Computer Games Development

Collaborative Game Pitch

Video games are highly interdisciplinary and require a range of specialist skills. Thus, games developers rarely work alone and most of the games that you have played will have been developed by a team of people in a variety of different creative and technical roles. In this module, you will begin your journey as a games developer in training as part of a team tasked with developing and pitching a new video game artefact. At the same time as this collaborative development, you will individually develop a deeper understanding of the specific roles and future career opportunities within the games industry and beyond.

Module code: GDEV30001

Engine Foundations

This module introduces you to games development using games engines. By utilising existing game frameworks, you will learn the foundations of level creation and scripting in Unreal Engine.

Module code: GDEV30000

Design Foundations

This module introduces you to the process of games design and creation. You will learn how to design gameplay experiences by analysing existing game design theory and deconstructing existing games.

Module code: GDEV30002

Programming Foundations

This module considers an introduction to the fundamentals of scripting in C#. Scripting is an important tool in developing interactive and fun experiences for players. We will introduce the techniques required to get started in the world of programming, this means topics such as data types, conditionals, functions, and a basic introduction to object-oriented programming.You will learn how to leverage the power of C# scripting to technically design and build interactive gameplay solutions using a game engine.

Module code: GDEV30007

Core Programming Concepts For Games

Introduction to C++ provides you with an understanding of the fundamental concepts that underlie modern programming practices and techniques through a structured, problem-focused approach. This module links together your ability to understand a problem, create and test a solution, and reflect on the outcome of the work.

Module code: GDEV40033

Introduction To Games Design

This module introduces you to games design through the analysis, design and implementation of game levels and mechanics.Using a games engine, you will learn how to create various gameplay using scripting, and embedding this in a level of your own design.

Module code: GDEV40042

Indie Game Development

In this module, you’ll learn how to build a compelling game prototype using professional-standard tools and workflows in a modern game engine. You’ll explore core development techniques while conducting market research to gain a deeper understanding of your audience. You will then create a polished pitch deck and present your concept in a mock investment scenario, developing the creative and commercial skills essential for success in the indie games industry.

Module code: GDEV40040

Fundamentals Of Game Artificial Intelligence

Computer games are populated with characters that flesh out the world. These characters need to navigate their way through the environment in an intelligent manner, whilst avoiding collisions with the player and other characters. This module will introduce you to the mathematical concepts that underpin this behaviour.

Module code: GDEV40036

Game Production Studio

You will work in a group consisting of peers from across the suite of games development courses, forming a multidisciplinary team that mirrors a real development studio. Together, you will plan, prototype and deliver a vertical slice of a game.The module places strong emphasis on collaboration, communication and professional conduct. You will learn how to work effectively within a team, manage workflows across different disciplines, give and receive constructive feedback, and adapt to the challenges of shared production pipelines. Alongside their technical development, you will build key soft skills such as leadership, organisation, problem solving and time management, all of which are essential for a successful career in the games industry.

Module code: GDEV50060

Mobile Games Development

This module joins the dots between technical mobile development and the business skills you need to sell a game. We look at the nuts and bolts of porting and building for mobile, but the real focus is on the entrepreneurial side: taking an indie project from a rough idea through to a solid release plan.

Module code: GDEV50068

Game Ready Asset Creation

This module will start your journey into game-ready 3D asset creation by introducing fundamental 3D Modelling and material generation skills used to develop a series of 3D assets, before then implementing them within a game engine.

Module code: GDEV50061

Realtime Vfx

This module is an opportunity to apply VFX skills within games – use advanced VFX skills and abilities to create a skillset for a character within a pre-established project. This is a chance to build a working approach that simulates how a VFX artist would work within the industry, with the additional support of lecturers operating as senior FX artists, guiding and building the process.

Module code: GDEV50078

Rational Level Design

This module centres around the creation of a level through the implementation of an industry standard pipeline. You will utilise tools to ideate, construct, test, and iterate your level, applying level design principles and theory, strengthening rationale, and expanding tool proficiency.

Module code: GDEV50072

Experimental Games Production

Game design thrives on experimentation and innovation. This module invites you to push boundaries by creating games that are impactful, embrace new technologies, and challenge conventions. You will design, prototype, iterate, and playtest innovative gameplay experiences by exploring game mechanics, hardware interfaces, and alternative genres, developing transferable skills such as problem-solving, adaptability, and creative thinking. We encourage you to expand the possibilities of games as an expressive medium.

