Game Programming BSc (Hons)

Embark on a journey to turn your passion for gaming, whether it's super mario's fun or resident evil's horror, into the knowledge and skills to create your own games. Our industry-focused course offers specialisations within game programming. 

It prepares you for a career in the ever-expanding game industry, where you can follow in the footsteps of successful UEL graduates known for their originality and quality of work. 

• Transform your love for gaming into the expertise to create your own games. 
• Gain industry-focused training and specialisation in game programming, setting the stage for a successful career in the dynamic and growing game industry. 
• Finish your course by playing a game you've developed yourself.

What makes this course different

• Aligns with industry demands- You'll be taught by a mixture of academics and industry professionals with experience in game design and development. Be inspired by industry speakers who will give talks on various topics.
• Practical output- Create games for simulated real-world briefs, developing them for targeted demographics, marketplaces and player types allowing you a real sense of what designing a game would be like in a studio.
• Promoting creativity among students- Explore your creative aspirations. Give a video game a creative direction from paper to screen in an environment that mirrors the multi-disciplinary ecosystem of the game industry.

Year 1

• In your first term of the first year, you will explore the three core areas of game development. You will get an idea of each field and make an informed decision about an area that interests you. In the second term, the course branches off and will develop your fundamental programming skills. You will be introduced to C++ (the primary language used within game programming). You will develop your understanding of maths and physics and their application within games programming. Alongside this, you work within a simulated studio environment to develop your soft skills such as working in a diverse team, introducing you to project management methods and working towards a creative vision.

Introduction to Game Design 

• This module will introduce you to game design principles and techniques. It will provide you with a fundamental understanding of the role of a game designer in different industrial sectors and your specific role as a video game designer. 
• You will explore several formal game design terminology and definitions. You'll learn basic skills of formalising and communicating game design concepts through effective visualisation and documentation. You will learn how to design basic game architecture elements (tokens, rules, mechanics, interaction, goals, feedback etc.), interrelationships between various game elements and how they combine to create compelling gameplay. You will learn the role of the player in the game design process and start to learn how to conceptualise for a specific target audience. You will also learn how to conceptually prototype your games and effectively playtest as a video game designer with the audience. 
• As a result, you will be introduced to a range of theoretical and practical approaches to the study and design of games from ideation, concept development, gameplay design, and prototyping to playtesting.

Introduction to Game Art 

• This module will introduce you to art within video games. You will learn how to develop basic 2D/3D skills and how to communicate ideas visually through different practices and applications. You will be able to demonstrate a fundamental understanding of developing assets for the games industry. 
• You will explore the history of art within games and game designing, and the role of a games artist within the industry. You'll cover a wide range of visual aesthetics styles and practices to inform and widen your skills by exploring and examining others' work. You will be able to communicate your vision to different sectors within the games industry and, in the future, game design jobs. 
• As a result, you will understand the fundamentals of art within games and demonstrate these within your work. This will allow you to develop and create representations of objects, ideas, and people in a variety of different styles and formats.

Introduction to Game Programming

• This module will introduce you to the fundamentals of programming, writing algorithms to solve problems, and representing the logic as flowcharts and pseudocode which will help outline a program before the coding process begins. 
• You will gain knowledge of the procedural, object-orientated & event-driven programming paradigms. You will demonstrate the ability to apply them to a range of outcomes including workflow automation and game interaction. In addition, you will learn to debug and document issues that arise. 
• As a result, you will be able to analyse problems and express solutions in a programming language. Whether you consider yourself creative or technical, you will benefit from being able to communicate ideas in a standardised way across multiple disciplines.

Maths and Physics for Programming 

• TBC

Introduction to C++ 

• TBC

Game Studio 1 (Mental Wealth) 

• This module will introduce you to working on a small project within a simulated studio environment. You will work collectively as a group with different disciplines within and outside the game design courses. This collaborative approach mimics real-world game design jobs and prepares you for a successful game design career.
• You will learn to work with different disciplines in a professional environment as well as using project management methods such as agile development to maintain and work within set deadlines. You will explore version control and how it is applied to a group project and developing a product from concept to deployment.
• As a result, you will gain exposure to working within a simulated studio environment, understand modern development processes and pipelines and have a finished small game product.

