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Computer Games Design (Full-time) (BA Hons)

Swansea
3 Years Full-time
120 UCAS Points

This degree will give you the opportunity to explore contemporary opportunities in games design creatively and imaginatively. The course aims to build strong and sustainable opportunities for you to develop your best portfolio of game-centric and industry relevant production work, enhancing your employment opportunities in the industry.

Your individual development, creative ability and self-identity will be nurtured while you develop key technical skills related to the production of a wide variety of game design outputs or artefacts.

The course aims to build a comprehensive understanding of the creative, critical, analytical and interpretive skills necessary for the design and implementation of computer games, to enhance your development both as an individual and as a member of a team.

The development of intellectual skills, such as analysis, innovation and critical appraisal will be themes throughout the formal classes and learning process. Lectures will be used to explore concepts and theories and to develop knowledge for underpinning advanced technical skills.

Modules are aligned with industry needs and acknowledge the importance of context.

Course details

Start date:
Study modes:
  • On-campus
  • Full-time
Language:
  • English
  • Bilingual
Institution code:
T80
UCAS code:
CGD1
Course length:
3 Years Full-time
Entry requirements:
120 UCAS Points

Tuition Fees 2023/24 and 24/25
Home (Full-time): £9,000 per year
Overseas (Full-time): £13,500 per year

Why choose this course?

01
Passionate teaching team with industry experience at indie and AAA level production.
02
UWTSD 1st University in Wales for Learning Opportunities (NSS, 2023)
03
Dedicated studio space exclusively for Games Students.

What you will learn

Our philosophy: For students to design and create interactive projects that showcase their knowledge of game development.

We pride ourselves on having a personal approach to student learning and development with smaller tutorial groups and dedicated workspaces exclusively for the CCGD course.

This programme gives priority to the creative exploration of computer games design. You are given all the necessary knowledge to develop new and innovative work in the fields of character creation, 3D graphics, animation, character and environment modelling, texturing, interface design, and concept art. Games mechanics and rule systems (“ludology”) are explored often using paper-based concept mock-ups. You are encouraged to explore and develop your ideas in and around the subject area in a series of thought-provoking contextual study modules.

Student learning is primarily through practice: the degree is focussed on you producing working computer games of your own design and culminates in a series of personally directed projects which allow you to direct your studies towards a preferred specialist area. The emphasis is on personal expression!

The School has excellent links with games production companies both locally and nationally. Through dialogue with industry and the application of the latest developments in games, graduates from this programme are suitably equipped to enter their industry as practitioners. Areas of employment might include Level Artist, Environmental Modeller, Character Artist, Character Modeller, Texture Artist, and Traditional/Digital Concept Artist.

Visual Studies

(20 credits)

Game Design and History

(20 credits)

Introduction to Character Animation

(20 credits)

Environment Design

(20 credits)

Academic and Professional Development

(10 Credits)

Introduction to 3D Modelling

(10 Credits)

Games for Positive Impact

(20 Credits)

Advanced Character Animation

(20 credits)

Sound Design for Screen

(20 credits)

Game Theory and Design

(20 credits)

Indie Game Development

(20 credits)

Evolving your Creative Craft

(20 Credits)

Level Design and Development

(20 Credits)

Narrative and World-Building

(10 Credits)

Independent Project

(40 credits)

Emerging Trends

(20 credits)

Advanced Character Animation

(20 credits)

User Experience Design

(20 credits)

Personal Portfolio Development

(20 Credits)

Course Page Disclaimer

  • We listen to student feedback and insights from industry and from professionals to ensure that course content is high-quality and up-to-date, and that it offers the best possible preparation for your future career or study goals. 

    For this reason, there might be modifications to the content of your course over time, to keep up to date with changes in the subject area or in the sector. If a module is no longer running, we’ll make sure to keep you informed, and work with you to choose a different suitable module.

testimonial

Staff

Our People

You will be taught and supported by a wide range of professional staff and teams here to help you get the university experience you are looking for. Our teaching staff were ranked 2nd in Wales for assessments and feedback (NSS 2023) meaning the comments you get back from your work will help you learn. Our commitment to your learning has seen our students us as Top 10 in the UK for Lecturers and Teaching Quality. Find out more about our academic staff who teach across our courses. 

