You'll learn what it takes to make a game, including asset creation, project management and pipelines, pitching ideas, and considering theories about what games are and how they engage players. Developing your skills in animation, you'll enhance cross-disciplinary groups as you pitch a game to tutors and build it together.

Modules

Development Principles

You'll immerse yourself in our studio culture and learn the basics of making games.

Theory 1: Reading Experiences

You'll study and write about games and VR in the same way as you might write about books on an English course, or films in Film Studies.

Multidisciplinary Development Practice

You'll pitch your first full game and build it as a team using Agile methodologies.

Game Animation 1

You'll explore the principles of animation and develop skills and workflows in 3D animation.

Game Animation 2

You'll develop skills in animating human performance and then integrate your work into a game engine.

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 learn what drives industry trends and developments from visiting professionals. Throughout the year you'll continue developing your specialist game animation practice.

Modules

World Creation Project: Pre-Production

You'll devise the concept for a world and take it forward into a fuller game title.

World Creation Project: Production

During this module, you'll develop your world creation project into a pitchable game, showcased to the rest of the Academy.

Theory 2: Form & Player Experience

Aligning your production with game studies theory, you’ll write your manifesto as a games developer, discussing the ethical and industrial debates around game production.

Game Animation 3

You'll develop advanced rigging and animation skills, with an emphasis on facial rigging and motion capture.

Developing Specialist Game Art Practice

You'll extend your understanding of animation in game development by practicing and developing your own individual skills.

During the final year of your game animation course, 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

Professional Practice and enterprise

With your career in mind, you'll produce a professional online presence for your work and learn how to network and get a job in games.

Major Game Development Project: Pre-Production

The vast majority of your third year is spent making a game in a team, which may result in forming your own games company.

Preparing for the Future

You'll research and investigate topics important to your route and practice, exploring how the rapidly evolving games industry could change as you look towards entering it.

Major Game Development Project: Production

Completing your third-year game, you'll showcase it to the rest of the academy and pitch it to invited industry guests.