London College of Communication

Course Details

BA (Hons) Games Design

Course Description

This exciting and creative course focuses on the goal orientated and challenging nature of computer games. It equips students with the skills and knowledge to develop their own game designs from the ground up. Working from original concepts you will develop ideas into playable games and test them to evaluate their experience of play. You will not only design the visual feedback but also the player interaction with the game mechanics. This concept-to-game approach is supported by the growing theoretical area of games studies. You can expect... You can expect to be taught in a way that encourages you to regularly generate new concepts and to remain innovative in your practice. You'll learn the design and development skills necessary to put you at the forefront of this growing profession. Key topics covered include interactive design, character development, computer programming and 3D modelling. You'll learn how to write game design documents starting from the initial concept, before mastering the various stages of development. Your newly acquired skills will be put into practice as you continually build playable games throughout the course. During this process, you'll demonstrate storyboarding and visualisation techniques to communicate ideas with linear or non-linear content. You will also be expected to analyse gaming trends and to identify unique selling points and build these into game hooks and features. You will create your own animated content and add functionality with scripting before testing for performance and usability. The final major project gives you the opportunity to research an aspect of games design that is of particular interest to you, and to present your findings in a dissertation. Whilst on LCC's BA Games Design, you'll attend the LCC Futures Lectures, a special three day event attended by speakers from the games and wider digital media and entertainment industries. Tutors on the course... Our tutors are practitioners or academics with a wealth of experience in their field. The course is constantly evolving as the teaching team bring new technologies and experiences gained from industry partners. Staff are also engaged in a range of research activities from a variety of disciplines across games studies. Alumni include... Our graduates have gone on to work within the games industry in roles as designers, producers, developers, 3D/2D content creators, localisation and quality assurance managers. Roles outside of the games specific industries include those of flash developers, web developers and 3D modellers. Learning and teaching Courses in UAL span a broad range of art, design, communication, business, media, science and communication subjects. So the ways in which you learn and how your time is used will vary according to the specific course you are studying; this may be in studios, labs, classes, involve working alone, learning from peers in pairs or groups, or with external partners. Most importantly, no matter which course you enrol on, you will learn not only about your subject but also about how you learn and how to increase your knowledge base. Our courses will guide you to take increasing responsibility and ownership of your work and your learning. We do this so that you will be ready and able to take full advantage of the full range of opportunities offered by the creative industries in the global economy. Assessment Assessment always sounds austere and foreboding, but it is not. We see assessment as a very real part of learning, rather than just a means of looking back at past work and measuring achievement; we believe that assessment helps you plan future work and develop new ideas. Your work will be assessed through projects or portfolios, with written papers or research journals, and, on some courses, examinations. You will be graded according to a set of marking criteria that relate to such things as research, subject knowledge, methodology, and your capacity to analyse and reflect on your achievements. So don’t be afraid of assessment - it is the way to progress.

Course Duration

NumberDuration
3year

Career outcomes

Future careers and graduate prospects Our aim is to develop graduates who combine an experimental and innovative approach to design with an understanding of the player experience and the critical and analytical skills to be able to develop for a chosen platform. The career opportunities for graduates include games design, level design, content creation, project management, quality management and localisation. Enterprise and employability at UAL We know what it takes to be successful in your chosen field. Your tutors are professionals in their own right and understand what you need to help you establish your career. Staff in our Centre for Student Enterprise and Employability (SEE) are dedicated to helping you build up work-relevant skills, knowledge, experience and networks throughout your time here. You will also benefit from our many relationships with industry, which give our students exclusive opportunities and access to networks and funding. Artists and designers tell us they value UAL's informed engagement with their career and professional practice development and our ability to offer them practical advice, guidance and opportunities across the wide spectrum of possible professional pathways - as entrepreneurs and employees. Staff value the resources and skills UAL makes available to help them deliver effective professional and career development through the curriculum. Find out more ArtsTemps (SEE) is the UAL in-house recruitment agency placing students and graduates in paid temping roles within the University. Creative Opportunities (SEE) is the UAL job vacancy and work placement website for students and graduates and advertises hundreds of creative job and placement opportunities each month. Get more information and advice on employment and creative careers for all UAL students and graduates.




BA (Hons) Games Design London College of Communication