Module code: GDEV50059

Cross Reality

Cross-reality technology offers novel means of interaction with both the real and virtual worlds. Freed from the limitations of a two-dimensional screen, you will learn how to design and implement physical and spatial experiences while considering the risks involved with the use of cutting-edge technologies. You will explore how designing for cross-reality devices differs from designing for traditional games, ensuring that you consider the human-in-the-loop and the effect of presence. From this design, you will create a playable demonstration of a game or application showcasing the implementation of the considerations you made.

Module code: GDEV50058

Writing For Video Games

If you want to learn to write stories that others will love, this is the module for you! This module will explore the craft of creative writing within the context of interactive media. Through learning how to shape dialogue, set scenes, and conceive environments that respond to the player, you’ll practice production techniques used by writers and narrative designers from AAA spectacles to Indie gems. Along the way, you’ll discover how different game studios approach narrative and how writing adapts across platforms, including journalism and marketing.

Module code: GDEV50084

User Interface Design

This module will explore the key principles of User Interface design as you research existing Interfaces in games and then design your own. You will explore a range of User Experience principles and use these skills and knowledge to implement your own User Interface into a game engine.

Module code: GDEV50081

Programming Architectures For Engines

In this module, you’ll learn how to build robust gameplay systems in a modern Game Engine using appropriate programming methods. You’ll explore how to structure logic cleanly, optimise performance, and create tools that designers can use without wrestling with complex code. You’ll also analyse how the programming language and engine features work best together in a professional workflow, producing a report that helps you understand and justify the smartest approach to building modern games.

Module code: GDEV50071

Final Year Project: Dissertation

This module allows you to investigate an emerging area of game development through an independent technical research project. Working with a supervisor, you will define a research question, explore it through academic and technical investigation, create a practical artefact, and evaluate your findings in a written dissertation. The module is ideal for students seeking to deepen their technical expertise and produce a substantial portfolio piece that supports progression into industry, postgraduate study or research and development roles.

Module code: GDEV60052

Indie Business

Making a game is one thing; turning it into a sustainable business is entirely another. This module serves as a bridge between your university studies and the professional world, functioning less like a traditional class and more like a studio incubator. We focus strictly on the practicalities of the UK market, teaching you how to navigate the specific legal and financial hurdles of indie development. Your assessment mirrors this professional focus. The goal is to ensure that when you graduate, you leave with more than just a degree - you leave with a launch-ready strategy and the know-how to secure investment for your own studio.

Module code: GDEV60057

Final Year Project: Technical Artefact

Modern game technologies continue to advance rapidly, shaping the way developers design, prototype and deliver interactive content. New engines, frameworks and production techniques are transforming what is possible across gameplay systems, simulation, interaction design, tooling and real-time rendering. This module gives you the opportunity to explore this evolving landscape by creating an independent technical artefact. You will define a technical challenge of your choice and develop a playable game, interactive experience or applied games technology prototype that responds directly to it. Working under supervision, you will investigate the techniques, tools and theories relevant to your chosen problem, plan and implement a substantial technical project, document your development process and evaluate your outcomes through structured reflection.This module is suited to students who want to push their technical abilities further and produce a portfolio-quality artefact that demonstrates readiness for roles in game development, technical design, programming, research and development, or further study in advanced games technologies.

Module code: GDEV60053

Final Year Project: Collaborative Project

Game development is an inherently collaborative discipline. Modern studios rely on teams of designers, programmers, technical artists and production specialists working together to create complex interactive systems. This module gives you the opportunity to experience this collaborative environment by working as part of a team to produce a technical artefact.You will define a shared technical challenge and work with your group to create a playable game, interactive experience or applied games technology prototype. As a team, you will investigate relevant technologies, plan your development workflow, build and refine your artefact and document your progress through shared and individual evidence.Alongside team responsibilities, each student will take ownership of a defined area of contribution and produce a development document that records their personal workflow and technical decision making. The module concludes with a viva in which you will present the collaborative artefact and demonstrate both team understanding and individual accountability.This module is designed for students who want to strengthen their technical skills while developing the collaborative and communicative abilities that are essential for professional game development and wider creative technology industries.

