Games Design and Development

Design. Build. Play. Develop skills relevant to today’s games industry.

Level up your creativity with this hands-on course designed for aspiring game designers and developers. Explore storytelling, mechanics and production pipelines while building, testing and refining playable games in a collaborative studio environment that mirrors industry.

• Design, prototype and build your own playable games

• Collaborate in studio-style teams across the full game pipeline.

• Develop specialist skills in your chosen area of game development.

Why you should study this course

• Develop your skills by working on real-world game development projects, from concept to playable prototype.

• Access industry-standard software, engines and studio environments, including Unity and Unreal Engine.

• Learn from lecturers with professional game industry experience and insight.

• Experience real-world development cycles with pitching, prototyping, workable game design documents and testing.

• Develop skills to work with studios of varying sizes or launch your indie game project or studio.

Careers and opportunities
On successful completion of this course, you may take on roles ranging from community manager, games producer, or games publisher, to gameplay designer, level designer, UX designer, Quality Assurance (QA) tester or games writer.

You should have developed an understanding of the key priorities for the games industry, such as the recent change in working patterns, equality, diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition and retention, and an understanding of cultural and commercial priorities, by engaging in real-world scenarios and collaborative opportunities and embedding theoretical and applied-practical exploration of sustainability, representation, player experience, and emerging areas of practice.

Please visit our website for the most up-to-date information.

Course Modules

This course has a common first year.

The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn. our industry, you’ll be more prepared and more clued up on how you may want to progress your education.

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, so upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements). Once you learn more about your industry, you’ll be more prepared and more clued up on how you may want to progress your education.

Year One Modules -
Hack Lab and Creative Play
Interactive Narratives and Immersive Experiences
Concept Development, Prototyping and Design
Skills Lab

Year Two Modules -
Experimental Games Project
Beyond the Game: Understanding Your Professional Practice
Game Design Possible
Start Your Game Engines

Sandwich Year -
There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement* can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

Final Year Modules -
Last Level: The Checkpoint
Last Level: Rise of the Machines
Last Level: Game of Phones
Last Level: The Respawn

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.