There are two distinct types of careers in games development – the technical programming side, and the creative art and design side. This course prepares you for the first type of career, giving you all the skills you need to work as a software developer in the competitive games industry. If you are interested in the more artistic side of games development, see our MArt Games Design course. What you study You study the skills and techniques that are demanded by industry, such as programming, especially C++, software engineering and mathematics, optimisation and the use of games hardware on desktop, consoles and mobile platforms. During the first two years of study the MComp course content matches the BSc, during this time it is possible to transfer to or from the BSc. During year four, you study graphics and prototyping and complete research modules developing innovative game projects. In your final year, you produce an individual project showcasing your abilities. You also work in Steel Minions, our commercially licensed game development studio. This provides the benefits of experiencing commercial projects, typically under the supervision of industrial partners. You graduate with a portfolio to show prospective employers and we advise you how to maximise its potential. Key areas of study include • advanced programming skills, using C++ mainly • 3D mathematics • industry standard APIs such as Microsoft’s DirectX, Unity, Marmalade, Corona, Android SDK, iOS • programming for the PlayStation® platforms • technologies and hardware architectures for games software • project management techniques and tools used within the games industry • introduction to game design, ethics, game industry business models, 3D graphics and modelling packages You also work on web and mobile platforms such as iOS and Android. As well as benefiting from an emphasis on DirectX, you gain experience with cross platform tools like Marmalade and Unity, which can target any device. You also have access to Virtual Reality hardware such as the Oculus Rift and PlaystationVR.

You gain the skills for a career as a game programmer, software development engineer or project manager in the games and visual media industry. This enables you to develop careers in areas such as • graphical software design and visualisation • applications programming • software engineering. Most graduates from this course are working in the game industry, typically as game programmers or lead programmers, also referred to as engineers in the game industry, at games companies like Sony and Sumo Digital. Some specialise in • toolchain programming • special effects programming • AI programming • script programming. Others become indie developers, involved in every stage of game production.