BA Games Design at UCLan

Uclan’s BA(Hons) Games Design course offers a dynamic and friendly creative environment where students are encouraged and inspired to play, learn and think creatively, to reach their potential for employment in the industry. Many of our graduates had paid work and lead roles in a variety of games design studios.

We’re at an exciting time with the games course, where staff and students work harmoniously within a carefully planned course schedule and our Alumni are proving very successful. Our combination of experienced staff and young dynamic visiting professionals is excellent for student motivation. We aim to maintain the community atmosphere of the course where students work hard in a relaxed and creative environment.

We aim to maintain collaboration between academia and industry, as we believe that this is the right formula for success for our students. The games industry owns a universal platform, which opens opportunities for visual communication and interactivity on a level, which can go beyond ‘play’ and aid understanding on a variety of issues.

The combination of academic study and the development of industry skills to high standards is very powerful and can lead to great innovation! We’re pleased to be part of a big games design community where creative ideas which are shared and discussed, and where students can generate companies and games societies for the future.

Our Games Design staff are skilled in design education and have more than 40 years combined industry experience involving Game Design, Environment Modelling, Animation, Concept Art, Background Painting and Level Setup. 

A range of visiting staff with educational and professional backgrounds broadens and supports the input to the student experience.

We have two female staff on the course. Both tutors have extensive industry experience, having worked on several award-winning games titles and Bev Bush is named in the ‘Top 100 Women in Video Games’ published in MCV magazine . We like to reach out to young female designers and encourage them to consider a career in games design, as a rewarding and worthwhile profession.

All students have the opportunity to study abroad and study visits are also arranged to cities closer to home such as London and Manchester. The course also offers the opportunity to study for 1 or 2 semesters in partner colleges in the United States and Europe.

The Course.

Our course is unusual in that it offers a combination of games design and game art, with an opportunity to specialize in year 3, through the Honours module

The current course provides a substantial which equips graduates with the necessary skills to be a successful games designer or games artist.

Simply put:

The course covers three main areas of activity:

Drawing

This module encourages students to communicate visually and ranges from sketching as an aid to creative thinking to develop initial ideas' to the production of finished concept art for publication.

Digital modeling

This covers the game specific requirements for developing 3D digital assets for games.

Game Mechanic Design

Thinking of scenarios and subjects for games can be easy, but developing the mechanics, rules, and methods needed to create games, is a complex task specific to the discipline.

Graduates

Upon successful completion of the course, graduates will have a portfolio of work, which is highly suited for the many roles a game designer may be required to undertake. Each graduate folio will display their unique creativity and their personal interests and skills. Graduates will have a portfolio of work, which is highly suited for the myriad of roles a designer may be required to undertake. Students then often go on to win awards and forge successful industry careers with companies such as Sony and Travellers’ Tales Ltd.

Broadly speaking folios will contain evidence of:

Visualisation

Traditional and digital drawing/painting necessary for the initial development of game ideas

Digital modeling

Familiarity and capability in this area is a key skill for games designers.

Game Design documentation

This represents abilities to identify, innovate, develop, propose and produce games concepts.

For a more detailed overview:

Course Curriculum Content

The course follows a continual assessment format with module grades based upon the submission of a folio of work at the end of a module. The majority of the course work being design projects, with some written assignments in support of this activity. There are no examinations. Assessment is based on portfolio submission.

Year 1

The first year seeks to challenge attitudes to games, where students design and play through a series of games design exercises. From the very outset, they will be work on their own ideas for games under the guidance of staff in order to develop your ability to design games. During the first year of study, any visualisation skills are addressed that they may need to develop, improve, or consolidate. There are also annual live briefs in collaboration with industry.

Games Design [Double Module]

This is a core double module which is project based. Students will typically undertake projects which will explore many aspects of game design in order to develop their design awareness. For example, these briefs may cover areas such as game mechanics, game narrative, marketing, culture, games engines, and the use of blue-prints, paper games, board games, white boxing, non-conflict games, and level design. This module will provide a platform for developing ideas and an opportunity to consolidate all design skills. Some of these projects are group activities. Students will also have the opportunity to use games related software such as Epic’s ‘UE4’ game engine, ‘Sketchup’ for planning and designing levels, and Scirra’s  ‘Construct’ to gain technical awareness of game design tools.

Creative Thinking [Double Module]

This module develops creative thinking and visualisation skills. This starts with traditional manual methods of idea illustration. These activities then lead on to digital drawing methods utilised in modern practice. Students will experience three-dimensional digital modeling and the methods used in game asset generation. Students will learn to use software such as Autodesk Maya for basic 3D modeling and Adobe Photoshop for conceptual painting techniques. They may also create assets for mobile games using software such as Scirra’s ‘Construct’ or explore the use of 2D paper games creation in game engines such as UE4 .

