BA (Hons) Games Art and Design

Year 1

• Learn industry-standard software to design characters, game assets and game prototypes
• Develop observation and drawing skills through life-drawing, anatomy lectures, and digital painting workshops
• Generate concept art, emphasising an iterative design process, lighting, composition, colour, texture, narrative, mood and intent
• Participate in each of three areas of specialism offered on the course (Concept Art, Asset Production and Indie Development) to identify aspirations and future career goals
• Engage with industry experts and events such as EGX, Develop Brighton, Norwich Gaming Festival, Brains Eden, and more. Direct your questions and queries directly to guest speakers through a series of visiting lectures
• Build research skills to support idea generation and development; review and understand the wider games industry, incorporate games studies into studio practice; and structure valid arguments through essays
• Improve your game design by examining interactivity and player engagement through playtesting and prototyping techniques.

Year 2

• Focus on your choice of games and art specialism for the rest of the course. Concept Art, Asset Production or Indie Development, you decide!
• Attend lectures and workshops on anatomy to better understand game characters. Grasp the opportunity to create an anatomical figure in wax – one bone at a time
• Experience industry-set ‘Art Tests’ across each of the subject specialisms, as provided by our industry partners and contacts
• Work collaboratively to create game prototypes and present the outcomes to a range of audiences at the Norwich Gaming Festival
• Conduct work-related learning through live briefs, simulated projects and collaborations with external organisations
• Participate in a range of internal and external ‘Game Jams’ to create a fully working game prototype in under a week. Advanced transferrable skills in planning, organisation, project management, team working, and playtesting.

Year 3

• Work individually or in groups on a number of projects that develop work to a professional standard. Create, rehearse, and pitch your ideas to a range of professional audiences
• Continue to work in a chosen specialism that aligns with your skills and area of interest
• Refine research skills and continue games studies toward a complete understanding of the production pipelines and industry techniques
• Complete a Research Report that provides broad contextualisation to your practice
• Consider aspirations and goals to develop a body of work and create a professional online portfolio progressing you toward your ‘dream job’. Review and hone your skillset in line with industry expectations and practices.

Skills for games careers

The starting point will be to develop a strong set of core skills rather than focusing on a single discipline.

Once you’ve mastered the essentials, you’ll have the option to specialise in one of three areas:

• Concept Art
• Asset Production
• Indie Development.

And you’ll develop analytical skills that will help you critique and explain the successful game design.

Games industry relevance

You will learn how to use computational logic to generate interactivity in the creation of game prototypes. You’ll also approach design and content creation with a focus on originality, supported by research into historical, cultural and broader creative influences, helping you become a well-rounded and inventive games designer. And there will be opportunities to engage in professional networking, whether through our programme of high-profile visiting speakers from industry, or major events like Develop: Brighton, EGX, Ukie Conference, and Norwich’s annual Games Festival.

Graduates work in a broad range of careers including

• Games Designer
• Concept Artist
• 2D Artist
• 3D Artist
• Animator
• Lead Artist Level Editor
• Project Manager
• Producer
• Community Manager
• Creative Director
• External Producer
• QA Tester
• Sales Manager

You’ll also get specialist creative careers advice from our team in the Ideas FactoryNUA to help support you as you plan your career.