MA Games Design

In this module you’ll develop an understanding of your individual creative and technical skills in relation to the games industry and use this to develop your practical game design and development expertise. You'll examine the diverse roles, specialisations, and career pathways available, while critically assessing your own capabilities, experiences, and aspirations. By better understanding your skills, your career ambitions, and industry demands, you’ll map out a ‘professional pathway’ in games and devise an individual practical project that helps you achieve those ambitions. This module therefore allows you to pursue an individualised career path in the global games industry based on your own ambitions, interests, and skills.

You will gain in-depth understanding of industry roles and expectations, creation an advanced, discipline-specific project, and demonstrate critical approaches and reflective practices to game design and development. You will be encouraged to grow beyond industry-standard tools, processes, and methodologies by questioning established practices and working at the limits of knowledge. In doing so you will build confidence and aptitude needed to pursue your chosen sustainable pathway and be able to respond to emerging challenges and technology, such as AI, within your chosen discipline.

This module will equip you with the skills and insights to explore how different sectors of the creative industries intersect, working on a live or simulated project with peers, external partners or across disciplines. You’ll apply your area of expertise in a collaborative project to tackle a real-world issue or challenge. By the end of the module, you’ll be equipped with cross-disciplinary understanding, a collaborative mindset and professional skills essential for success in today’s creative industries.

In this module, you'll experience the dynamics and demands of professional game development by working in a simulated studio environment or through direct industry engagement. You’ll apply your specialist practical skills in a collaborative, client-focused context that mirrors industry practice. You may contribute to a simulated studio project, undertake a placement or work experience opportunity, or bring an existing industry collaboration into the module framework.

Through this authentic engagement with professional practice, you'll develop crucial teamwork and communication skills while advancing your technical expertise. You'll navigate complex project requirements, studio operational requirements such as security game development data, respond to stakeholder feedback, and work effectively with specialists from different disciplinary backgrounds.

By the end of the module, you'll have strengthened your portfolio with industry-relevant work, gained valuable experience of professional development processes, and explored adaptability, problem-solving, and professional responsibility - key attributes sought by industry employers.

In this module, you'll develop strategies to maximise the professional impact of your game projects and establish your presence in the competitive games industry. Running alongside your major project work, this module focuses on the outward-facing aspects of game development - the crucial bridge between creating quality work and building a sustainable career. You'll explore how to effectively position, promote, and distribute your games to relevant industry audiences, enhancing their visibility and your professional profile.

You'll identify appropriate platforms, events, and networks for your specific type of game and career goals, while creating compelling promotional materials that communicate your project's relevance and unique value proposition. Through industry research, strategic planning, and practical implementation, you'll develop a comprehensive approach to launching your work and yourself into the games industry.

This module empowers you to develop a major project that reflects your unique skills, ambitions, and career goals. Whether it's a creative, written, practice-based or practice-led project, you'll tackle real-world issues and produce professional-quality work. With the freedom to work individually or collaboratively, and across disciplines, you will apply your learning on the course to a substantive project of your choice. Supported by expert guidance, this is your opportunity to showcase your talent and creativity.

Industry-focused and practice-led, these interdisciplinary modules invite you to work collaboratively, applying your advanced degree knowledge and skills to creatively tackle complex challenges that face our society today, to innovate, harness technology and become active change-makers in the workplace and beyond.

You will choose one of these modules. Click here to find out more and explore the full selection available.