Game Art BA(Hons) (Online)
Shape unforgettable worlds and characters.
Course overview
On this online Game Art degree, you’ll develop the creative and technical skills needed to thrive as a digital artist. Using industry-standard tools, you’ll explore the full game art pipeline, from concept and character creation to environment design and lighting.
Guided by experienced lecturers and a global community of peers, you’ll design and build 3D worlds, collaborate across disciplines and work on industry-aligned briefs that reflect the games sector. You’ll also gain experience in teamwork across time zones, preparing you for professional studio practice in one of the fastest-growing creative sectors.
You’ll graduate with a polished portfolio of work and a strong understanding of remote teamwork, production and the creative process, preparing you for careers across the digital arts and games industry.
Why study this course at Falmouth?
- You’ll study at the university ranked No.1 in England and 16th in the world for Game Design (Princeton Review 2026).
- You’ll develop industry-ready skills using the same professional tools and workflows as leading studios.
- Our project-based approach mirrors real industry practice in a remote studio, giving you the chance to collaborate with fellow artists, designers and developers across the globe.
- We’ve been delivering creative online education since 2016, combining over a century of art school heritage with cutting-edge digital learning.
Interested in studying this Online degree? Join our virtual Q&A on 11 November.
Find out moreCourse details
On this course, you’ll study the principles of game art through both traditional and digital approaches. You'll explore areas such as drawing, composition and visual storytelling, while developing technical skills in 2D and 3D modelling, sculpting, texturing and lighting. You'll also learn about concept, character and environment art, production pipelines and the technical processes that bring virtual worlds to life.
With an emphasis on skills for industry practice, you'll collaborate with other students to create original games from concept to completion, building the creative, technical and teamwork skills ready for a career in professional game development.
From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details:
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Students on similar courses have earned international acclaim for character and environment art, including recognition at The Rookies Awards |
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Students have had the chance to hear from industry experts and meet coursemates and tutors at optional organised events on campus, such as our Global Game Jam |
Module details
During the first year, you’ll build the essential creative and technical skills required by the games industry. Working with industry-standard software and workflows, you’ll learn the fundamentals of 3D modelling, sculpting and environment creation, and develop an understanding of how these fit within a professional production pipeline.
You’ll explore both traditional and digital art techniques, building your skills in concept, character and environment art to design compelling digital worlds and assets. You’ll also gain experience of teamwork in remote teams across time zones, and project management through collaborative projects that mirror real game development practice.
Game Tools & Technology
Games are created through a production pipeline that brings together every element of the finished digital artifact, from code and art to audio, narrative and animation.
In this module, you’ll use a modern game engine such as Unity or Unreal to explore each stage of that process and understand how these elements combine to form a playable experience. You’ll also develop a working knowledge of essential game production tools, including version control, to help you collaborate effectively in a professional development environment.
Introduction to 3D Modelling
The visual design of a game is key to how players connect with it.
In this module, you'll learn the core techniques for creating 3D models for games and other interactive experiences. You'll explore the full creative process: from developing initial concepts to building and refining props. You'll also discover how your work fits into a professional game development pipeline.
Digital Art for Environments
Digital environments immerse the player in real and fantastical spaces. In this module you'll explore the process of creating environments for games and other digital spaces. You'll explore the process of using block outs to plan out the space, creation of kits and finally optimisation for real-time rendering in a game engine.
Introduction to Digital Sculpting
Digital sculpting is the primary method for creating 3D characters.
Through this process, you'll shape digital clay into the kinds of characters seen in modern video games. In this module, you'll learn the sculpting workflow, develop an understanding of high-to-low polygon modelling, and create models that can be rigged and animated.
Introduction to Teamworking
Games are created by multidisciplinary teams, and it’s rare for a single person to make one alone.
In this module, you’ll learn the project management techniques used across the games industry by taking part in a series of short, fast-paced projects inspired by game jam practices.
