Want to turn your passion for games into a career? Our BSc (Hons) 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.


Gameplay

Gameplay
Level

Level
Technical

Technical
UI/UX

UI/UX
Narrative

Narrative
Psychology

Psychology

What are our graduates saying

  • "Every moment of my experience studying Games Design was amazing at The University of Bolton. I learned so much more than I ever thought I could..."

    From my induction through to graduation, every moment of my experience studying Games Design was amazing at The University of Bolton. I learned so much more than I ever thought I could, faster than I thought I could. The lecturers did a fantastic job of delivering the modules in a way that helped me learn the necessary skills at a steady, but efficient pace and I soon realised that with their guidance and breadth of knowledge I could do this! I now work as an AI Designer at a massive studio after graduating 3 months ago at the time of writing this. If you'd have asked me 3 years ago if I believed I'd have such an incredible job now, I'd have said not a chance; but thanks to the lecturers and the facilities available at The University of Bolton, I can gladly say that I do.

    GARETH NAYLOR, Cloud Imperium - AI Designer

  • "The lecturers helped build up my skills and helped me discover any hidden talent that I didn’t even realise I had"

    My experience studying Games Design in the University of Bolton was phenomenal. Ever since I started the course, the lecturers helped build up my skills and helped me discover any hidden talent that I didn’t even realise I had. Now I’m using these talents and skills in a job in the games industry I was able to secure before I even graduated. I was able to create a bond with my lecturers that prevented me from seeing them as just my everyday teachers, I saw them as friends and people I can genuinely talk to, have a laugh and just have fun with. As this bond kept improving with them as the years went on, I started adding in the extra effort that I didn’t even know I could muster, I found it much more comfortable asking for help whenever I needed it and I just trusted everything they told me and put it into practice.

    STEPHEN OGBEIWI, Wushu Games - Technical Designer

Games Design: Course content

GAMES DESIGN & PSYCHOLOGY

To make truly great games, you must first understand what makes a game great. As players, we often don’t stop to think about this for more than a moment, but as a designer, you will unpick the key elements that make a game shine, empowering you to unlock the potential of your design ideas. You will also look at how players think and feel, considering how to craft experiences ranging from hair-raising horror to thrilling third-person adventures.

PLAYER EXPERIENCE & UI

At the core of every good game design is a focus on player experience, which is why our course covers how to craft and refine the games you create to provide as smooth and enjoyable an experience for your players as possible. You will learn how to effectively use feedback, sound and countless other tools to enhance and optimise a game experience. You will also study visual design and flow of use interface (UI), how players interact with your games.

LEVEL DESIGN & NARRATIVE

If what makes you tick as a designer is telling a great story, creating fun and interesting environments to explore, or plotting out a series of fun challenges for players to overcome, then our level design and narrative content will appeal to you. You will learn how to build effective and entertaining 3D game spaces within industry standard game engines, guide players towards goals whilst maintaining immersion in your game world, and how to tell stories effectively alongside interactivity.


CROSS-DISCIPLINE GAME DEV

Game development is like an extremely complex and intricate puzzle, in which the pieces from each part of the team (artists, designers and programmers) must all fit together seamlessly to create a single, cohesive experience. You will have the opportunity to complete game projects, working side by side with students from all of our games course pathways in multi-disciplinary teams a skill highly valued for industry employment.


PROTOTYPING & ITERATION

As a designer, the ability to quickly translate game concepts into a format which can be actively played and tested is incredibly important; this is how those ideas which just don’t work can be quickly identified, and how ideas which do work can be shared and developed into complete experiences. You will learn how to create swift and effective prototypes, as well as all about interactive design - the process by which games are constantly tested and refined.

PERSONAL PORTFOLIO

The importance of a well-developed portfolio cannot be overstated when your ultimate goal is to break into a creative industry such as games. Throughout the course, we offer many opportunities to build your portfolio of work and offer advice on how to present this effectively online. You will also receive guidance on how to tailor your portfolio toward your dream job in games, culminating in a final-year project of your choice to showcase your best skills.

Get in touch.

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