If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with 5.5 in each component.
Our Computer Games Development course combines technology and creativity in a multidisciplinary way.
The games industry is an expanding and challenging sector with continually evolving ideas and cutting-edge technologies. It requires practitioners to exercise more flexibility in software specifications and functionality, through adapting their approaches to design and management while keeping abreast of broad changes to technology.
This course covers all major technical aspects of the games development process, from design to production. It aims to prepare you for a career in software development with a particular emphasis on computer games. The course provides you with a solid understanding of game technologies, including programming, applied maths, computer graphics and game engines. You'll develop a broad range of knowledge and skills including mobile and web application development, 3D modelling and animation, and human-computer interaction. To enhance student employability, the course offers a number of talks from the creative industry and will support your participation in prestige game competitions and digital fairs, as well as industrial placements and internships.
The primary language you'll learn is C++, but you'll also have the opportunity to engage with other languages and software, such as C#, Python (Machine Learning, Algorithms), JavaScript and Swift for Android and iOS development. For character development we use Adobe Maya, Photoshop, 3DS Max and 3D Coat. The course focuses on using Unreal Engine 4 and Blueprints technology, but students will have the opportunity to engage with any of the commercial engines across the course.
The course will prepare you for work in an increasingly challenging and rewarding field by giving you a clear perspective on the current nature and practice of games development. You'll be equipped with the required technical and creative skills for the new era of game developers. You'll gain a thorough knowledge of programming, computer graphics and game project management, together with an appreciation of the industrial environment. The course also includes opportunities to work on group productions, including multidisciplinary game projects that simulate a real game industry environment.
The course offers a short-term, work-based learning experience that will give you the opportunity to work on a real-life problem, which is normally set by an external organisation as a small-scale project. This experience will allow you to put theory into practice by applying knowledge and skills gained from various modules to address a real-life situation, usually within the context of a business-related problem.
In previous years, there have been opportunities to travel and to engage with students from other universities across Europe. Trips have included Distant Horizons in Seville, Spain, as well as our annual Wmin-Graz Hackthon.
In addition, you'll have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry (work placement) after completing Year 2. This will help you gain work experience and enhance your employability after you graduate. You'll be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team. Typically, you'll be assigned into roles involving tasks related to various aspects of computer games development.
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Year 1
Subjects of study include:
Applied Mathematics
Game Design and Asset Creation
Game Enterprise
Games Development Group Project
Programming Methodology
Credit Level 4
Year 2
Subjects of study include:
Game Programming Patterns
Game Studio (Work-Based Learning)
Games Engine Architecture
Maths & Physics for Games
3D Interactive Media Development
Algorithms: Theory design and implementation
Machine Learning and Data mining
Mobile Application Development
Network Software Engineering
XR Multimodal Interaction
Credit Level 5
Placement year
This course gives you the opportunity to take a year in industry (work placement) after completing the second year of your study. This will help you gain work experience and increase your chances of employability after you graduate.
You'll be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team.
Typically, you will be assigned into roles involving tasks related to various aspects of computer games development.
Year 3
Subjects of study include:
Core modules:
Computer Graphics Programming
Final year project
Game AI
Games Networking and Security
And a selection of 1 optional module from the list below:
Interactive 3D Visualisation
Mobile Native Application Development
Advanced Interactive Media Development
Credit Level 6
Job roles
The course prepares you for roles in a range of sectors including:
Game developer, designer and tester
Mobile app developer
Multimodal Interactive Applications (VR, AR, XR)
QA consultant
Software developer (including artificial intelligence gaming, mobile, algorithms etc.)
Graduate employers
Graduates have found employment as games, graphics and network programmers in a wide variety of areas, ranging from creating console games for Microsoft Xbox, to programming the latest mobile devices.
While pursuing their studies, some students have taken advantage of the University’s enterprise initiatives to find their own start-up companies – Arrekz Gamin, True Ronin Games. Other graduates have gained positions with these big names:
Amtech
Arekkz Gaming
Beyond the Story
Bossa Studios
CGI
GEEKS – Game Testing
King
Marmalade
Microsoft
Natural Motion
NETbuilder
Neybar
Portable Pixels
Royal Bank of Scotland
Sega
SiNi Software
Slitherine Software UK Ltd
Sumo Digital
Target 3D
TT Games
Two-Way Media
VMC – Game Testing
We R interactive
5th Business
Insurance – Single: 300 GBP per year