After each project, you’ll reflect on your process, evaluate what worked well, and apply those insights to your next piece of work.
In the second year, you’ll take your skills to the next level through larger, more complex projects. You’ll learn how to test and refine player experiences, solve technical challenges and apply professional production methods within collaborative teams online.
Working across disciplines, you’ll contribute to a major game project while developing your own specialism as a technical or creative artist. You’ll also build a professional portfolio and a standout hero piece that showcases your strengths and prepares you for your final stage of study.
Collaboration
You’ll explore what effective collaboration looks like and build the soft skills that support it, including communication, negotiation and reflective practice. Through lectures, webinars and creative skills exchange sessions, you’ll learn how groups work, how to contribute confidently and how to apply reflection to your own development.
You’ll then join a team of creatives from different online courses and respond to a set challenge based on a real problem. Together you’ll research, plan and create a final output in a format that suits your project.
Technical Art Practice
A key aspect of game art is solving technical challenges creatively.
In this module, you'll explore the role of the technical artist and how they bridge the gap between art and programming. You’ll experiment with tools and techniques such as pipeline optimisation, visual effects and procedural modelling to support efficient and visually striking game production.
The Player Experience
Up to this point, you’ve been making decisions based on intuition or trial and error.
In this module, you’ll learn formal methods of playtesting that will help you make informed choices throughout the development process.
Portfolio Development
In this module, you'll review your work to date and begin assembling an online portfolio.
To strengthen your portfolio, you'll develop a hero piece that showcases your skills as a game artist. You'll also reflect on the process of creating this piece, identifying lessons you can apply to future projects.
Game Production
In this module, you’ll begin your first large-scale game project. You’ll start by building a world to guide your creative and technical decisions, applying techniques from ‘Introduction to Teamwork’ and ‘Game Tools & Techniques’.
You’ll follow the production process established in earlier modules, reflecting on your own and your group’s decisions to refine your practice.
In the final year, you’ll focus on specialisation, independence and professional practice. You’ll take part in a major project that mirrors real industry production, applying your art, creative and technical skills to develop and deliver a finished game or digital product.
You’ll explore how game development techniques are applied across different sectors, from film and education to health and visualisation, while building a professional portfolio that reflects your ambitions. You'll also pitch the concept for your portfolio hero piece and develop the professional identity you need to launch your career.
Professional Portfolio
To make the transition from education to industry, you’ll develop your professional identity alongside your portfolio of work.
In this module, you’ll use a continuous professional development approach to assess your current skillset and career goals. You'll pitch the concept for your hero piece, then create a development plan and build a portfolio that showcases your progress.
Games & Culture
Games are now one of the most influential cultural forms, shaping how people create, communicate and share stories. Their reach is wide and they deserve to be studied with the same care we give to film, art or literature.
This module builds on the grounding you developed in your first year and gives you space to look outward. It helps you connect your own interests with the bigger picture of contemporary video games.
You will explore how games affect players and society, examine the ideas and communities that surround them, and grow a more confident sense of where your work sits within today’s fast moving games culture.
Major Project: Production
The goal is to deliver your product to market, applying the production methodologies learned in previous modules.
You’ll use the lessons gained throughout the course to anticipate challenges, refine your approach and complete your final piece of work to a professional standard.
Transferability
Games development techniques and tools are increasingly being used outside the games industry, in fields such as film, visualisation, health, education and business services.
In this module, you’ll explore how your game development skillset can be applied in real-world contexts. You’ll do this by working on live briefs from non-games clients, such as charities or researchers, and by exploring these topics through a problem-based learning approach.
Got questions about the course, funding or online study?
Your Course Advisor Claire is here to help.
Learning and support
On this accelerated degree you'll learn through a blend of recorded learning content, learning activities, guest talks, tasks and discussion forums, which you'll access via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you'll find all key documentation, see course announcements and access extensive learning resources.
What support will I have?