Year 2

• In your second year, you will explore specialised areas within game programming such as AI programming and graphics programming. Exploring these will give you an informed decision on what area of gaming you wish to pursue when progressing further within the course. In the second term, you will have another simulated studio environment experience, with an emphasis on completing and publishing a small-to-medium scale game project as a multidisciplinary team but working within a specialised role. You will begin to develop your online presence and identity, learn how to market yourself for potential internship and employment opportunities and develop your portfolio into the area of game programming you wish to enter after graduation.

AI Programming 

• TBC

Graphics Programming 

• TBC

C++ Programming

• TBC

Portfolio 1 

• This module will allow you to further explore and engage in an area of game development you wish to specialise in.
• You will use this module as an opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding within your chosen area to start creating portfolio pieces that will begin to give you a professional identity. You will be refined within your professionalism by the support of tutors who will guide you in the areas you wish to explore.
• As a result, you will have refined your knowledge and practical skills within an area of game development that interests you as well as the ability to self-reflect on your professional development.

Professional Practice 

• This module will help set the foundation for developing an online professional presence by improving your soft skills and building your portfolio. When applying for internships and or future jobs within the games industry, you will be expected to have a portfolio demonstrating your current abilities.
• As part of this module, you will conduct research into the games industry job marketplace, as well as examine key skills and responsibilities required for a given role. You will begin constructing and compiling your online portfolio as well as your curriculum vitae and learn how to structure a cover letter. Mock interviews will also be provided to help you become more comfortable with the process.
• As a result, you will understand the current games job sector and how you can apply for roles within it. You will have an online presence that can be further developed throughout your studies in preparation for when you graduate the course.

Game studio 2 (Mental Wealth) 

• This module will build upon the soft and hard skills you developed in MS4017 Game Studio 1 (Mental Wealth) and you will work collectively in a group on a medium-scoped project.
• You will further develop your understanding and expertise of working in a specific role with a focus on your chosen specialism. Working with a diverse development team you will use agile project management methods and industry practices. You will be further exposed to working within a simulated studio environment and the professionalism that is expected within this environment. 
• As a result, you will be more adept at working within a simulated studio environment as well as a diverse team and able to demonstrate a professional working manner. You will also further demonstrate that you have the capabilities to work on a medium-scope project within a specific role to see it from the design stages to being published on a platform.

Year 3

• In your final year, you’ll do a final project that will allow you to further explore and experiment within your chosen field. You will explore advanced programming practices which include using modern C++ features. Spanning both the first and second term, you will have your simulated studio environment experience, with an emphasis on completing and publishing a polished medium-scale game project as a multidisciplinary team. In a separate module, you will develop items for your portfolio that will showcase your skills and experiences within your chosen specialism, tailored towards the area of game programming you wish to enter when you graduate.

Advanced Programming Practices

• TBC

Game Studio 3 Pitch: (Mental Wealth) 

• This module will build upon the soft and hard skills you developed in Game Studio 2 (Mental Wealth) and Game Studio 1 (Mental Wealth). You will work collectively in a group on a large-scaled professional game project that will span two terms.
• During this module, you will synthesise theory and production skills developed from all your previous levels of study to start the planning and prototyping stage of your final studio product. You will use industry standard studio practices such as agile methodologies to correctly plan the scope and allocation of work among the team as well as set up your version control development environment. You will also learn how a production can operate within a remote environment. You will be expected to scope your project appropriately and this module will help facilitate this during your pitching stage.
• As a result, you will have developed the foundations of your largest studio production. This will then be continued within the following terms MS6001 Game Studio 3: Production (Mental Wealth).

