Games Design & Development

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Start date: September 2024

Deadlines for on-time applications

2024 entry application deadlines

For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.

16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.

31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.

Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests

Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.

Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.

All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing

Overview
If a career in designing and development games sounds exciting, this is the degree for you.

Summary
Whether it is Call of Duty or Subway Surfers, PlayStation or X-Box, mobile or virtual reality, video games are a huge part of our lives and the biggest entertainment market in the world. Game Designers and Developers are a critical part of the pipeline in the global success of the games industry. This degree is designed to give you the skills and knowledge you need to start your career in Games.

Our BSc in Games Design and Development provides students with specialist knowledge and experience in designing, developing, and programming gameplay experiences using industry standard tools, software languages and practices associated with making games. The course also provides an environment to fully explore opportunities for collaboration and the technical knowledge and insight into the game studio development of marketing strategies and I.P, aligned with development skills for those who wish to pursue independent games development and programming.

This is course will open in September 2023 subject to validation.

About
Our BSc in Games Design and Development will provide students with specialist knowledge and experience in designing, developing, and programming gameplay experiences using industry standard tools, software languages and practices associated with making games. This course will be based in our Northwest campus at Magee bringing an exciting option to combine game design and highly sought-after game development skills in one programme. The Northwest region has seen huge growth in the games sector. This course provides a supportive environment to fully explore your potential, and opportunities for collaboration. The programme allows students to study the craft of game design and development both critically and technically to enable students to locate their work in contemporary commercial and cultural contexts. The course also offers technical knowledge and insight into the game studio, development of marketing strategies and I.P aligned with development skills for those who wish to pursue independent games development and programming.

This course aims to:
• Expose students to a professional set of tools, methods, processes, and knowledge related to computer games design and development in support of the development and enhancement of their own creative, academic, and game making skills.
• Develop practical, professional, and transferable skills to contribute for their chosen profession or to pursue further study.
• Enable students to acquire a high degree of knowledge, understanding and experience in game design and development disciplines and studio development.
• Simulate game studio experiences that enhance skills in teamwork, through a number of group projects.
• Enable students to pursue a high level of intellectual enquiry, independence and critical awareness through academic conventions and creative practice of game design and development.
• Offer the opportunity to work on live projects, industry generated initiative and competitions, in order to gain essential work-based learning experience and develop the transferable skills essential to succeed in the creative and cultural industries.
• Enable students to acquire experiences, technical skills and knowledge appropriate to the professional contexts of game design and development disciplines.

Objectives
On completion of the programme students will produce and present a body of work, or equivalent output, that:
• Evidence experiences and application of professional practices in games design and development.
• Demonstrates a familiarity with contemporary game making studio processes and practices.
• Shows an understanding of the specific roles of professional Game designers and developers within game studio production.
• Evidence understanding and application of undergraduate research methods which will be implicit in the projects.
• Confirms critical and analytical skills in relation to historical and contemporary game design practice.
• Show that they have acquired skills in communication, presentation, and research.

Example of the modules you will study on this programme are*:
Asset Development for Games
Games Design
Games Studies
Gameplay Scripting
Game prototyping
Mobile Game Development
Level Design and Development
Game Studio Development
Programming for Games

*In a progressive and fast paced industry such as Games, our modules are subject to change and iteration throughout your time studying at Ulster to keep pace with best practice and current industry needs.

Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.

Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.

Year 1
Fundamentals of Game Programming
Game Design Theory and Practice
Game Graphics
2D Game Creation
Professional Game Development

Year 2
Advanced Game Programming
Game Character Control and Behaviour
Game Mechanics and Gameplay Design
Game Audio
3D Game Creation

Year 3
Diploma in Professional Practice (DPP/DPP(I)) - Optional
International Academic Studies - Optional

Year 4
Project: Game Design
Games Research and Innovation
Game Development - Business and Entrepreneurship
Project: Game Development

Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.

Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.

Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.

Associate awards
Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
Diploma in Professional Practice International DPPI

Work placement / study abroad
Students are strongly encouraged to undertake an optional work placement and/or take advantage of the excellent study abroad programme leading to the award of a Diploma in Professional Practice or Diploma in International Academic Studies. The DPP is generally European-based, and studio orientated. The DIAS allows for further study at an institution in either Europe or in the USA, under the Erasmus scheme, the Study USA scheme, or the Year abroad scheme. You will obtain the appropriate award in addition to your degree's classification on successful completion of your Final Year. The awards available are:

Diploma in Professional Practice DPP
Diploma in International Academic Studies DIAS
Diploma in Professional Practice International DPPI

Ulster University,
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T: 02870 123 456