You'll be supported academically by Online Tutors, who will also deliver weekly learning activities and facilitate the online forums. If you need assistance with anything that isn't directly related to course material, a dedicated Student Advisor team will be on hand to help. You'll also have access to Falmouth University's Employability Service.
What will my study hours be?
Based on the total learning time for the accelerated online courses, an average study week for part-time students can be up to 33 hours. As our online courses are intended to be flexible the actual time required to study will vary based on the level of study, the module week, and individual learning pace.
What does accelerated study mean?
An accelerated degree condenses your degree modules into three years on the part-time route. This means you'll be working across three study blocks per year, instead of two, including through the summer. Typically, there is a break of around two weeks between submitting your final assignment for each module and the start of the next study block. You will also get breaks on public holidays, for around two weeks at Easter and for around three weeks in December.
Assessment methods
Assessments are 100% coursework, submitted in an electronic format to the virtual learning environment, and designed to reflect professional practice. Assessment methods include:
- Projects
- Portfolios
- Pitches
- Reports
- Essays
Assessment provides the course team with a means of offering tailored guidance alongside advice on how to progress your knowledge and skills in key areas. The course team will support you throughout your time on the course; helping address your academic strengths and weaknesses.
- Dedicated easy-to-use virtual learning environment (VLE)
- Accessible online audio / visual content
- A Student Advisor to support you throughout your studies and access to our Student Support Services
- Access to our Employability Service
- 24/7 access to Falmouth's extensive online library of contextual books, journals and resources
- Access to online software tutorials at LinkedIn Learning
- Students' Union community
- Optional in-person events
- Invitation to attend alumni events
Although online students don't have access to on-campus facilities as part of the course, you can hire equipment and access facilities by paying a charge. Find out more about availability and prices here.
Your online study setup
To get the most out of your online studies with Falmouth, we recommend using a desktop or laptop computer with reliable internet access. This will enable you to fully experience our Virtual Learning Environment, which houses your course material, module videos and webinar recordings, discussion forums and more. Please note while a mobile phone or tablet can support you in your studies, they are not suitable as your primary means of engagement.
If you have any questions, our friendly course advisors are here to help.
Meet the team
Course Leader: Dr Romana Ramzan
Dr Romana Ramzan is Course Leader for BA Games (Online) at Falmouth University, overseeing the university’s online games provision, including BA Game Art (Online) and BA Game Development (Online). She joined Falmouth in 2026, bringing with her extensive experience spanning games production, academia, research, and industry advocacy. Before joining Falmouth, Romana was Senior Producer at the BAFTA Award-winning Screen Burn Interactive in Glasgow. She also spent over a decade in academia, most notably as a lecturer in Games Design at Glasgow Caledonian University. Alongside her work in games and education, Romana has held a number of significant board and governance roles across the UK’s creative industries, including serving on the Board of the British Film Institute as Governor for Scotland. She is also a board member of the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Careers
Today’s creative industries are thriving and diverse. Discover the Falmouth graduates whose lives have been shaped by their creativity, explore where a degree at Falmouth could take you and learn about our Employability service.
How to apply
Apply now
Are you ready to apply for this part-time Online degree? Click the button below to start your application journey.
| Course route | Part-time |
|---|---|
| Course start | September 2027 |
Applying as an international student?
If you are ready to apply for this Online degree, you can use the apply buttons within the section above to start your application. For more information on the application journey and for details on the steps to follow you can visit our apply for an Online Undergraduate Degree page or speak to one of our friendly Course Advisors using our online form.
Application advice & interview information
Go to ToolkitThe application deadline for this course is 6 September 2027. The academic start date is 20 September 2027*.
*Virtual Welcome Week begins the week before the academic start date. During this time, our Student Advisor team will host Welcome Webinars and be in touch with practical information on how to study online.
We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential.
Our diverse community is creative, innovative and entrepreneurial. We recognise that these qualities aren’t always shown in academic grades alone. That’s why, while many of our applicants achieve high academic grades, we also welcome those who can demonstrate their potential through an exceptional portfolio or performance.
