MA Computer Games: Art & Design

Program Overview

MA Computer Games: Art & Design

Overview

This MA is tailored for people who want to start a career in the game industry. One of the only programmes in the UK taught by actual game developers, it will teach you game design, art and animation, and game programming, and has a strong focus on entrepreneurship and business.

Why study MA Computer Games: Art & Design at Goldsmiths

• Learn to design and develop games using state-of-the-art tools and game engines from actual game developers and industry veterans.
• Focus on which skills you want to learn, through a selection of option modules you can choose from.
• You will learn essential skills relevant to the Game Industry, including bringing your designs to life by developing and programming your own games. Depending on your previous coding experience, you will learn to program games through coding or using node-based editors.
• Collaborate with colleagues from other courses, including the MSc Computer Games Programming and the MA Games and Playful Design.
• Build your portfolio through practical coursework.
• Access state of the art game labs and facilities.
• Get your first internship in the game industry (or work on a research project instead).
• Take part in the many events and game jams we organise every year, and be part of the creative and diverse environment that surrounds Goldsmiths.
• Access the strong UK community of publishers and creators with innovative voices creating ground-breaking titles.
• As a fast-growing 150-billion-dollar business, the game industry offers countless professional opportunities. The MA Computer Games: Art & Design is right for you if you want to make game development a sustainable career and to work in this creative and rewarding industry.
• This is also one of the only programmes taught by actual game developers, designers, and artists with years of experience in the game industry.

Length

• 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time

Entry requirements

• You should have an undergraduate degree of at least second-class standard in a relevant/related subject.
• You might also be considered if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but you have relevant experience and can show you can work at postgraduate level.

Fees

• Home - full-time: £13600
• Home - part-time: £6800
• International - full-time: £20000

Department

• Computing

Internship and Research Pathways

• There are two pathways available to all students in the MA Computer Games - Internship or Research. The pathway must be chosen at the moment of your enrolment, but might be changed on a case-by-case basis.

Internship

• Students on the Internship pathway are required to take part in an industry placement during the Summer Term. This is the perfect option if you want to use this opportunity to kickstart your career in the game industry. We have a strong network of games companies and studios and have a succeeded in placing a large number of students, many of which have gone on to permanent jobs in the organisation. In additional to paid commercial placement, we offer the option of projects that are sponsored and co-supervised by non-profit organisations or other academic departments or institutions.

Research

• Students on the Research pathway will work on a final project instead. This is recommended if you want to pursue an academic career, or if you want to deepen your knowledge in a specific area.

What you'll study

Compulsory modules

• All students take the following modules:
  • Modelling and Animation 1 (15 credits)
  • Modelling and Animation 2 (15 credits)
  • Game Design and Analytics (15 credits)
• You will also take one of the following modules.
  • If you are comfortable with coding, you can take Games Programming 1 , which will teach you the basics of games programming using Unity and C#.
  • If you have no previous coding experience, you will be advised to take Visual Games Development 1 , which will allow you to code games using node-based editors.

Optional modules

• You'll then take 60 credits of optional modules from a list provided annually by the department. As part of these options, you'll have the opportunity to take a work placement by choosing the module Games Business and Practice in your first term.
• Recent modules include:
  • History of Computer Games, Art and Animation (15 credits)
  • Approaches to Play 1 (15 credits)
  • Games Business and Practice (15 credits)
  • Approaches to Play 2 (15 credits)
  • Interactive Narrative and Digital Storytelling (15 credits)
  • Escape Room Design and Immersive Theatre (15 credits)
  • Motion Capture Techniques and Digital Embodiment (15 credits)
  • Data and Machine Learning for Artistic Practice (15 credits)
  • Game Development (15 credits)
  • Games Programming 2 (15 credits)
  • Programming for Game Engines (15 credits)
  • Extended Reality for Creative Practice (15 credits)
  • Alternative Game Controller Design (15 credits)
  • Audio Experience for Games (15 credits)
  • Applied AI for Industry (15 credits)

Teaching and assessment

• Taught sessions and lectures provide overviews of themes, which students are encouraged to complement with intensive reading for presentation and discussion with peers at seminars.
• Assessments build on lectures and seminars so students are expected to attend all taught sessions to build knowledge and their own understanding of their chosen discipline.
• All assessed work is accompanied by some form of feedback to ensure that students’ work is on the right track. It may come in a variety of forms ranging from written comments on a marked essay to oral and written feedback on developing projects and practice as they attend workshops.

Entry requirements

• You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second-class standard in a relevant/related subject, such as Game Design/Development, Art, Design, 3D Modelling, Animation or Computer Science.
• You might also be considered if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
• In some instances, we may ask to see more of your work or to conduct a short interview.

International qualifications

• We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
• If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

How to apply

• Apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system
• Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:
  • Details of your academic qualifications
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
  • Copies of** your educational transcripts****or certificates**
  • A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
  • A portfolio of relevant work (see below)

Submitting your portfolio

• A portfolio of relevant work (such as digital games, programming samples, art-based/sketchbook, games assets, design documents) is required for your application. This could take whichever form works best to showcase your work, although a PDF or a video is strongly encouraged.
• If you have worked on a game, the best way to showcase it is to include a link to a gameplay video. Please be advised that due to safety reasons, we cannot play executable or install files sent by applicants; so a video and a WebGL build would be ideal to showcase your games.
• If you have worked on other, non-games related creative projects, you are welcome to show that in your portfolio, as everything that can demonstrate your creativity and commitment is welcome. Please note that our system has a maximum file size of 20mb so you may need to host your work elsewhere and upload a link.

Careers

• Our programme opens up multiple career options including:
  • 2D and 3D Modeller or animator for the Games, XR, Film and TV Special Effects Industry (Art and Design Pathway)
  • Programmer in the Games Industry, including casual, mobile, PC and console games (Programming Pathway)
  • Computer Games Designer or Level designer in the Games Industry, including casual, mobile, PC and console games (Programming Pathway)
  • Producer in a Games Development Company, leading to senior management roles
  • Creative Lead at robotics development company for entertainment industry
  • Computer Games Developer for the Serious Games and Gamification Sectors
  • Creative Games and Interactive Technical Lead in an Advertising Agency
  • Creative Director Role in small or medium company

Industry links

• As part of the MA, students may choose to do an internship with a games-related company. Over the years we worked closely with industry leaders and game studios to offer industry placements.
• Many internships result in permanent positions, and almost 100% of our graduates find work four to five months after finishing the programme. Some have gone on to work in major studios like EA, Ubisoft, Sony, Creative Assembly, Microsoft, Cinesite, Framestore, Splash Damage, Rebellion Studios, Mediatonic, Frontier, Supermassive and Roll7, as well as getting funded for start-ups such as Terrardhard.
• We have dedicated employability resource within the department to build employer relations and manage additional initiatives to support your future career opportunities, including regular communication of external opportunities for mentoring and work experience and an annual Career week (a focussed week of career support every June in the department where you can access alumni panels by programme and a range of industry talks).

Staff

• Staff teaching on this programme include:
  • Alan Zucconi, Programme Director
  • Richard Leinfellner
  • Professor William Latham
  • Federico Fasce