will be coursework. 

Assessment methods

Designed to mirror industry practice, students are continuously assessed on group projects through a group working strategy. Further assessment methods could include: 

  • Foundation year assessments are 100% coursework based
  • Game making
  • Visual, verbal and written assignments
  • Portfolio of project work

Facilities

  • Large studio equipped with regularly updated, state-of-the-art game development machines.
  • XSens MVN Awinda Motion Capture suits.
  • Life drawing studio for artists and weekly life sessions.
  • Specialised computing hardware for game development, deep learning projects, motion capture and immersive experiences.
  • Standard packages used in software development for the games and visual effects industries, including Adobe and Autodesk suites.
  • Attached lab committed to staying at the cutting edge - featuring augmented reality, virtual reality AR/VR/MR (XR) equipment including HoloLens, HoloLens 2 and Oculus Quest 2.
  • Attached lab with access to PS4 development and testing kits.
  • Access to a variety of game engines including Unity and Unreal.
  • Studios open late during term time.
  • Access to free software.

Explore the facilities

Stories from our community

Explore student projects, graduate successes, staff news and industry insights

A hand holding a pen drawing game characters on a screen
Game Art student drawing on screen

The difference between studying Game Art and Game Development: Art

18 April 2023

With two Game Art undergraduate degrees within the Games Academy, you might need a hand picking betw...

The difference between studying Game Art and Game Development: Art
Photo of a student with shoulder length dark hair wearing round gold-framed glasses and a black t-shirt.
Fern Khaoroptham 2

Graduate shares her experience as an international student at Falmouth University

30 November 2022

Fern Khaoroptham shares her experience of moving from Thailand to Falmouth to study Game Development...

Graduate shares her experience as an international student at Falmouth University
A group of students stand shoulder to shoulder wearing 'Spaceport Cornwall' tshirts
Goonhilly VR

Mission Possible: Falmouth students unveil VR rocket launch experience

11 August 2022

A group of students in Cornwall have launched the first iteration of a brand-new educational VR expe...

Mission Possible: Falmouth students unveil VR rocket launch experience
The letter R in purple - 'The Rookies' logo
Rookie award

Support the Falmouth students shortlisted at the 2022 Rookie Awards

21 July 2022

Three Games Academy student teams have secured positions as finalists in the 2022 Rookies Award...

Support the Falmouth students shortlisted at the 2022 Rookie Awards
Two characters from opposing teams on the FPS game Blade Gunners. One man wears blue, the other purple. Both carry guns
Game art Blade Gunners

Student projects celebrated at 2022 Games Expo

06 June 2022

The Falmouth Games Academy have celebrated the end of the academic year in style with the latest ite...

Student projects celebrated at 2022 Games Expo
A group of Roblox avatars stand together in a virtual cityscape
Roblox cropped

Student secures internship with gaming giant Roblox

19 April 2022

First year Game Development student James Cox has been accepted onto the accelerator programme for R...

Student secures internship with gaming giant Roblox
Games academy students sit side-by-side looking at computer screens
GA students

Games Academy ranked alongside the best in the world

29 March 2022

Falmouth University’s Games Academy has once again secured a place on the Princeton Review’s lis...

Games Academy ranked alongside the best in the world
Women In Esports 1
Women In Esports 1

Widening participation in Esports: in conversation with Elise Dennis

08 December 2021

Elise Dennis is a final year Game Development student and a professional esports player. Here, she d...

Widening participation in Esports: in conversation with Elise Dennis
Game art from Inifinite Bounty. Characters are a selection of aliens
Inifinite Bounty Character

Falmouth is one of the world’s best universities for Creative Media and Entertainment

12 October 2021

The Rookies ranks Falmouth as one of the top universities for creative media & entertainment, ga...

Falmouth is one of the world’s best universities for Creative Media and Entertainment
A monster wearing a tooth necklace
Phuong New

Student work celebrated at Falmouth Games Expo

30 June 2021

The Games Academy has brought the curtain down on a productive academic year with their annual celeb...

Student work celebrated at Falmouth Games Expo
A screen with a game animation and players listed on the side
Jared2

Games Academy student spots gap in the market

15 February 2021

Third year Game Development student Richard has launched an innovative new game on Steam: Stream Que...

Games Academy student spots gap in the market
Man presenting with a projection on the wall
building believable worlds image presentation 2

Building believable worlds

15 May 2020

On the Game Development BA(Hons) course, students start building their own games from day one and ar...