We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities. Find out more about our Entry Requirements here.
BA/BSc(Hons) degree: minimum 64 UCAS Tariff points
Check how many points your qualifications are worth
Portfolio
Some of our online undergraduate degrees require you to create and submit a digital portfolio as part of the application process.
Check our portfolio advice pages for more information
Applying without UCAS points
We'll welcome your application if you have formal or 'certified' learning (such as training courses not run by universities or colleges) and learning from work experience or self-study. This is called Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), and should have been gained within the last five years, and be equivalent to the learning outcomes of our minimum entry qualifications. Find out more about APL.
Transfers to Year 2 and 3
Falmouth welcomes applications to transfer into Year 2 and Year 3. If you have already completed some studies at university level then you may be eligible to transfer to either Year 2 or Year 3. Find out more about transferring to Falmouth.
At Falmouth, we'll consider the equivalency of your specific qualifications against our entry requirements and support you through your application journey.
View our International Entry Requirements
Language requirements
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 more information about equivalent international qualifications or English language requirements please contact our friendly Course Advisors.
Fees, costs & funding
| Annual tuition fee | Student |
|---|---|
| £6,935 per year | 3 years accelerated part-time |
| Annual tuition fee | Student |
|---|---|
| £6,935 per year | 3 years accelerated part-time |
Tuition fees for September 2028 will be confirmed in summer 2027.
Tuition fees are set annually. 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 UK 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
One-off costs for the duration of the course
- Approx. £55 - Essential art materials: pencils, sketchpad, sketchbook, pencil case and grey-scale markers
- (Optional) Approx. £49 - Watercolour and acrylic paints and brushes
£40 - Consumable electronics - £30–£150 - Headset with microphone
- £25–£100 - Webcam
- Find our most up-to-date computer recommendations for your course here. There are also recommendations below.
If you have further questions, need more detailed advice or would like us to check the suitability of a particular item, then please email games.support@falmouth.ac.uk.
Recommended Desktop Specifications
- Rough price range: £1380 - £2000
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X or Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 or AMD Radeon RX 9070 - Memory: 16GB DDR5 (32GB is ideal but will push the budget due to current RAM prices — see warning above)
- Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
- Secondary Storage: 1TB or higher SATA SSD
- Operating System: Windows 11
Minimum Desktop Specifications
- Rough price range: £1100 - £1300
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X or Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT (RTX 5060 as fallback if Ti exceeds budget)
- Memory: 16GB DDR5 (see RAM warning above)
- Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
- Operating System: Windows 11
Recommended Laptop Specifications
- Rough price range: £1600 - £2000
- Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 265H or AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
- Memory: 16GB DDR5 (32GB is ideal but will push the budget due to current RAM prices — see warning above)
- Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
- Operating System: Windows 11
Minimum Laptop Specifications
- Rough price range: £1400 - £1600
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 260 or Intel Core Ultra 5 235H
- Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060
- Memory: 16GB DDR5 (see RAM warning above)
- Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
- Operating System: Windows 11
Welcome to BA(Hons) Game Art (Online). Here you will find information about any pre-course preparation, as well confirmation of your tuition fees together with any other costs that you might incur.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees for undergraduate students starting in September 2027
Essential materials
- Pencils- Royal & Langnickel sketching pencil set – approximately £6.99
- Sketchpad- Daler-Rowney A3 series, a spiral cartridge pad – approximately £12.80
- Sketchbook- Seawhite black cloth cover sketchbook 140gsm portrait A4 – approximately £8.70
- Pencil case- Derwent Canvas pencil wrap - approximately £15.99
- Grey-scale markers, they can either buy them as a set or individually. Sets range from £10 - £14. Individual markers are approx. £3.50
Essential computing equipment
Find our most up-to-date computer recommendations for your course here.
