Games Development

The HNC Game Development course has been created to develop you as professional, self-reflecting individuals able to meet the demands of employers in the games sector and adapt to a constantly changing world. The course aims to widen access to enhance the career prospects of those who undertake them.​

Games development is a rapidly growing industry, with the UK market for video games reaching a record £7bn in 2020, an increase of 30% (UKIE). The games industries workforce grew 25% in December 2021 (TIGA). These figures are looking to keep increasing as the industry shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Games Development is a multifaceted area of study that allows for numerous areas of specialisation; there’s a wide range of careers from the more artistic asset, environment, and character designing to the more technical sides involving programming and developing the actual mechanics of the game. All these roles are also enveloped by overarching game theory, which helps steer the direction of what is being created to provide interactive and compelling experiences for the user.

Teaching will be delivered through a mix of dynamic and interactive lectures and workshops. Your learning will be an engaging and enjoyable experience delivered through a variety of methods by skilled lecturers with industry experience.

You will have a mix of practicals, workshops, in-person industry talks and learning how to use new techniques and software.

The course consists of two assessment units which cover the development of core aspects of the industry: contextual knowledge, idea generation and development, technical knowledge and skills, professional practice, and communication.

Unit 1: Concept & Development

Through this unit, you’ll develop an understanding of the fundamentals of Games Design, enabling you to begin your journey into the interactive media industry.

Unit 2: Creative Project

This unit is designed to apply your learning from Unit 1 through the production of a final outcome that concludes all skills learnt in that year.

You will have the opportunity to work individually and collaboratively on projects that explore:

Concept Art
Game Asset Prototyping
2D Game Engine Exploration
3D Game Engine Exploration
Game Theory
Player Management and Interaction
File and Project Management
Bug Testing and Quality Assurance
Marketing and Post-Production
In the first year of the course you’ll be introduced to a range of software including: Unity, Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, Substance Painter and the Adobe Creative Suite.

Course Modules

Core Modules:

36 Collaborative Project (Pearson-set)
37 Personal Professional Development 15 5
44 Advanced Game Development Studies

Optional Modules:

55 Project Management
61 Advanced 3D Modelling
75 Environment & Level Design
69 Social Media Practice