Contextual Studies – [Single Module]

Students will explore a broad range of idea generation exercises through a series of lectures, seminars and activities, which will include formal and informal methods of idea generation. These methods are invaluable to the games designer in their task of generating new and innovative game concepts for both characters and environments.

This module provides students with a working context for their academic and professional practice. This module explores the impact of games and gaming within society. This is delivered in a series lectures plus a supporting seminar for each lecture, culminating in group and individual presentations based on specific topics from the lecture series.

Drawing for Games - [Single Module]

During this single module, students follow a series of drawing exercises and workshops where they practice and develop their observational drawing skills including studies of the figure, including portraiture, anatomy, movement and composition, plus the use of perspective in drawing the environment from life. Most work will be created on paper with a mixture of drawing materials but there may also be some printing and digital painting involved.

Year 2

Year two of the course builds upon the skills and experience students have developed in year one. The main activity still centres on design projects but now there is more latitude (and requirement) to input your own ideas into the projects. Projects use an industry standard model of the Games Pipeline, which seeks to develop professional practice. In year two a full third of the course deals with digital modelling and all the aspects related to asset generation within games. We also aim to include live briefs and workshops in collaboration with industry.

Games Development [Double Module]

This is a core module, which follows on from the first year Games Design module. In this module students begin to undertake larger and more involved game design projects. The nature of the briefing in this module encourages them to include more of their own ideas about game content and style. They become familiar with the process by which commercial game development is undertaken. Creating and presenting their work using the Games Development Pipeline furthers their knowledge and understanding of the commercial aspects of realising a game proposal. This may include the design and development of a range of documents: prototype concepts (within a team), games pitch documents, user interface design, level design, and level design and blue prints within the UE4 game engine and VR technology.

3D Modeling [Double Module]

In this module, students fully develop skills in digital modelling for games and all the aspects required for successful games modelling. Through a series of structured tutorials and exercises they will acquire the skills necessary to design, build, texture, and light environments, create and animate characters and design all types of assets for games including modular pieces. This includes the use of game related software such as, Autodesk Maya and ZBrush, Substance Painter and Epic’s UE4 engine, plus Adobe Photoshop for creating hand painted textures.

Visual Skills [Single Module]

This module deals with contemporary issues in design as well as professional and commercial practice. This is delivered in a series of lectures and workshops that help students promote their work and prepare for employment. They undertake a variety of projects, which explore user interface, layout and composition in order to develop their visual awareness.

Character Design [Single Module]

This is a single module dealing specifically with character development and illustration. This involves exploration of concept and design through sketch-work and the use of digital imaging tools to produce the final solution for a range of character designs using digital painting techniques and presentation skills.

Year 3

The final year of the course revolves around two large projects, with the intent to demonstrate a chosen specialism and consolidate student games design skills. These are presented in a public show of work at the end of the year. This work will form the portfolio, which is a necessary item for successful application to the games industry.

Games Proposal [Double Module]

This module is defined by students in collaboration with their tutors. It represents the totality of the activities of a games designer and is a platform to show their abilities and ideas about games. It will draw upon all aspects of the course they have studied and provide a strong platform to display their game design ability. This will also be part of their final portfolio presentation and as such, should reflect their areas of interest.

Honours Project [Double Module]

Students, in collaboration with their tutors, define this module. This module gives students the opportunity to specialise in an area of games design, which interests them most. Whether they wish to pursue digital modelling, concept art or pure games design, this module is designed to support their aspirations to develop a unique body of work for their final portfolio.

We include as many Live Industry briefs as we can into the curriculum.

Our students continue to work with a number of internationally recognised companies to develop engaging and innovative game concepts.

Below are just some of the companies we work with:

Sony Entertainment, Travellers Tales Ltd, Soccer Manager

Selections of students take up paid internships with UCLan to design games and Apps with small businesses in the North West as part of their work experience. Tutors mentor them and work with the client to ensure a high quality product.

 We also conduct Skype calls with industry professionals, where student s can ask questions and discuss industry values.

Equipment, Resources and Software

We have our own Games Design studio with a dedicated PC lab currently running Autodesk Maya, Adobe Creative Suite, UE4, ZBrush, Substance Painter and Construct with access to other software packages available over the University network.

We also provide access to books, graphics tablets, a variety of consoles, video games; video cameras for recording presentations and board games. A small number of iPads, inklings, and Cintiq's are also available for student access. We also have an interactive touch Smart board, a large 3D TV Screen and various games consoles including PlayStation 4, plus VR equipment such as the Vive and Oculus Rift.

We have a ‘Lecture’ and ‘Drawing’ Studio for non-digital work, which we feel, is just as important as the technical tools.

We have access to motion capture equipment, Green Screening, Rapid Prototyping machines, laser cutting, textile printing, digital embroidery, fabric printing and many other facilities located within the design area.