Building believable worlds
Female student wearing games development headset in front of a pink background
Prospectus 2020 shoot games equipment

Games Academy in Top 50 Worldwide

27 March 2020

Falmouth University's Games Academy has once again been featured as one of the top 50 games schools ...

Games Academy in Top 50 Worldwide
Still from a game
Still from a game by graduate Izzy Ackrill
A still from Izzy's game

Graduate Completes First Game

02 March 2020

It's all go for Game Development graduate Isobel Ackrill, not only has she recently started working ...

Graduate Completes First Game
A crowd of students in the Games Academy with computers
Games Jam 2020

Global Jam at the Games Academy

13 February 2020

Students, staff and other 'jammers' took part in the Global Game Jam® 2020 recently. The jam was ho...

Global Jam at the Games Academy
Animation still of a person shooting a bow and arrow at robots in the woods
Studio Mutiny final

Graduate Games Studio Wins National Prize

17 December 2019

Studio Mutiny, a team of Falmouth graduates, has won a major competition and scooped £25,000 from t...

Graduate Games Studio Wins National Prize
Arabella Collins portrait image
Arabella Collins game development women in gaming

Propelled in to the Real World

13 November 2019

Former BA(Hons) Games Development: Writing student, Arah Collins has made quick progress since gradu...

Propelled in to the Real World
A Falmouth University Games student smiling at a computer screen with a keyboard and mouse
Tom King (supermassive hire)

Student Hired by Supermassive Games

10 June 2019

Landing a role at a leading games company is an accomplishment regardless of where you are in your c...

Student Hired by Supermassive Games
A Falmouth University Games student smiling at a computer screen with a keyboard and mouse
Tom King (supermassive hire)

Student Hired by Supermassive Games

10 June 2019

Landing a role at a leading games company is an accomplishment regardless of where you are in your c...

Student Hired by Supermassive Games
Haley Uyrus

Games Students Impress Mediatonic's Marketing Director

25 April 2019

Being able to hear the expert advice of industry practitioners is just one of the benefits of attend...

Games Students Impress Mediatonic's Marketing Director

This course could be for you if...

  • You're passionate about games and want to learn to create them
  • You're aiming to become a game animator in either the AAA or indie area of the industry
  • You're looking for a course which mirrors industry with multidisciplinary teams in a studio setting
  • You love keeping up-to-date with the latest games and platforms
  • You're skilled at communicating and have an understanding of what you want to specialise in (Art, Animation, Design, Programming or Writing).

 

Ask Michael a question

Game art work by Madi Riley
Game art work by Madi Riley

Work by Madi Riley

Staff

Coming from companies like Square-Enix and Octopus 8 Studios, you’ll benefit from your tutors’ experience working on titles like Hitman, League of Legends, World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XII.

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Dr Douglas Brown staff picture

Dr Douglas Brown

Dean of the Faculty of Screen, Technology & Performance

Formerly employed by international games developer and publisher Square-Enix and credited on several...

Dr Douglas Brown

Brian McDonald

Senior Lecturer Digital Games

Brian McDonald is a senior lecturer on the BA(Hons) Game Development and BSc(Hons) Computing fo...

Brian McDonald
Lucy Stent

Lucy Stent

Game Programming and Game Development Foundation Lecturer

Lucy has been at Falmouth University since 2016. during her years here she has won many scholarships...

Lucy Stent
Dr Tony Pellicone profile picture

Dr Tony Pellicone

Senior Lecturer

Tony Pellicone is a Senior Lecturer in Game Design with the Falmouth Games Academy. His work focuses...

Dr Tony Pellicone

Phoebe Herring

Senior Lecturer

Phoebe Herring joined Falmouth University as a lecturer in BA(Hons) Game Art after freelancing on a ...

Phoebe Herring

Professor Tanya Krzywinska

Professor of Digital Games

Tanya started playing computer-based games on Usenet when working at the Digital Equipment Corporati...

Professor Tanya Krzywinska

Jeremy West

Associate Lecturer, Game Development BA(Hons)

A graduate from Falmouth's Games Academy, Jeremy has spent the last six years both studying and maki...

Jeremy West

Dr Michael Scott

Head of Computing and Associate Professor of Computer Science Education

Dr Michael Scott is the Head of Computing and Associate Professor of Computer Science Educ...

Dr Michael Scott

Che Wilbraham

Lecturer: Games

As a self-taught, independent game developer, Ché’s background is in the arts. He sees himself as...

