Home Courses Creative Industries BA (Hons) Games Design and Development
Games Design students working in the Tech Park

Learn to design and develop games ready for a rapidly-growing industry

UCAS LogoUCAS Logo
I600
3 years Full Time
Bognor Regis Campus

14th

for teaching quality

Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021

2nd

in the UK for 'teaching on my course' for Computer Games and Animation

National Student Survey 2023

5th

for overall satisfaction for Games and Animation

National Student Survey 2022

Join us at one of our Open Days!

Saturday 22 June  |  Saturday 12 October  |  Friday 1 November  |  Saturday 23 November

Saturday 22 June

Saturday 12 October

Friday 1 November

Saturday 23 November

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Overview

Gain an in-depth insight into the world of games design and development

Are you keen to work in the games industry, but aren’t sure what you want to do yet? Our BA (Hons) Games Design and Development degree will help you choose your career path as you explore a range of roles, projects, and opportunities in within the video games industry.

Explore the complete creative process

Throughout the course you will gain a comprehensive overview of the creative components of the game development process, as you develop all round workflow skills and a clear understanding of the production pipeline.

Study areas include:

  • Design concepts
  • Programming
  • Animation and VFX
  • Production
  • Narrative design
  • Audio design
  • Game theory
  • Motion capture

Join our collaborative community

Throughout your degree, you will collaborate with students across the Department of Creative Industries to gain an exceptional understanding of production practices and technology application, enhancing your vital employability skills.

You will work with our award-winning 3D animation and VFX team and our BA (Hons) Esports course as you develop the core creative skills you will need in industry after you graduate.

Feel prepared for your future career

This course prepares you for a successful and fulfilling career within the rapidly-growing video games industry, as you engage directly with industry via games development companies and experts and through master classes and mentoring.

You will develop your portfolio to meet current industry requirements and develop a strong awareness of the needs of the industry as you develop your creative and technical skills.

On this course you will:

  • Discover career opportunities across the games industry.
  • Explore fundamental development disciplines including: design, programming, art, and production.
  • Explore specialist development areas including: audio, writing, motion capture, games theory and more.
  • Become confident in the games production pipeline.
  • Learn from award-winning industry professionals both within the University and beyond.

National Student Survey 2023

'Teaching on my course'
2nd
in the UK for Computer Games and Animation
Learning opportunities
3rd
in the UK for Computer Games and Animation
Overall average positivity
5th
in the UK for Computer Games and Animation

Partnerships

As a part of the Department of Creative Industries you will benefit from our industry partnerships with companies including HyperX, DXRacer, Twitch, ARRI, and AVID, and be able to access to industry standard software such as Nuke, Maya and Houdini.

The Course

Develop your technical and creative skills in design, programming, art, and production

Year One

In your first year, you will learn the fundamentals of games design and development, as you explore element of digital art construction, working with 3D engines and wider programming principles.

Year Two

Your second year continues to develop your programming and design skills and provides you with options to explore wider aspects of the game development process, including writing for games, games studios, motion capture, and 3D animation.

Year Three

In your third year, you will learn more advanced design and development techniques, as you work towards your final major games design project.

You will also explore your future career options and develop an understanding of how best to prepare a strategy for employability, freelance work, or start-up.

This list is indicative and subject to change.

Select a year

Art and Visual Design: An Introduction

This module will introduce you to the basics of art theory, giving you the opportunity to create artistic work that demonstrates an application of these concepts.

You will investigate the foundations of art production through a series of projects that establish a fundamental understanding of visual communication.

Design Fundamentals

This module introduces you to the fundamentals of game design. You will learn about the foundational elements that comprise games and how these elements are used to create emotional player experiences.

Games Theory and Criticism

This course focuses on deconstructing theories from game studies and learning how to apply these concepts to practical games design work.

You will gain a critical vocabulary for analysing games both inside and outside of the classroom and a necessary theoretical foundation to draw on for future games design work or game analyses.

Introduction to 3D Art

This module serves as a foundation for developing a range of technical knowledge and procedural skills in the core concepts of 3D computer graphics using the appropriate industry-standard software.

Prototypes and Programming Principles

This module provides you with a fundamental level of knowledge and understanding of key prototyping and programming principles necessary for making rapid digital game prototypes.

Whether or not you have any prior programming experience, the module looks to bring you and your peers to a common level.

Working With 3D Engines

Throughout the course of this module, you will be introduced to an industry-standard 3D engine, learning about its core features and how it can be used to create digital games.

3D Animation for Games

This module introduces you to the fundamental principles of animation and provides an opportunity for you to familiarise yourself with animation in the context of games development.

Games Design Project

On this practical module you will work in small groups to produce a computer game concept. You will learn to work as a teams, break tasks apart, and deliver a Games Design Document (GDD) to a set deadline, reflecting industrial practices and presentation expectations.

Games Production

This module examines a range of topics pertaining to games production – exploring the elements a producer must manage to ensure a successful game launch.

This module explores the game development process outside of the typical creative disciplines studied (e.g. art, code, and design) – instead focusing on project management skills and processes that apply both to games but also to similar roles in other creative industries.

Games: Social & Cultural Contexts

This module explores the social, historical and political context surrounding videogames, debating topics relating to their cultural development and impact.

The module will further develop your critical engagement with games studies, providing you with further theoretical frameworks to draw upon in games development projects.

Motion Capture Suit Technologies

The aim of this module is to develop a significant body of knowledge of a typical film and multimedia motion capture pipeline, from setting up cameras and capturing data, through to editing and transferring data to industry standard animation packages. This module offers the opportunity to develop a range of professional technical and procedural knowledge.

Narrative Design and Interactive Fiction

This module develops your understanding of fundamental theories, pipelines and processes pertaining to narrative design in videogames.

