Course Essentials
Hi, I'm Tom Apperley, Course Director for BA (Hons) Games Design here at Canterbury Christ Church University. I'm really looking forward to meeting you all and getting the course underway. We'll have our first chance to connect in person during Welcome Week, and I can't wait to hear about the games that excite and inspire you.
Tom Apperley
Course Director
Your Teaching Timetable
Teaching for your course will begin w.c 21 September 2026.
To help you plan your first few weeks, you can view an overview of the teaching activities for your course.
View your first semester teaching timetable.
On a mobile device, click the arrow next to “Search” at the top right of the page to view your timetable.
If your course is taught in groups, the overview will show activities for all groups. You will only need to attend sessions for your allocated group.
Once teaching begins, your individual timetable and group allocation will be available in MyTimetable provided you have completed online registration and created your computing account.
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Your Semester 1 Modules |
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Understanding Games |
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Design, Art and Technology for Games |
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Success Modules - you will complete 3 of these 5 credit modules* |
*Success Modules
Your Journey to Success at CCCU is a compulsory success module. You'll then choose two more Success modules from a choice of eight.
These modules are completed online (asynchronous learning) and are not timetabled, so they won't appear in your teaching timetable.
Key dates
Academic Calendar: Semesters
View key dates for this Academic Calendar for 2026-27 including when teaching starts and finishes and when you break for holidays.
Welcome
Welcome Week is your first opportunity to get to know the university, your fellow students, and the teaching team, and we really encourage you to make the most of it.
As well as community-building activities and introductions to the course, it's where you'll start forming the creative collaborations that will define your time here, so attendance matters.
You'll also be introduced to your Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), a member of the teaching team who will be your key point of contact for academic support and guidance throughout your degree.
Getting started
In Semester One you will be enrolled on two modules:
- Understanding Games, led by Dr Tom Apperley,
- Design, Art and Technology for Games, led by Holly Steventon.
Teaching across both modules is delivered on campus through a combination of lectures and workshops, giving you the chance to develop your ideas collaboratively and get hands-on with the tools and processes of game design from day one.
Your first few weeks will ease you in gently.
Welcome Week is focused on getting settled, meeting your peers and tutors, and finding your feet at university.
As teaching gets underway you will find all your module materials, resources, and announcements on Blackboard, the university's online learning environment. It is worth familiarising yourself with Blackboard early on, as it will be your central hub for everything course-related throughout your studies.
If you want to get a head start, the Learning Skills Hub is a great place to build confidence in areas like academic writing and research before teaching begins.
One less thing to worry about: the university provides laptops for students on this course, so you do not need to bring your own device or purchase any software before you arrive.
Your Must Do Tasks
Once you have been invited to register for your course, there are some key tasks you'll need to complete to make sure you are ready to become a CCCU student.
Registration invitations are sent towards the end of August. We'll send yours to the email address you used when you applied, so please check this inbox regularly to make sure you don't miss any important information.
Pre-course reading
The Games Design course introduces you to different pathways into the games industry. To get you started, we suggest that you begin exploring this exciting industry.
Here are some useful resources that can help to prepare you for the course:
- Game Developer: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/
- Designer Notes podcast: https://www.idlethumbs.net/designernotes/
- The Game Maker’s Notebook podcasts: https://www.interactive.org/Interviews/the_game_makers_notebook.asp
- Indie Pod Podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/7BfHEnyDMaNew0COSBlu1i
International student success programme
International students: don't miss out! Make sure you register for our international student success programme which provides practical advice on preparing to live and study in the UK.
Contact details
Have a question?