Computer Games

BSc\BEng (Hons) Computer Games Design

The computer games industry is a vast market, it grosses more than the film and music industries put together. In the UK alone it employs more than 30,000 people. The industry itself believes it will quadruple in size over the next three years. This course gives you a good overview of the computer games industry so you can gain a clear idea of the area in which you aspire to work. It will also give you the skills to become a 3D Modeller or Animator, which is the first rung on the career ladder to becoming a successful games designer or level designer.  Games design can also be studied as a top-up to degree.

Computer Games Design (Extended)

Computer Games Design (Extended) is aimed at students who have not attained the grades to study BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design and mature students who wish to study BSc (Hons) Computer Games Design, but have no relevant qualifications.
This award replaces the HND and can be taken instead of any access to Higher Education course that is currently required for mature students without relevant qualifications.

BSc(Hons) Computer Games Design and Programming

The computer games industry is a vast market, it grosses more than the film and music industries put together. In the UK alone it employs more than 30,000 people. The industry itself believes it will quadruple in size over the next three years. This award was written in conjunction with the games industry. It gives a good overview of the computer games industry so you can gain a clear idea of the area in which you aspire to work. It will also give you the skills to become either a 3D modeller or a games programmer, which is the first rung on the career ladder to a new and expanding industry.

On this award you will create designs for computer games along with the appropriate design documentation required. You will also create industry standard 3D models and animations in both 3D Studio Max and Maya as well as the skills in programming to create or manipulate a games engine. There are opportunities to use DirectX and OpenGL as well as a variety of tools for physics and AI programming.

BSc(Hons) Computer Games Programming

Computer Games programmers play a vital role in the production of computer games taking a game design and transforming it into a running program that delivers the game to the player.  This award utilises industry links to develop people with the core software engineering skills to program current and future generations of computer games hardware. Games programmers are amongst the most highly skilled software engineers. Games programming is also offered as HND and top-up to degree. 

Computer Gameplay Design and Production

The Games Industry has become increasingly focused as it becomes one of the UK’s most buoyant and important industries. With a greater range of powerful game development tools available, this award has been designed to give you the skill set required to make the best use of these tools to produce independent games and experimental game play mechanics. You will use industry standard tools to design games that show both inventive core mechanics and engaging mission design principals at their heart, both highly regarded by employers.

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BSc (Hons) Game Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is the next "big idea" in creating games – how can computer controlled characters be made to behave more like human ones?    This course gives you a solid theoretical framework for addressing complex problems in navigation, planning, strategy, pattern recognition and knowledge management.  You will learn to identify and specify the key features of complex problems and to apply appropriate methods from artificial intelligence in a range of applications both within the field of computer games development, and beyond. 

BSc (Hons) Games Technical Art

The Games Technical Art degree has been designed and developed with the help of noted games technical artists from industry, in order to build a course capable of producing the next generation of multi-skilled game technical artists, with the breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding required by this competitive industry.

Informed decision-making is the cornerstone of creativity and they are much sort after core skills of any successful game technical artist. If you are required to design and develop futuristic buildings, vehicles or characters for a next generation game console you need a fundamental understanding of the design and technical principles that underpin these structures.

Multiplayer Online Game Programming

This award is intended for students interested in developing multiplayer online games, and related collaborative and virtual community computer applications.  It covers the game software engineering and computing concepts essential for general game development, plus the specific technical skills to need to create virtual worlds and allow players to interact and communicate within them.

BSc (Hons) Portable Games Programming 

Portable games – games for mobile phones and handheld consoles, is one of the fastest growing sectors in the computer games industry.  Portable Games Programmers need to learn all the computing skills needed for PC or console game development, as well as how to overcome the extra challenges posed by portable game devices: they are small, with limited displays, memory and processor speed, and have challenging input systems!

Games Courses brochure (PDF, file size: 2.35MB)

• PgC/PgD/Msc 3D Games Modelling
• PgC/PgD/MSc Computer Games Design
• PgC/PgD/MSc Computer Games Programming 
• PgC/PgD/MSc Computing: Games Development