Game Design MA

Work alongside programmers and artists to create distinctive games.

Key details

Location

Penryn Campus

Course duration

1 year

Attendance

Full-time

Course overview

Are you passionate about games and keen to make them better? Join this Game Design masters and explore what makes a game engaging and meaningful.

Working in a studio environment, this Game Design master's course covers specialist areas in storytelling and design to reveal new horizons of gaming. With help from ex-industry mentors, you’ll gain the tools you need for a career in games and media. Collaborating with other talented game-lovers, you’ll bring your own ideas to life in AAA, indie or board games.

You will:

Take advantage of our guest speaker series, featuring professionals from across the games industry, from studio heads to level designers, design leads and producers
Access industry-standard facilities, including dedicated space in a well-resourced game development studio, with augmented reality and mixed reality technology, a selection of new VR headsets, and 3D printers
Become a specialist in game design, working as part of a team to develop your own game
Learn iterative design principles and how to implement research, user testing and feedback
Create game design and scripting elements for live game developments

Course details

On this Game Design master's course, you'll pitching and prototype your ideas, becoming a specialist in game design and the broader games industry context. By the second study block you’ll be doing it for real, developing a game in a team and following it up with a major project in the final term. This could be solo, group-based or a research piece.

Modules

Development Synergies
Prototyping for Games

Modules

Group Game Development Project
Experimental Game Design

Modules

Major Project

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.

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

How you'll learn

There’s no formal essay writing on this Game Design MA course – you’ll be learning the real-life skills needed to produce a co-created full game project and a professional portfolio for grading. And with regular feedback and support from your mentors, you’ll develop your game design skills in a way that boosts your progress.

You'll learn through:

Workshops
Playtesting ideas
Lectures
Seminars
Crit sessions
Tutorials
Guest speakers
Mentoring

How you'll be assessed

Game Design is a practise-focused master's course, so you’ll only be assessed on your coursework.

Staff

You'll be taught by an expert teaching team, which includes leading game and narrative designers as well as programmers and game-focused senior academics. Our industry experts have worked across the globe on titles such as Arcana and Deadhaus Sonata.

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

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

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

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

Che Wilbraham

Lecturer: Games

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

Che Wilbraham

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

Facilities

Dedicated space in a well-resourced game development studio, open late during term time.
Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality technology.
3D printers.
Industry-standard hardware and software.
VR/AR lab and cutting-edge hardware (Hololens, Hololens 2 and Oculus Quest 2).

Take a virtual tour

Hands holding a gaming controller in front of a computer keyboard

How to apply

Get in touch

To find out more about this course, how you'll learn and what funding is available, get in touch with our Course Advisors. Click below to submit a form and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

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About applying to this course

To make sure Game Design is the right fit for you, we’ll interview you to talk through your suitability and look through your portfolio of appropriate work. This is extremely flexible for Game Design – you can include games/systems you’ve worked on or made yourself, ideas and world building for games you’d love to make, or any design work in other media.

We welcome applicants with varied qualifications, but typically you'll need an undergraduate degree in a related discipline. Our typical applicants hold an undergraduate degree of 2:2 or above, or equivalent experience.

We’ll also 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.

APL applicants using experience to apply should note there is a £200 application fee for entry with advanced standing or with exemption from specific modules or credit.

If English isn’t your first language, you'll need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

International applicants who require a student visa to study in the UK must take a recognised language test that is approved and vouched for by the University. Our Applicant Services Team can help with any questions you may have about study visas or suitable language tests.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

£8,950 per year - full-time UK (£250 acceptance fee payable. This is deducted from tuition fees.)

£17,460 - full-time EU/international (acceptance fee up to £1,000 payable, dependent on nationality. This is deducted from tuition fees)

£8,950 per year - full-time UK (£250 acceptance fee payable. This is deducted from tuition fees.)

£17,460 - full-time EU/international (acceptance fee up to £1,000 payable, dependent on nationality. This is deducted from tuition fees)

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

To complete your coursework, you’ll require a laptop at an expense of around £1,300
£30-£150 - Headset with microphone
£25-£100 - Webcam

If you need to bring other equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.

Postgraduate funding

There are loans, awards, graduate discounts and alternative funding sources for postgraduate studies. Read about them on our Postgraduate Funding page.

Find out about funding

Ask a student

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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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