Recommended Desktop Specifications
Rough price range: £1380 - £2000
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X or Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 or AMD Radeon RX 9070
Memory: 16GB DDR5 (32GB is ideal but will push the budget due to current RAM prices — see warning above)
Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
Secondary Storage: 1TB or higher SATA SSD
Operating System: Windows 11
Minimum Desktop Specifications
Rough price range: £1100 - £1300
Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 9600X or Intel Core Ultra 5 245K
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT (RTX 5060 as fallback if Ti exceeds budget)
Memory: 16GB DDR5 (see RAM warning above)
Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
Operating System: Windows 11
Recommended Laptop Specifications
Rough price range: £1600 - £2000
Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 265H or AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070
Memory: 16GB DDR5 (32GB is ideal but will push the budget due to current RAM prices — see warning above)
Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
Operating System: Windows 11
Minimum Laptop Specifications
Rough price range: £1400 - £1600
Processor: AMD Ryzen 7 260 or Intel Core Ultra 5 235H
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060
Memory: 16GB DDR5 (see RAM warning above)
Main Storage: 1TB or higher M.2 NVMe SSD
Operating System: Windows 11
Headset with Microphone
A headset with a microphone is required for classes. We recommend purchasing a high-quality headset for your comfort. Manufacturers such as Sennheiser, Razer, HyperX, SteelSeries and Corsair are highly rated by our current students. These can cost between £30 - £150.
Webcam
You will need a webcam for classes. Manufacturers such as Logitech, Microsoft, and Razer are highly rated by our current students. These can cost between £25 - £100.
Internet Access
It is important that you secure sufficient access to the Internet as all materials are made available to you through our virtual learning environment. We recommend a fibre broadband connection if available, but a minimum of at least 5Mbps will be suitable for livestreaming content. If you have further questions, need more detailed advice or would like us to check the suitability of a particular model, then please email games.support@falmouth.ac.uk
Optional materials
Watercolour- Windsor & Newton Cotman watercolour paints-12 half pans – approximately £15.99
Watercolour brushes- Pro Arte professional artist academy paint brushes (set of 5) – approximately £7.45
Acrylics- Daler-Rowney system 3 acrylic paint introduction set – approximately £15.38 Acrylic brushes- Pro Arte brush wallet series C hog – approximately £9.95
Essential
You should download Unreal 5 (UE5) - https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/download
When installing an engine version, please use the one indicated in the table in the above link. We will be using that version of the engine in the upcoming session. We will be using UE5 in some of the Game Art modules, we would expect you to familiarise yourself with the Interface and some of the basic tasks in the Engine using a tutorial like the following - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-zMkzmduqI
Orientation exercise
Select three interesting objects from around your home or local area. Photograph them, sketch and draw them using any materials you feel comfortable with. Think about their shape, scale, texture, colour, material and how they interact with light. Draw them again the next day. Then, when you feel you’ve a good understanding of the objects’ properties, take elements of each to create a new hybrid object. Name it and write a short backstory about that new hybrid object. You can do this as a written paragraph or as a comic strip or storyboard. Put all these in a portfolio, alongside the original photographs (printouts or show us the photos on your phone) and you will have the opportunity to present these during your first week.
Additional preparation advice
We suggest that you do lots of drawing of characters and landscapes/environment studies. It’s important to start getting used to drawing/painting in art software like Photoshop (£16.22/through educational licensing) or Sketchbook Pro (free). Also, it would be beneficial to download the free trial of Autodesk Maya and work through its tutorials.
Virtual Learning Environment
During your time studying with us you’ll have access to our dedicated Virtual Learning Environment. This provides a space to engage with course materials and connect with your lecturers and fellow students. Each degree has a ‘Course Hub’ which you will be able to access via the Virtual Learning Environment.
From there, you will be able to use our online forums to discuss your work with other students. Your Course Hub also contains useful information regarding resource lists, course toolkits and assessment guidance to help keep you on track. You will also have access to a ‘Student Hub’ which covers support, regulations and study skills for your time at Falmouth.
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