Program Overview

Games Design BA (Hons)

Overview

Ever played a computer game and thought you could design something better? Or been so gripped by one that you wish you had come up with the idea? Then think about a course in computer games design.

Course Details

Full-time and Part-time

G470 BA/GD

Computer Games

Course routes:

• Degree: 3 years (or 4 with a work placement)
• Plus foundation year: 4 years (or 5 with a work placement)

Top Reasons to Study This Course at Teesside:

• Industry links: take part in Animex, our annual international animation and games festival featuring experts from Rockstar, Pixar, Disney and Sony.
• Real-world experience: enter GameJam events, take part in industry competitions and Beta test upcoming games before they are released.
• Career-ready: our ExpoSeries of events allow you to showcase your skills to industry professionals who are seeking to recruit new and rising talent.
• Scholarships: you could be eligible for a £9,000 scholarship to support your studies (excluding those applying to the foundation year).
• Quality teaching: 92.4% of computer games and animation students agreed that staff often made the subject engaging (National Student Survey 2024, tees.ac.uk/source).

Course Structure

Year 1 Core Modules

• Game Creation: Gain the skills you need for game creation using a contemporary game engine. Understand the fundamentals of modern game development, including scripting, asset creation and level design. (30 credits)
• Game Design and Mechanics: You learn the core theories involved in designing games. Examine the pre-production stages, focusing on the role of mechanics in designing an engaging and immersive gaming experience. (30 credits)
• Game Prototyping: Study the fundamental concepts involved in creating game prototypes. Examine core gameplay loops, focusing on interaction and how this creates a tactile and engaging experience. (30 credits)
• Industry Briefs: You work on an individual artefact related to a game experience using a brief set by industry. Develop your experience of working with a real production brief, targeting specific production skills within your own field of study. (30 credits)

Year 2 Core Modules

• Games Business, Marketing and Publishing: You focus on the business, marketing and publishing aspects of the games industry, examining new trends and business models for games development. Look at the process for turning a digital concept into an attractive business proposal to acquire funding and investment, and explore how marketing, publishing and distribution get a game to market. (30 credits)
• Journeyman: You work with students from across all the games courses to develop a game slice in a team. Experience working in a production environment, and focus on specific skills in your own field of study while gaining valuable teamwork skills. (30 credits)
• Mission Design: Explore the design and production of gameplay missions, why people play games, what makes them fun and how you can apply this knowledge to add depth and playability to level design. (30 credits)
• UI and UX Design: You look at the processes for developing frontend and heads-up display interfaces and user experiences for games. Explore design theories, interactivity, accessibility, rational navigation and interface psychology. (120 credits)

Optional Work Placement Year

• Work Placement: You have the option to spend one year in industry learning and developing your skills. We encourage and support you with applying for a placement, job hunting and networking.

Final-Year Core Modules

• Beta Arcade: Experience working as a member of a games development team, in a setup that is as close to industrial practice as possible. You work in groups to construct a working game demo in a current game engine. You consider standard industry practices that consider multiplayer gaming threats, user safety, cheating and data security. (30 credits)
• Games Project: You undertake a large-scale project guided by a member of staff, where you produce a substantial piece of work related to your course alongside a written report. You also present and discuss your project. (60 credits)
• Narrative Design and Integration: Explore the theory and integration of games narrative concepts. Investigate elements of storytelling including narration, character creation, story arcs, point of view, voice, tense, cutscene, narrative wash and texture, backstory, storytelling using affordances and signifiers, world building, emergent storytelling, and found text and audio. (30 credits)

How You Learn

• For each module you learn in a series of lectures and tutorials. Lectures provide you with specific theoretical information related to the subject while the tutorials focus on developing your practical skills.
• In the later tutorials you work on assessments and use this time to get feedback and advice from tutors.
• Further support is offered online in the form of extra learning material.
• You are expected to manage your time to complete work outside the tutorial sessions.

How You Are Assessed

• We believe that it is essential for you to learn through the experience of doing.
• Assessment for all modules is in the form of practical projects, which you work on throughout the year.
• You develop a portfolio of design work throughout the course.
• In Year 2, the Journeyman module provides you with essential teamwork skills ready for industry.
• The final year project allows you the freedom to set your own project based on your skills and interests.

Entry Requirements

• 96-112 points
• Find out how many points your qualifications are worth using the UCAS tariff calculator.
• If your qualifications are not listed, contact our admissions team as we may accept alternatives.

Employability

• This specialist degree offers the skills you need for a career in the games industry and provides generic skills which open up numerous other career paths.
• Some of our graduates have been recognised as being among the world's best young games development talent, and feature in magazine's annual 30 under 30.
• Employment opportunities include creative director, games designer, scriptwriter, level designer, interface designer and games tester.

Information for International Applicants

• International applicants - find out what qualifications you need by selecting your country below.

Other Course Routes

• Foundation Year: Study this course with a foundation year if you need additional preparation or if you don't have sufficient grades to join Year 1.
• Work Placement: Study this course with an optional work placement year, at no extra cost. Alongside this, you can gain valuable experience and engagement with the sector through our shorter work placements, internships and work experience opportunities.

Full-time

• Entry to Academic Year:
• Fee for UK Applicants: £9,535 a year
• Fee for International Applicants: £17,000 a year
• Length: 3 years (4 with work placement)
• UCAS Code: G470 BA/GD
• Start Date: September

Part-time

• Entry:
• Fee for UK Applicants: £4,635 (120 credits)
• Length: Up to 6 years
• Attendance: 1-3 days
• Start Date: September

Choose Teesside

• iPad: Are you eligible for an iPad, keyboard and up to £300 credit for learning resources?
• Accommodation: Live in affordable accommodation right on-campus - from only £100 a week
• Campus: Study in our town-centre campus with £280m of recent investment.
• Adobe: Study at Europe's first Adobe Creative Campus and develop your creative and digital skills.