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Computer Games Development with Foundation Year

Entry requirements


A level

C-B

Successfully completed Access Diploma course

32 - 48 UCAS Tariff Points

UCAS Tariff

32-48

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Computer games

The creation and production of computer games has grown to become a huge industry. According to the Entertainment Researchers Association UK consumers spent over £4.2 million on games in 2020, far more than was spent on video (including streaming services) and more than double that spent on music. As a result, there is a growing need for talented individuals to fill technical and creative positions in the sector.

Computer game also play an important role in the development of new technology, software applications and digital distribution. This course follows a hands-on practical approach and will provide you with the skills to write code from scratch, modify existing code and apply and integrate different types of technology. You will be involved in a significant amount of practical work using industry standard hi-tech tools, and explore the latest developments in mobile, tablet, web and social media gaming.

The course is part of the Creative Technologies cluster in the School of Computer Science and Technology and is closely related to the degree course BSc (Hons) Computer Animation and Visual Effects which shares some of the teaching and technology. In addition to the £40 million STEM building, you will also have the chance to work in our specialist creative technologies and game development labs, and use a range of cutting edge technologies such as motion capture, green screen, VR and XR to develop your practice and build a professional portfolio.

In the first year, you will learn a variety of relevant techniques including, programming or 2D graphics for games and learn to research the market and generate ideas for original games – you will also be involved in making games from the start and will develop your game ideas into playable demos. From the second year onwards, you’ll select an area of specialism from Games Programming, Games Design or Games Graphics.

**Foundation Year**
In the foundation year you will study three days per week. The focus will be on academic writing skills and numeracy, plus subject-specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree. The course has been designed to develop your skills and to prepare you for entry onto the first year of your chosen course. It provides a balance between content related to your chosen subject and the range of wider skills required for undergraduate study. This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will be required to pass the foundation year in order to progress to the first year of your bachelor’s degree. This course is ideal for those who do not meet our standard entry requirements or those with a non-standard educational background. It will allow you to graduate with a full undergraduate degree in your chosen subject in four years.

**Why choose this course?**
- Learn how computer game assets such as environments, character models and animations are created and integrated into games

- Study in passionate, dynamic groups as you get to grips with commercially relevant software tools such as Unreal Engine, Unity, Gamemaker Studio 2, 3ds Max, Maya and Blender

- Develop your team working and project coordination skills as you design and develop games

- Gain experience with motion capture rigs, virtual reality and 3D sculpting

- Explore the latest developments in mobile, PC, web, console, virtual reality and augmented reality gaming

- Challenge yourself by solving complex creative problems and presenting new game concepts and ideas

- Benefit from personal development planning which will help you research companies, discuss your future plans, develop a professional industry focused portfolio and apply for jobs

Modules

Areas of study include:
- Fundamentals of Creative Technologies
- Games and Digital Asset Design
- Prototyping and Visual Programming
- 2D Graphics and Digital Art
- Principles of Games Programming
- Professional Industry Portfolio
- Studio Development Project
- 3D Graphics and Animation
- Applied Games Design
- Applied Games Programming
- Compositing for Visual Effects
- Desktop Applications Development and Software Engineering
- Mobile Application Development
- User Experience Design
- Web Technologies and Platforms
- Disruptive Technologies
- Undergraduate Project for Creative Technologies
- Advanced Games Design
- Advanced Games Programming
- Advanced Graphics for Games
Every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate at the point of publication on the UCAS website. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website.

From the second year onwards, you will select an area of specialism from Games Programming, Games Design or Games Graphics

**Games Programming Specialism**
- Learn a variety of Industry standard programming techniques and languages including C# and C++ enabling you to develop the ability to take designed gameplay and realise it into a playable form.
- Work with existing game engines as well as programming the underlying systems required to develop game engines tailored to the emerging needs of projects.
- Learn to manage a game development project individually and part of an interdisciplinary team, including use of source control programs.
- Develop game code for a variety of platforms (e.g. PC, console, mobile, web…) and experiment with emerging technologies to enhance your skills and employability in working on the cutting edge of games programming.
- Produce proof of concept prototypes that will develop into full-fledged games, applying games specific software testing methods to evaluate and iterate to produce high quality outputs.

**Games Design Specialism**
- Design immersive player experiences and game environments, levels, mechanics and game systems.
- Learn how to create in-game challenges and obstacles to be overcome and enjoyed without excessively frustrating players.
- Follow a typical game development lifecycle from a designer’s perspective, from initial concept development through to pitching, pre-production, prototyping and release phases.
- Learn to playtest games and use game-specific techniques such as expert heuristic evaluation for playability, focus groups and data analytics to iteratively refine and improve your designs for better gaming experiences.
- Learn to professionally document game designs and express ideas and designs clearly to team members.
- Learn to apply theory and practice from computer science, psychology, affective computing studies, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience (UX) design, ludology ("the study of games and play") and visual design principles to develop innovative and deeply engaging and enjoyable gameplay experiences.

**Games Graphics Specialism**
- Learn to create artwork, models and animations that are tailored for use in games using the latest graphics techniques in game engines.
- Learn concept development skills and sketching in 2D graphics programs, 3D modelling, rigging and animation of assets such as props, scenery, characters or whole environment or level designs.
- Work with a wide range of software packages used by games industry professionals to develop your own unique range of creative and representational skills.
- Develop shaders and other procedural assets and learn to extend the functionality of the software packages and games engines used.
- Learn professional drawing techniques and carry them through from sketches to 2D and 3D game assets.
- Learn to create stunning levels and game environments with cameras and lighting effects.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Luton Campus

Department:

School of Computer Science and Technology

Read full university profile

What students say


How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Computer games and animation

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

67%
UK students
33%
International students
94%
Male students
6%
Female students
77%
2:1 or above
50%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
E
A

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Computer games and animation

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£23,000
med
Average annual salary
65%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

33%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals
21%
Information technology technicians
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

This is a relatively new subject area for this kind of data, so we don’t currently have very much information to display or analyse yet. Gaming is a growing industry, and if it continues to grow we should see the rather high unemployment rate coming down over the next few years. Much the most common jobs for graduates who do get work after six months are in programming roles - but as things stand, be aware that jobs in the field are very competitive and personal contacts - either through family, friends or via specialist employment agencies - are a crucial way into the industry so be prepared to talk as well as code!

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Computer games and animation

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£20k

£20k

£27k

£27k

£29k

£29k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

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