You will then learn to apply these theories in practical exercises that mirror the responsibilities of writers working in the contemporary games industry.

During the module, you will have the opportunity to create a piece of interactive fiction using the tools and techniques taught.

Writing for Games

This module examines the role of the screenwriter in the development of narrative based computer games.

You will explore the role the screenwriter plays in developing characters, dialogue and worldbuilding.

You will also be introduced to the debates around narrative vs Ludology and the tensions created between story and play.

Audio and Music for Video Games

This practical module develops your creative and technical skills in sound design, music composition and basic audio implementation for video games.

You will explore the creation of a broad range of sound assets and audio related content, as well as on non-linear adaptive processes and structures.

You are also introduced to industry standard middleware that enables sound designers and composers to implement their assets in game.

In addition, whilst working with one of our industry partners, you will receive individual mentoring and feedback on your final assessment tasks.

Final Year Games Design Project

In this independent, project-driven module, you will have the opportunity to pursue your own enthusiasms and specialisms.

You will begin the module by pitching a game idea to a panel for feedback. You will then generate associated pre-production documentation that covers all the key aspects of their proposed game and will be continually updated through the development of the final year project. You are then expected to provide extensive ‘proof of concept’ for a commercially-viable computer game.

Games Industry and Creative Careers

This module aims to develop your understanding of the creative sector as an industry, becoming aware of key dynamics within the sector and specific expectations related to employability, especially within the games development sector.

These include

  • Discipline specific working practices
  • Geographic spread
  • Working structures
  • Team working and inter-personal skills
  • Freelancing and collaborative work
  • Funding streams
  • Developing portfolios / studio setup
  • Taxation
  • Regulation
  • Law and ethics

You will get the chance to consider which career pathways align with your own personal ambitions, and develop an understanding of how best to prepare a strategy for employability, freelance work, or start-up.

Creative Portfolio

You will be expected to enhance their career prospects by producing creative artefacts that align your skills with their commercial and professional objectives.

The module aims to develop transferable skills in balancing creative and strategic career objectives.

Motion Capture Face / Feature Tracking Technologies

The aim of this module is to develop a range of professional, technical and procedural knowledge and an understanding of the core concepts of optical motion capture in the context of the Film, TV and gaming industry. It explores both software and hardware solutions and will explore rig setup, image capture, 2D/3D data processing.

Working With 3D Engines

Throughout the course of this module, you will be introduced to an industry-standard 3D engine, learning about its core features and how it can be used to create digital games.

Resilience and the Freelancer

This module serves as an introduction to the wide range of skills required for survival in the modern creative and media industries. Self-employment is increasingly considered the norm and this module will prepare the student for a freelance career.

Teaching and Assessment

Feel the support of our experienced and expert staff

Teaching

Your teaching will take the form of scheduled classes such as workshops, lecture, and seminars, as well as spend some time studying independently outside.

In addition, you will use an iterative workflow throughout your studies that focuses on reworking and revisiting an idea to improve it. This workflow is used in industry and will help to prepare you for your career after your graduate.

As well as working independently you will have some projects and seminars in groups where you will develop your communication and teamwork skills and create work with other students.

Smaller class sizes to help your development

Our commitment to smaller class sizes allows you to feel more confident to discuss your ideas in a supportive environment and allows your tutors get to know you and how best to aid your development.

Meet programme coordinator Alan Stewart

Alan Stewart

Programme Coordinator: Games Design & Development

Before joining Chichester, Alan worked in design roles for numerous studios across the UK. His most recent role was at a Brighton-based studio specialising in VR games and experiences where his work was nominated for an International VR Award.

When he’s not teaching, Alan can be found either tinkering in Unity or exploring his research interests in game-based learning.

He holds a master’s in digital games theory and design from Brunel University and is a Fellow of The Higher Education Academy.

Assessments

You will be assessed through a range of assignments, including:

  • Creative projects
  • Project work
  • Creative portfolios
  • Presentations
  • Reflective writing

Experience

Learn in our state-of-the-art Tech Park building

Discover our £35 million Tech Park

Our Bognor Regis Campus boasts the £35m Tech Park and brings together science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics courses on one state-of-the-art site.

Sam Smith, BA (Hons) Games Design and Development Student

Sam

BA (Hons) Games Design and Development student
“The Games Design and Development course continues to teach me new skills I didn’t even know I had, as well as allowing me to elevate my passion to a professional level.”

Careers

Graduate ready to make an impact on the games industry

Our BA (Hons) Games Design and Development degree will prepare you for a range of career options across this vibrant and fast-growing industry. You will graduate as a technically proficient creative who is ready to bring a range of abilities to the workplace.

Potential careers include:

  • Games designer
  • Level designer
  • Producer
  • QA tester
  • Writer

Further Study

You could choose to continue your studies to postgraduate level.

Postgraduate study options available at Chichester include:

  • PGCE and Masters
  • MA Screen Acting
  • MA Composition for Film, TV and Games
  • PhD Research

University of Chichester alumni who have completed a full undergraduate degree at the University will receive a 15% discount on their postgraduate fees.

Course Costs

Course Fees 2024/25

UK fee
£9,250
International fee
£15,840

For further details about fees, please see our Tuition Fees page.

For further details about international scholarships, please see our Scholarships page.

To find out about any additional costs on this course, please see our Additional Costs page.

Entry Requirements

Typical offers (individual offers may vary):

UCAS
104-112
tariff points from A levels or combination with AS / EPQ / BTEC/ Cambridge Technical.
A Levels
BBC-BCC
BTEC/Cambridge Technical
DMM-MMM
Access to HE Diploma
Pass
IB
28
IELTS
6.0
with no element lower than 5.5.

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

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