The future is here and you no longer have to stick to a core subject to get a great degree! Traditionally, when students think of venturing off to university they deliberate between those courses which are pushed as ‘core’ subjects at school: English, Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics - perhaps considering Medicine, Law or Business and Economics as a more ‘adventurous’ choice. However, the world is changing.
The boom in the gaming industry means that it is more lucrative than ever to hone your skills on a Game Design course at university. Sounds like a dream come true? Well, if this is an option you would be interested in considering, here are a few examples of some of the best Game Design courses at UK universities:
Norwich University of the Arts - BA (Hons) Games Art and Design
This course has won NUA the The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) award for Best Educational Institution 2017, is TIGA and Creative Skillset accredited, and is a member of the Sony PlayStation First Academic Partnership Programme. With recent graduates including three BAFTA-winning game designers, the V&A’s first Games Designer in Residence, six teams of Dare to Be Digital finalists, and employees at Sony, Foundry 42, Rebellion, Crytek, Ubisoft, Rockstar games and more, it is a highly-regarded and well-established course. It isn’t a coding course, but does utilise computational logic to create interactivity in game prototypes. It delves into historical, cultural and other creative influences to help produce well-rounded, innovative designers. You also are able to attend professional networking events!
Duration: 3 or 4 year options
Study Type: Campus
Fees per year: Home students £9,250 | International students £15,000
NUA webpage: https://www.nua.ac.uk
University of the Arts London - BA (Hons) Game Design
Renowned as being one of the best institutions for the creative industries, University of the Arts London naturally offers a fantastic Game Design course. With state-of-the-art facilities, including The Digital Space; an open-plan creative hub with computers set up with specialist software and the Creative Technology Lab; a multi-purpose space supporting students with Creative Coding, Physical Computing, Projection Mapping, Games and Virtual Reality, UAL has all you need to become a highly-skilled game designer. They have recently won the TIGA Games Industry Award for Education Initiative and Talent Development for their Games Fusion project, in which they collaborated with Queen Mary University of London, leading professional bodies and industry partners to create a new curriculum. This curriculum has been specially designed to produce industry-ready graduates in Game Design. For a fantastic institution that is committed to keeping its Game Design offering both relevant and exceptional, UAL is the way to go.
Duration: 3 years
Study Type: City uni with dedicated schools
Fees per year: Home students £9,250 | International students £22,920
Course webpage: https://www.arts.ac.uk/subjects/animation-interactive-film-and-sound/undergraduate/ba-hons-games-design-lcc
University of Hertfordshire - 3D Games Art & Design
The 2019 winner of the TIGA Educational Institution of the year, UH is also ranked No. 1 in the Rookies World School Rankings 2019 in Console & PC - Games Design & Development for Production Excellence, No.7 for Best Animation Schools in the World and Top in the UK, and No. 8 in Best Game Design Schools in the World and Top in the UK. It focuses on high-end 3D games art, exploring the digital modelling of characters and environments, shading techniques and level creation. You also are able to use the latest software to explore design in their award-winning Film, Music and Media Building. The course additionally covers games and gaming trends, looking at different scenarios which can be applied to PCs, consoles, and interactivity & VR. It is accredited by Creative Skillset and TIGA, so you can trust you are truly getting the best industry-led knowledge! It is undergoing a Periodic Review in April this year, so you can expect even more enhancements to follow.
Duration: 3 years for Full-Time, 4 years for Sandwich
Study Type: Campus - School of Creative Arts at the College Lane campus
Fees per year: Home students £9,250 | International students £13,000
Course webpage: https://www.herts.ac.uk/courses/3d-games-art-and-design
If this sounds like a career path you, or your child, may like to pursue later on, why not get them started on our 3D Game Design Course at Tech Camp? Using Unity software which powers half of the world’s games, we teach children to design and code their own 3D games to take home and continue working on.
