Games Design and Development, BA

This course equips students for diverse careers in games design and development by building comprehensive workflow skills, from initial design concepts and prototyping to full production pipelines. Students explore multifaceted aspects, including storyboarding, creative development, quality assurance, and testing, allowing them to specialize in their final year. Emphasizing industry-led practices, collaborative projects, and a studio-based approach, the program fosters skills in translating ideas into playable games.Key benefits include hands-on experience in conceptualizing, building, and testing games, enhancing employability across various technologies and platforms. The curriculum integrates logical and visual design, real-world practices like pitching and prototyping, and industry connections through guest lectures and field trips. A common first year allows exploration alongside related fields, with progression to advanced modules in game worlds, player experience, and professional practice, culminating in a major project. Assessments vary, including group work, presentations, reports, and projects, to monitor student progress effectively.

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. 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 * In the first year, you will develop skills across a range of areas in the creative technologies sector, working collaboratively with students from Animation, Games Art, Digital Media, and Visual Effects (VFX). You will engage with concepts of design in both 2D and 3D, explore narrative and storytelling within the context of creative technologies, and develop experience of the iterative development process *Modules* Skills Lab Hack Lab and Creative Play Narrative and Storytelling People, Pipelines, and Productions Prototyping, Concept Development, and Design From 2D to 3D: Developing Visual Skills *Year Two* In Year two, you will continue to develop the skills and knowledge you’ve learnt. We do this by embedding the following four principles into the curriculum and developing your: Technical skills – digital fluency, backed with the right academic knowledge Study skills – to be an adaptive, independent and proactive learner Professional skills – to have the behaviour and abilities to succeed in your career Global awareness – the beliefs and abilities to be a resilient, confident and motivated global citizen You will develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with: games design, concept development, prototyping and pitching. *Modules* Concept Development in Games Design Prototype Development Understanding Player Experience Designing Game Worlds Experimental Games Project Professional Practice in the Games Industry *Placement 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. If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee* of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time you will receive guidance from your employer or partner institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement. *Final Year* Your final year aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from years one and two. You could also work on a large final project in an area of your interest, with the support of a mentor and your Academic Personal Tutor. *Modules* Research Investigation Advanced Game Design and Development Indie Game Project Working in Collaboration Final Major Project 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. Before accepting any offers, please check the website for the most up to date course content. For full module details please check the course page on the Coventry University website. *For further information please check the course page on the Coventry University website