Game Development (Online)

From concept to creation: become an enterprising game developer.

On this online Game Development degree, you’ll establish your specialism within the field, gaining industry-level technical, creative and professional skills in an online environment that mirrors a real remote games studio.

You’ll work just as you would in industry, learning to communicate and collaborate effectively as you operate in multi-skilled teams to develop your own games from the outset, while studying flexibly from almost anywhere in the world.

You’ll also collaborate online across time zones, learning to plan handovers, document decisions and keep projects moving between optional live sessions.

Why study this course at Falmouth?
Gain experience with leading game engines and production tools used by professional studios worldwide
Explore specialist areas such as narrative design, user experience, level design and production management
Develop your technical and creative skills in an online studio environment that reflects industry practice
Build your own games from the very first module, and collaborate with others on multidisciplinary projects
Learn from experienced academics and active industry professionals from Falmouth’s award-winning Games Academy: No.1 in England for Game Design (Princeton Review 2024)
Work in teams to simulate real studio pipelines, building skills in communication, project management and version control
Prepare for industry with a professional portfolio, entrepreneurial mindset and the confidence to pitch your own ideas
Study flexibly and remotely while still being part of a supportive, connected creative community

You'll work across concept development, coding, art, audio and storytelling to understand how each element shapes a game. As you progress, you'll place greater emphasis on design and build - the skills that support your own approach to creating games.

Collaboration sits at the heart of the course, so you’ll work in multi-skilled teams that reflect real online studio environments. As you progress, you’ll move from short prototypes to more ambitious projects, building confidence, creative range and production experience along the way. You’ll use both optional live sessions and independent workflows, building habits such as task management, version control, developing good documentation and end-of-day handovers so your team can make progress around the clock – just like you would in industry.

Year One:
You’ll explore what makes games work, from the ideas and theories behind play, to the tools and teamwork that bring them to life. You’ll learn how to design and balance systems, manage projects in collaborative teams and build playable prototypes that connect mechanics, story and player experience.

Modules:
Understanding Games
Game Tools & Technology
Game Systems & Mechanics
Introduction to Teamwork
Narrative Design

Year Two:
Building on your growing expertise, you’ll take on your first large-scale game project, creating a world, developing a playable prototype and refining it into a polished vertical slice.

You’ll explore how narrative, environment design and player experience shape meaningful gameplay, using formal playtesting to guide your decisions and improve your work.

Modules:
User Interface & Experience Design
Collaboration
The Player Experience
Game Production
Level Design

Year Three:
In your final year, you’ll apply your skills to briefs that reflect real industry practice, explore how game development extends beyond games, and build a professional portfolio.

You will develop commercial awareness by pitching a prototype in ways that reflect how studios speak to investors. You will then take your major project from concept to completion using production methods that mirror industry practice.

Modules:
Transferability
Professional Portfolio
Major Project: Prototyping
Major Project: Production
Games & Culture

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. During your course, module content may be updated or optional modules withdrawn in order to maintain the best academic experience. Any students affected will be informed of any changes directly.

Assessments are 100% coursework, submitted in an electronic format to the virtual learning environment, and designed to reflect professional practice. Assessment methods include:

Projects
Portfolios
Pitches
Reports
Essays

Assessment provides the course team with a means of offering tailored guidance alongside advice on how to progress your knowledge and skills in key areas. The course team will support you throughout your time on the course; helping address your academic strengths and weaknesses.