Module code: GDEV60051

Procedural Content Generation

Creating a universe with 18 quintillion planets or keeping a game interesting after hundreds of runs isn't magic - it’s mathematics. This module explores Procedural Content Generation (PCG), the technique developers use to automate asset creation and introduce controlled randomness into their designs. We will look under the hood of industry-standard examples.Whilst the theory and academic research of PCG is important, you will be expected to design and build your own PCG artefact. You’ll have the freedom to choose the problem you want to solve, whether that means generating terrain on a massive scale, creating a system for millions of unique weapons, or experimenting with narrative structures. By the end of the module, you will have a functional tool that demonstrates how these systems work in practice accompanied by quality technical documents, testing strategies, and the ability to academically critically review your work.

Module code: GDEV60060

Indie Game Development

In this module, you’ll learn how to build a compelling game prototype using professional-standard tools and workflows in a modern game engine. You’ll explore core development techniques while conducting market research to gain a deeper understanding of your audience. You will then create a polished pitch deck and present your concept in a mock investment scenario, developing the creative and commercial skills essential for success in the indie games industry.

Module code: GDEV40040

Fundamentals Of Game Artificial Intelligence

Computer games are populated with characters that flesh out the world. These characters need to navigate their way through the environment in an intelligent manner, whilst avoiding collisions with the player and other characters. This module will introduce you to the mathematical concepts that underpin this behaviour.

Module code: GDEV40036

Introduction To Games Design

This module introduces you to games design through the analysis, design and implementation of game levels and mechanics.Using a games engine, you will learn how to create various gameplay using scripting, and embedding this in a level of your own design.

Module code: GDEV40042

Rapid Games Prototyping

Students are taught from scratch how to design, develop and enhance their own game prototypes using rapid prototyping techniques, scripting and an industry standard game engine. The emphasis is on demonstrating core gameplay ideas within short timescales.

Module code: GAME40250

Core Programming Concepts For Games

Introduction to C++ provides you with an understanding of the fundamental concepts that underlie modern programming practices and techniques through a structured, problem-focused approach. This module links together your ability to understand a problem, create and test a solution, and reflect on the outcome of the work.

Module code: GDEV40033

Fundamentals Of Game And Graphical System Development

This module will introduce you to C++ programming, the Visual Studio environment and graphical programming techniques. Learn C++ programming by building computer games.

Module code: COSE40630

Professional Development And Games Industry Employability

This module will prepare you for what is to come throughout your academic studies and for your career beyond. Creating an online presence is crucial these days, and in this module we develop a platform from which you can expand throughout your studies to ensure you are in the best position to secure your first role in the industry when you graduate.

Module code: GAME40426

Games Engine Creation

2D games require very different techniques than 3D games. In this module you will not only learn and enhance your C++ programming but you will also learn how plan and build a 2D game using SDL. You will also have the ability to bring in skills you learn from other first year modules setting you on a good pathway for future games programming and development modules.

Module code: COSE40638

User Interface Design

This module will explore the key principles of User Interface design as you research existing Interfaces in games and then design your own. You will explore a range of User Experience principles and use these skills and knowledge to implement your own User Interface into a game engine.

Module code: GDEV50081

Experimental Games Production

Game design thrives on experimentation and innovation. This module invites you to push boundaries by creating games that are impactful, embrace new technologies, and challenge conventions. You will design, prototype, iterate, and playtest innovative gameplay experiences by exploring game mechanics, hardware interfaces, and alternative genres, developing transferable skills such as problem-solving, adaptability, and creative thinking. We encourage you to expand the possibilities of games as an expressive medium.

Module code: GDEV50059

Writing For Video Games

If you want to learn to write stories that others will love, this is the module for you! This module will explore the craft of creative writing within the context of interactive media. Through learning how to shape dialogue, set scenes, and conceive environments that respond to the player, you’ll practice production techniques used by writers and narrative designers from AAA spectacles to Indie gems. Along the way, you’ll discover how different game studios approach narrative and how writing adapts across platforms, including journalism and marketing.

Module code: GDEV50084

Rational Level Design

This module centres around the creation of a level through the implementation of an industry standard pipeline. You will utilise tools to ideate, construct, test, and iterate your level, applying level design principles and theory, strengthening rationale, and expanding tool proficiency.

