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“At the University of Bolton, we take great pride in providing a quality, supportive learning environment for our students.” Professor George E Holmes DL | President & Vice Chancellor
“...tutors are very supportive and you’re not just a student ID number, at this university you are an individual with a name.” Ellisse Vernon | BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing
Want to turn your passion for games into a career? Our Games Design graduates have a proven track record of success. Our experienced games tutors are ready to support and guide you on your mission to develop the technical knowledge and creative skills demanded by this ever-growing industry.
Key information
Award:
BSc (Hons)
Mode of Study:
Full-time
Duration:
3 years
Location:
University of Bolton
UCAS points:
104
UCAS code:
G613
Start date:
To be confirmed
Course Details
The market value of the UK games industry was approximately £5.7 billion in 2018, with over 37 million people playing games in the UK*. If you are seeking a career in a strong sector of the economy, then games is an excellent choice. From PC, console and mobile games, through serious games for education and training, to the emerging virtual reality games market, software developers are seeking highly qualified games specialists.
Our Games Design course offers a broad study of games, with an emphasis on the technical, design and innovation aspects, rather than programming. Key topics include content production, games and level design as well as platforms and technologies. Our dedicated games team will work to help you develop skills in games analysis, usability and playability testing and understand the concepts underpinning games production and the business of computer games (for instance sales and marketing).
Team-based projects involving regular critique sessions with your peers and members of our games team are designed to help you develop the high-level of team working and communication skills that are vital in the games industry. Our intensely practical, hands-on approach aims to encourage and support you to develop a high-quality portfolio of work ready to demonstrate your skills and creative flair to potential employers.
*Ukie, UK Games Consumer Market - http://ukie.org.uk/research/ accessed on 22 August 2019
Highlights
Our Computer Science courses are top in the UK for student satisfaction, according to The Complete University Guide 2022.
We share your passion for games. As well as extensive experience playing games (just like you!), our dedicated games tutors offer a vast range of industry experience, a wide network of contacts in the games industry, and knowledge of the latest games research and developments.
Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.
Team working and collaboration are essential for games industry success, so we encourage you to work with students from our Games Art and Games Programming courses forming interdisciplinary teams to complete games projects.
Our Game Jams are great opportunities to build your social network and practice your communication, project management and problem solving skills.
We work with games development companies on games usability and software testing, giving you the opportunity to test games before they go to market. In the past, some of our students have even got their names mentioned in the credits.
Key Features
University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
The course covers both 2D and 3D game environments, concepts and mechanics for traditional gaming (PC and console), mobile gaming (cloud, social and casual), and virtual reality gaming, along with game play analysis and testing.
We offer opportunities for you to go on studio visits and field trips, undertake work experience with relevant studios, and network with professionals.
The assignments and projects set on the course are based on industry pipelines and standards to give you a real feel for a career in the games sector.
Our well-equipped, dedicated games labs feature high-specification PC hardware, HTC Vive VR systems and industry-standard software, along with modern and vintage consoles.
Your Level 3 subjects must include a technology-based subject; for instance, A-level Computing or BTEC Extended Diploma in Computing or Engineering.
You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English and Mathematics.
You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
As a BSc (Hons) Games Design graduate, you'll have the ability to work independently, develop games, develop concepts, respond to briefs, and understand commercial markets. You'll possess skills in teamwork, communication, project management and problem-solving. You'll also have a portfolio of work that you created using industry-standard tools. This portfolio will allow you to demonstrate your skills, creative flair and passion for games development.
Moreover, elements of games design are emerging in fields such as business, education and healthcare. These areas offer enormous potential for ambitious games graduates who can communicate with non-gamers.
What can I do with this qualification?
There is a great deal of specialisation within games design, varying from broader design principles to more specific roles such as level design and game balance. As a result, graduates have several career options, including roles within games design, technical design, level design, narratives, game scripting, production management, and quality assurance and testing.
Alternative career options
Not all graduates enter the gaming industry as game designers since their skills are transferrable to other creative roles in the film, music, and media industries. Another option is a multimedia artist or digital animator, working in computer game creation, but you won't be responsible for the overall design.
If you are more interested in the technological side of game production, consider pursuing a career in software engineering. This career will allow you to turn a design team's ideas into a gamer's reality through coding and programming. Please note that you may need postgraduate study and/or work experience to enter these alternative careers.
Multimedia artist
Digital animator
Software engineer
Course fees
Home Fees
Year of study
Total
Entry year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2021
£9,250
£9,250
£9,250
-
£27,750
International
Year of study
Total
Entry year
2021/22
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
2021
£12,450
£12,450
£12,450
-
£37,350
Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021-2022 academic year:
EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status.
If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement.
Please read the
student finance eligibility 2021-2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the
normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in
March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
For 2021-2022 entry, the maximum government approved undergraduate tuition fee for UK students is £9,250 per year.
The University is able to charge this fee subject to an approved Access and Participation Plan for 2021-2022 and its current rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
For details of how to apply for this course, please choose your status from the options below:
September start
Please apply through UCAS (the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) for September entry.
The online application form and guidance notes are available on the
UCAS website.
You can apply for up to 5 courses through UCAS (at the same or different institutions) for a fee of £24.
Alternatively, if you only wish to apply for a single course at a single institution then a reduced applicant's
fee of £13 is applicable.
You will need the following information to complete your UCAS application form:
The University welcomes applications from international students from all over the world. We try to make the application process as simple and as fast as possible for our international applicants.
This course is not currently accepting online applications
Admissions
University of Bolton
Deane Road
Bolton, BL3 5AB
United Kingdom
Tel: 01204 903903
Email: enquiries@bolton.ac.uk
Overall, the course is very practical in nature, with group work and team-based projects that encourage you to work alongside our more technical and artistic students (from the Games Programming and Games Art courses) forming an important part of your training. These experiences are designed to help you learn the industry pipelines and terminology used by these specialisms along with the team working, project management, problem solving, organisation and communication skills that are essential in the games and interactive entertainment industry.
You can also expect lectures, demonstrations, practical lab sessions, critique sessions (peer and assessed), reflective learning through journals and logs for various activities, as well as online sessions and support. Guided independent study and self-directed learning are equally essential to your success; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for practical activities and working on projects.
We also encourage and support you to create your portfolio. This provides evidence of your creativity and skills in games design ready to show potential employers, and is considered vital for securing your first job in the industry.
In terms of formal assessment, you can expect written reports, assignments, projects, case study analyses, in-class tests, demonstrations, presentations, and others. These contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes. We also use other forms of assessment to help you learn, especially critique sessions. These provide you with feedback and inform your development, though these do not count towards your final module mark.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
Fundamentals of 3D
Level Design
Introduction to Games Design
Scripting
Intermediate Scripting
Narratives
Intermediate Level Design
Technical Art
Advanced Games Scripting
Advanced Level Design
Group Portfolio Project
Major Project
Assessment methods
Level
Assesment method
Level one
Coursework 93%, Practical exams 7%
Level two
Coursework 100%
Level three
Coursework 100%
Learning activities
Level
Learning activity
Level one
Guided independent study 67%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 33%
Level two
Guided independent study 63%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 37%
Level three
Guided independent study 74%, Scheduled learning and teaching activities 26%
Disclaimer
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
