Game Art, BA (Hons), with industry placement

Become an industry-ready game artist by developing creative and technical skills in digital art. Using industry-standard tools like Adobe Photoshop, Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Unreal, you will master character, concept, and environment art, along with 3D modelling, UV mapping, baking, composition, and shading. In later years, contribute to major game development projects, graduating with confidence to enter the rapidly growing games sector.Falmouth University excels in this field, ranked highest in the UK for concept art and illustration (Rookies Global Rankings 2023). Study in state-of-the-art facilities with access to professional hardware and software, collaborate on real games while retaining intellectual property, and learn from experts who have worked on titles like Grand Theft Auto and World of Warcraft. Opportunities for networking and placements enhance employability, with graduates securing roles at studios such as Frontier Developments. Modules cover foundational skills in years one and two, specialist projects in year three, and advanced collaboration in year four, assessed entirely through coursework and portfolio development.

You'll study the principles of game art in the context of traditional art practice, combining subjects like life drawing and composition with digital 2D and 3D modelling. We'll also build your expertise in concept, character and environment art, agile project management, and game development pipelines and processes. Focused on industry practices, much of your learning will come from working in game development teams – devising and developing real games using real-world practices. Year one During the first year of your Game Art degree, you'll build the basic skills demanded by the industry, and learn about game artists' major roles and techniques. Working with industry-standard software, methods and processes, you'll develop your drawing skills, better understand anatomy, and apply these abilities to 3D modelling and related elements. You'll learn traditional and digital art skills – both 2D and 3D – alongside concept, environment and character art to build digital worlds and characters. Modules: Concept Art 1 Character Art 1 Environment Art 1 Concept Art 2 Character Art 2 Environment Art 2 Year two You'll grow your confidence in game art and your skills in using professional digital tools. You'll provide art assets to a collaborative project with game students of different disciplines, giving you valuable experience in an industry-style development pipeline. An additional specialist practice project lets you hone your skills in a particular area of game art and create high quality work for your portfolio. Modules World Building: Pre-production Developing Concept Art Vocabularies Developing Character Art Vocabularies Developing Environment Art Vocabularies Art Research Practice World Building: Production Portfolio Development Year three You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team. Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. How you’ll study during your professional placement You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. Year four With specialism, independence and professional practice at the front and centre of this year, you'll join a multi-skilled team on a game development project. Working in a studio, you'll contribute art assets using industry-standard methods and pipelines. You'll also create distinctive and polished work for your growing portfolio by working on specialist game art. We'll then help you commercialise this work and prepare you for the transition to professional life. Modules Future Skills Professional Portfolio Technical Art Practice Future of Games Major Collaboration 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. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.