Che Wilbraham

Pete Shepherd

Associate Lecturer (Audio)

Having been involved in the music industry for the last 30 years, initially as a player/performer bu...

Pete Shepherd

Richard Milligan

Lecturer

Richard is an animator and 3D artist with ten years of professional experience. Children's TV featur...

Richard Milligan

Terry Greer

Senior Lecturer in Game Design

After starting out life as a zoo keeper at London Zoo, Terry has worked for over thirty years in the...

Terry Greer
Jeff Howard staff profile

Dr Jeff Howard

Senior Lecturer (Games)

Dr. Jeff Howard is Senior Lecturer in the Games Academy at Falmouth University in Cornwall, whe...

Dr Jeff Howard

Joseph Walton-Rivers

Lecturer

Joseph Walton-Rivers is a lecturer in the Games Academy. He joined the university in 2020 to lecture...

Joseph Walton-Rivers
Headshot of Tim Phillips

Tim Phillips

Lecturer

Tim joined Falmouth University in 2018 as a game designer in the computational creativity research g...

Tim Phillips
Lee Montgomery

Lee Montgomery

Course Leader

Lee joined Falmouth’s Games Academy as Course Leader for Game Art in 2021. Prior to working in the...

Lee Montgomery
Dr Michael Scott profile image
Dr Michael Scott profile image

Got a question about this course?


If you want to know more about the course structure, our application requirements or what our graduates have gone on to achieve, our friendly course team is here to help.

 

Chat to Michael

Careers

Our graduates have worked as:

  • Level Designers at Supermassive Games, Mediatonic and King

  • Animator at Creative Assembly

  • Game Designer at Rare

  • Games Writers at Hangar 13 and Playground Games

  • Producer at Rocksteady Studios

How to apply

Ready to join us? You can apply for September 2024 through UCAS. You'll need to reference the course and University code (F33).

Apply via UCAS

Course route UCAS code
Game Development: Art BA(Hons) three year degree W281
Game Development: Art BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year FY02
Game Development: Art BA(Hons) with professional placement PY29
Course route UCAS code
Game Development: Design BA(Hons) three year degree W284
Game Development: Design BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year FY28
Game Development: Design BA(Hons) with professional placement PY31
Course route UCAS code
Game Development: Programming BA(Hons) three year degree W285
Game Development: Programming BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year FY30
Game Development: Programming BA(Hons) with professional placement PY33
Course route UCAS code
Game Development: Writing BA(Hons) three year degree W286
Game Development: Writing BA(Hons) with Integrated Foundation Year FY31
Game Development: Writing BA(Hons) with professional placement PY34

We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential. We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field. Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course. We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.  

Course route Entry requirements
BA/BSc(Hons) three year degree 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with professional placement 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with Integrated Foundation Year 80 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

Check the title of your course to see if it's a BA or BSc award. UCAS Tariff points will primarily be from Level 3 qualifications such as but not limited to A-levels, T Levels, a BTEC/UAL Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma. 

Check how many points your qualifications are worth

For applicants whose first language is English we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent. 

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the same standard which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of in country equivalencies and approved tests.  

If you need a student visa to study in the UK, you may need to take a recognised language test. You can read our English Language Requirements for more information.

For starting your studies in 2024

UK applications: 31 January 2024 (for equal consideration)

Applications after the 31 January will be considered on a first-come, first-served as long as there are places available. Apply for this course now.

International fee payers

International fee payers can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees for September 2024 entry

Annual tuition fee Student
£9,250 per year Full-time UK
£17,950 per year Full-time EU/international
£1,850 per professional placement year Full-Time UK and EU/international

Tuition fees for September 2025 will be confirmed in summer 2024.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

  • £150 - Recurring annual costs (materials and books) 
  • £30-£150 - Headset with microphone 
  • £25-£100 - Webcam 
  • £300 - Optional study visits and placements for the course duration 
  • £1,500 approx. - Laptop or desktop computer  

Specifications and costs of hardware and software are subject to change each year. Any materials or equipment you’ll need for your course will be outlined in your Welcome Letter. 

Additional typical course costs for Integrated Foundation Year pathway

  • £250 for materials
  • A laptop/desktop computer
  • Adobe Creative Suite

To engage in the digital learning activity, although you will be able to access IT suites on campus, you will benefit from a laptop to access the platforms and tools we use. Depending on your subject, you may need a specific type of computer. If you're unsure about what you might need, please contact our course advisors.

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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