Accommodation

example of student bedroom

Swansea Accommodation

Swansea has a huge student population, and the variety of accommodation available will leave you feeling spoilt for choice. Various purpose-built student accommodation providers provide accommodation in Swansea, and the accommodation team can guide you through your options. It will offer ongoing support throughout your time as a UWTSD student.

Further information

  • We are interested in creative people that demonstrate a strong commitment to art and/or design and therefore we welcome applications from individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. To assess student suitability for their chosen course we arrange interviews for all applicants at which your skills, achievements and life experience will be considered as well as your portfolio of work.

    Our standard offer for a degree course is 120 UCAS tariff points. We expect applicants to have a grade C or above in English Language (or Welsh) at GCSE level, together with passes in another four subjects. Plus we accept a range of Level 3 qualifications including:

    • Foundation Diploma in Art and Design, plus one GCE A-Level in a relevant academic subject
    • Three GCE A-Levels or equivalent
    • BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject, with minimum grades of Merit
    • International Baccalaureate score of 32
    • Other relevant qualifications can be considered on an individual basis

    Qualifications are important, however, our offers are not solely based on academic results. If you don’t have the required UCAS points then please contact the courses admissions tutor or email artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk as we can consider offers to applicants based on individual merit, exceptional work, and/or practical experience.

  • Assessment is carried out through coursework, both written and practical. There are no exams on this course. Students are formatively assessed throughout a module, summative assessment takes place at the end of a module.

    In order to maintain academic integrity, a range of strategies are adopted. Most practical work includes formal written elements of some sort: everything from the standard essay format through to things like usability reports, product definition documents, responses to/critiques of seminal academic papers, learning journals, business plans, etc. At Level 6 all students will have to complete a Dissertation.

    From L4 onwards students are also widely assessed in presentations, culminating at L6 in the Major Project. We have found the viva voce style assessment well-suited to the work we do within the School, which, whilst having a technical underpinning, often has strong similarities to fine art practice.

  • Our students have access to a diverse range of equipment and resources, which in most cases are sufficient to complete their programme of study. We provide the basic materials necessary for students to develop their practical work within our extensive workshop and studio facilities.

    However, it is likely that art and design students will incur some additional costs to extend their investigation of their personal practice. For example, purchasing their own specialised materials and equipment, joining in optional study trips, and printing.

    Students are expected to bring their own personal art and design equipment with them when they commence the course.  We can advise on the correct equipment needed for your programme of studies and signpost appropriate suppliers if you wish to purchase essential items before or during your studies.  

    A basic ‘art and design kit’ will cost approximately £100 but you may well already have much of the equipment required so check with us first.  Also, although we have extensive dedicated digital design studios (PC and MAC) for you to undertake your coursework you may wish to bring your own digital devices, again check with us first before making a purchase.

  • You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available, please visit our Bursaries and Scholarships section.

  • Visit Go Global with UWTSD for more information about studying abroad.

  • Graduates from our Computer Games Design programme could develop specialisms in any of the following industrial contexts:

    • Web and Mobile Gaming: designer, 2D artist, 3D artist, project director.
    • Console/PC Games Development: level designer, character designer, character modeller, animator, materials artist, lighting artist, storyboard artist, assistant level designer, assistant character modeller, lighting assistant, assistant texture artist, assistant concept artist, trainee game designer, asset modeller, game Q&A.
    • Animation Production House: character designer, character modeller, animator, materials artist, lighting artist, storyboard artist, project director.
    • Game journalist.

    Students from the course have worked on a number of critically acclaimed games over the past few years including Grand Theft Auto 5, Alien: Isolation, and Lego Star Wars 3. The course has links with games companies such as:

    • EA
    • Rockstar North
    • Creative Assembly
    • Media Molecule
    • Traveller’s Tales
    • Fusebox Games
    • Blizzard
    • Creative Assembly