Computer Games Development at Staffordshire University

Are you a keen programmer who wants to learn about games development in general, as well as technical games programming skills? This course is suited to those who aspire to work in an indie games studio or develop mobile games, and is also good preparation for a career as a software developer in the wider computing industry.

As members of the PlayStation® First Academic Program run by Sony, we have access to professional development hardware and software tools. Using industry standard games engines such as UE4 and Unity, you’ll gain experience in developing games from an initial concept to finished product. You will have the opportunity to pitch your games to commercial studios, which have included Playground Games, Ubisoft, Codemasters, Team 17 and Media Molecule in recent years.

In your first year, you will build a foundation for your studies by completing core modules which are shared with our Computer Games Programming students.

This provides the opportunity to transfer between courses if you wish. You’ll learn the fundamentals of computing, programming in Java and C++, and develop 2D and 3D systems.

During your second year, you will analyse market trends, develop a marketing plan, and design and develop your own games for internal release. To complement the programming elements of the award, you will learn wider games development concepts such as asset creation, animation, game and level design, and balancing and testing.

In your final year, you will work with game designers, artists and producers to create games in a simulated game studio work environment. You’ll enhance your skills in an aspect of game development, by researching and developing a game artefact for your final year project.