Game Development BA(Hons)

BA(Hons) three year degree

Learn core game art abilities, like character and environment modelling, using industry-standard packages, processes and pipelines.

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

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your chosen specialism before progressing onto the full degree.

BA(Hons) three year degree

Create sound effects, sonic environments and scores that electrify players, and then work in-engine to integrate them into games in an immersive way.

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

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your chosen specialism before progressing onto the full degree.

BA(Hons) three year degree

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

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

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your chosen specialism before progressing onto the full degree.

BA(Hons) three year degree

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

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

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your chosen specialism before progressing onto the full degree.

BA(Hons) three year degree

Create backstories, dialogue, quests and player journeys as you learn foundational creative writing skills and translate them into narrative design for games.

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

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your chosen specialism before progressing onto the full degree.

BA(Hons) three year degree

Learn to manage the production of game projects, identifying and solving problems while making the development process run smoother and helping to deliver the project on schedule.

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

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your chosen specialism before progressing onto the full degree.

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 and aligning them to your chosen route, 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.

Specialist modules depending on your route

Art

Environment Art 1
Environment Art 2

Audio

Designing Sound
Music Technologies

Design

Game Design 1
Game Design 2

Programming

Principles of Computing
Creative Computing
Individual Creative Computing Project

Writing

Writing – Craft & Context
Breaking the Rules: Remix and Writing Back

Production

Design Thinking
Art of Strategy

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, all the while developing the specialist skills that will inform your 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.

Specialist modules depending on your route

Art

Developing Specialist Game Art Practice
Developing Concept Art Vocabularies
Developing Character Art Vocabularies
Developing Environment Art Vocabularies

Audio

Supersonic
Developing Specialist Game Development Practice

Design

Game Design 3
Developing Specialist Game Development Practice

Programming

Specialisms in Creative Computing
Individual Specialist Computing Project: Interfaces & Interaction
Individual Specialist Computing Project: Artificial Intelligence

Writing

Games (Writing Workshop)
Developing Specialist Game Development Practice

Production

Game Production Management

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

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

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 study in your Foundation year

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. 

The Integrated Foundation Year pathway for this course is new for entry year 2022 and subject to validation.

BA(Hons) three year degree

UCAS code: W281

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

UCAS code: FY01

BA(Hons) three year degree

UCAS code: W283

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

UCAS code: FY27

BA(Hons) three year degree

UCAS code: W284

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

UCAS code: FY28

BA(Hons) three year degree

UCAS code: W285

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

UCAS code: FY30

BA(Hons) three year degree

UCAS code: W286

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

UCAS code: FY31

BA(Hons) three year degree

UCAS code: I608

Integrated Foundation Year BA(Hons) four year degree

UCAS code: FY29

UK applications: 26 January 2022 (for equal consideration)

Applications after the 26 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 can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.