Final Project: Development 

• The final project module of your game design or game art course will review the field/subject discipline as appropriate to a self-identified research project within the scope of the programme of study. This will mean devising, researching and planning a major programme of work in an appropriate medium as a relevant object of analysis. You will draw on learning across your games programme to showcase your skills and talent in articulating your media project, as a process of development informed by theories, methods and practices relevant to the creative industries. 
• You can choose to follow independent research through one of two routes: a) by producing a written dissertation that engages with contemporary debates in media or b) by using practice as a mode of research supported by a verbal demonstration of the critical discourses it speaks to. 
• Under relevant subject-specialist supervision and through a process of drafting and revision, you will be grounded in methods of study and conceptual formulation, as dictated by the scope and character of the research undertaken.

Portfolio 2 

• This module will allow you to develop content for your portfolio utilising and demonstrating your knowledge and expertise within your chosen specialism.
• You will demonstrate your skills in your chosen area of expertise: what you develop will be subject to approval from the lecturing staff and be related to your specialism. You will plan appropriately with regular milestones and reviews to keep your work on track. The content that you produce will be considered some of your best work and be at the forefront of your graduating portfolio.
• As a result, you will have either one or several polished portfolio pieces that will help further your ambitions of being employed within the games industry.

Game Studio 3: Production (Mental Wealth) 

• This module is a continuation of your MS6000 Game Studio 3: Pitch module. You will take your group’s proof-of-concept and see it to completion and publication on a games platform. 
• During this module, you will continue to work within your groups to develop your previous proof-of-concept prototype. You will be expected to develop a polished product that will be published on a live platform such as itch.io. You'll make use of your group's chosen project management method to maintain and track the progression of the development. You are expected to organise and arrange group testing sessions and iterate upon your product based on feedback received. 
• As a result, you will have demonstrated that you can take a large product from conceptualisation to publication as well as work in your chosen role within a diverse development team.

Final Project: Completion 

• In this module, you'll delve deeper into your chosen area of game design research, whether it's doing a written dissertation or a practical project. The module will lead on from the development stage of your self-identified research project based on your preferred choice of production. This could be, for example, a written dissertation that engages with contemporary debates in media or a complete practice project, produced through a developed programme of research supported by a verbal demonstration of the critical discourses it speaks to. 
• The module aims to extend knowledge in your chosen field of game design research, to produce or write the project according to your planning and to complete and present the final research project within the given time frame. You will have the opportunity to demonstrate your skills in an accompanying project portfolio, including production folders for practice projects or reviews of existing academic literature on the written dissertation topic and a comprehensive bibliography.  Projects will be developed through subject-specific supervision and peer support. 
• Throughout the module, you'll receive guidance from subject-specific supervisors and benefit from peer support, facilitating the development of your games design course project. By the end of the module, you'll have not only completed and presented your final research project within the allotted time frame but also demonstrated your skills and expertise in game design, preparing you for a fulfilling game design career.

Your future career

• The game programming degree will equip you with a good set of programming skills, using industry-standard languages such as C++ and Python. You will study the essential mathematics and physics that form the foundation of gameplay. These are covered through specialist modules.
• The programme includes modules in artificial intelligence and 3D graphics programming as well as production using game development engines. This ensures that you have a robust knowledge base and practical experience to create a wide range of distinctive gameplay scenarios for your professional portfolio, which will help you showcase yourself on your CV.
• Each academic year, you refine your professional portfolio through studio-based combined modules that help you work with peers from various disciplines. The course places a strong emphasis on research and experimentation.
• We encourage you to develop games for platforms ranging from PCs, and consoles to virtual reality. 
• This flexibility helps you to plan your individualised development path, leading to the creation of your own games in your final year, which you can use as examples to help you get a job in gaming.
• Industry speakers, masterclasses and participation at major industry events provide valuable insight and contacts, inspiring your career choice.
• Your skill set and portfolio will benefit from participation in game jams and hackathon events, which hone your abilities and prepare you for a prosperous career in the gaming industry.