Games (MA)

You will explore advanced game development methods, inspired by emerging new research and current industry practice. Applying this knowledge to develop your own innovative and distinctive game-based portfolio, you’ll be well-equipped for a constantly evolving creative industry landscape and its exciting job opportunities.

Unlock your potential for a rewarding career in the gaming industry, creating cutting-edge content and a dynamic professional showreel and portfolio.

Course summary

• Study on a course that is designed and focused on gaining employment within the creative industries.
• Work in a professional studio-based environment with access to the latest industry standard software and hardware. 
• Specialise in your preferred discipline to create original and engaging game content.  
• Produce a calling card professional portfolio to showcase your skills to potential employers. 
• Contribute effectively to teams that blend diverse expertise to enable effective problem-solving. 

How you learn

• The entire course is geared towards producing employable professionals able to work in the games industry. The curriculum has been designed to enable you to acquire and improve your knowledge and understanding of the subject and develop skills and attributes that will enhance your academic achievement, improve your success in the world of work and underpin your future career.  
• We promote a learning environment that is both supportive and inclusive, whilst also actively embracing diversity.
• During the course, you will produce a portfolio of work to a high professional standard culminating in the production of a showreel that can be used to showcase your specific skillset and expertise to future employers upon graduating.
• Tutors will encourage a range of approaches to learning and provide academic support to enable you to actively engage with, develop and demonstrate the necessary skills, qualities, and subject expertise required. 

You will learn learn through:

• Workshops
• Technical demonstrations
• Crit sessions
• One-to-one supervision with animation-discipline-specific members of staff
• Guest lectures
• The chance to work on commercial opportunities with real-world clients
• External visits and field trips

Key themes

• Core modules cover Game creation techniques and associated skills in your chosen discipline. These modules will introduce you to key skills such as creative ideation, 2D concepting, 3D design, game prototyping, lighting and post-production providing you with a solid foundation to fulfil your potential. 

Course support

You will be supported in your learning journey towards highly skilled, graduate level employment through a number of key areas. These include: 

• Access to our student support triangle to help with your personal, academic and career development.  
• Access to our Skills Centre with one-to-ones, webinars, and online resources, where you can get help with planning and structuring your assignments.  
• Industry-specific employability activities such as live projects, learning in simulated environments and networking opportunities.
• Continuing Professional Development is encouraged both through assessment and via an academic advising system that supports you in your ongoing development. 

Applied learning
Work placements

• By participating in work experience opportunities, you will not only expand your skill set but also enhance your confidence, resilience, and ability to navigate professional interactions.  

Live projects

• You will have the chance to work on Live Projects, collaborating with external partners to tackle real-world challenges, which will provide you with insights into the complexities of professional work. These experiences are carefully integrated into your coursework to facilitate the development of crucial knowledge, skills, and professional behaviours. 
• Your course has been designed to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with practical skills and knowledge. We do this by developing your expertise in collaboration with industry, commercial and creative practitioners, clients, and organisations. We aim to provide a diverse range of work experience interactions embedded throughout your time studying with us. 

Field trips

• You will have the opportunity to embark on field trips to professional settings, cultural institutions, and organisations that expose you to different working environments and expand your cultural understanding. You will have opportunities to hear from a diverse range of professional guest speakers who will share their experiences, insights, and knowledge, offering you unique perspectives on industries and career paths. 

Networking opportunities

• The course embeds opportunities for students to submit their work to internationally recognised awards events, including the TIGA Games Education Awards. Our membership to Game Republic also presents a range of networking, guest speakers, and industry exposure opportunities for our students. 

Competitions

• We actively encourage engagement in national and international ‘Game Jams’ that have the potential to make a significant impact on your career advancement and exposure. Participating in such competitions allows you to showcase your skills, gain recognition, and create valuable opportunities for yourself.

Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in: 

• Games Designer 
• Games Programmer 
• Concept Artist 
• 3D/Character/Environmental/Prop Artist 
• Creative/Games Producer 
• Art Director  
• Storyboard artist 
• Visual effects (VFX) artist 

Where will I study?

• You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

Equipment and facilities

• On the MA Games course, you will have access to a wide variety of facilities across the university campuses – including a 24-hour learning centre, Students’ Union, cafes and eateries, lecture theatres, exhibition spaces and more. 

You will work in a professional studio-based environment with access to the latest industry standard software and hardware including: 

• 2D life drawing studios 
• Motion capture and green screen studios 
• Wacom tablets
• Free access to professional grade image capture solutions 
• Access to rapid prototyping 3D printers (full colour filament and resin) 
• 4K 360 cameras with physical HDRI calibration tools 
• VR workspaces with inside-out tracking 
• The Autodesk Media and Entertainment Collection 
• The Adobe Creative Cloud Suite (Including the Substance 3D collection) 
• Unreal Engine 
• Zbrush