Module code: GDEV50072

Game Ready Asset Creation

This module will start your journey into game-ready 3D asset creation by introducing fundamental 3D Modelling and material generation skills used to develop a series of 3D assets, before then implementing them within a game engine.

Module code: GDEV50061

Cross Reality

Cross-reality technology offers novel means of interaction with both the real and virtual worlds. Freed from the limitations of a two-dimensional screen, you will learn how to design and implement physical and spatial experiences while considering the risks involved with the use of cutting-edge technologies. You will explore how designing for cross-reality devices differs from designing for traditional games, ensuring that you consider the human-in-the-loop and the effect of presence. From this design, you will create a playable demonstration of a game or application showcasing the implementation of the considerations you made.

Module code: GDEV50058

Game Production Studio

You will work in a group consisting of peers from across the suite of games development courses, forming a multidisciplinary team that mirrors a real development studio. Together, you will plan, prototype and deliver a vertical slice of a game.The module places strong emphasis on collaboration, communication and professional conduct. You will learn how to work effectively within a team, manage workflows across different disciplines, give and receive constructive feedback, and adapt to the challenges of shared production pipelines. Alongside their technical development, you will build key soft skills such as leadership, organisation, problem solving and time management, all of which are essential for a successful career in the games industry.

Module code: GDEV50060

Realtime Vfx

This module is an opportunity to apply VFX skills within games – use advanced VFX skills and abilities to create a skillset for a character within a pre-established project. This is a chance to build a working approach that simulates how a VFX artist would work within the industry, with the additional support of lecturers operating as senior FX artists, guiding and building the process.

Module code: GDEV50078

Mobile Games Development

This module joins the dots between technical mobile development and the business skills you need to sell a game. We look at the nuts and bolts of porting and building for mobile, but the real focus is on the entrepreneurial side: taking an indie project from a rough idea through to a solid release plan.

Module code: GDEV50068

Programming Architectures For Engines

In this module, you’ll learn how to build robust gameplay systems in a modern Game Engine using appropriate programming methods. You’ll explore how to structure logic cleanly, optimise performance, and create tools that designers can use without wrestling with complex code. You’ll also analyse how the programming language and engine features work best together in a professional workflow, producing a report that helps you understand and justify the smartest approach to building modern games.

Module code: GDEV50071

Dtib Industrial Placement

Module code: PLAC00002

Final Year Project: Dissertation

This module allows you to investigate an emerging area of game development through an independent technical research project. Working with a supervisor, you will define a research question, explore it through academic and technical investigation, create a practical artefact, and evaluate your findings in a written dissertation. The module is ideal for students seeking to deepen their technical expertise and produce a substantial portfolio piece that supports progression into industry, postgraduate study or research and development roles.

Module code: GDEV60052

Final Year Project: Collaborative Project

Game development is an inherently collaborative discipline. Modern studios rely on teams of designers, programmers, technical artists and production specialists working together to create complex interactive systems. This module gives you the opportunity to experience this collaborative environment by working as part of a team to produce a technical artefact.You will define a shared technical challenge and work with your group to create a playable game, interactive experience or applied games technology prototype. As a team, you will investigate relevant technologies, plan your development workflow, build and refine your artefact and document your progress through shared and individual evidence.Alongside team responsibilities, each student will take ownership of a defined area of contribution and produce a development document that records their personal workflow and technical decision making. The module concludes with a viva in which you will present the collaborative artefact and demonstrate both team understanding and individual accountability.This module is designed for students who want to strengthen their technical skills while developing the collaborative and communicative abilities that are essential for professional game development and wider creative technology industries.

Module code: GDEV60051

Indie Business

Making a game is one thing; turning it into a sustainable business is entirely another. This module serves as a bridge between your university studies and the professional world, functioning less like a traditional class and more like a studio incubator. We focus strictly on the practicalities of the UK market, teaching you how to navigate the specific legal and financial hurdles of indie development. Your assessment mirrors this professional focus. The goal is to ensure that when you graduate, you leave with more than just a degree - you leave with a launch-ready strategy and the know-how to secure investment for your own studio.

Module code: GDEV60057

Procedural Content Generation

Creating a universe with 18 quintillion planets or keeping a game interesting after hundreds of runs isn't magic - it’s mathematics. This module explores Procedural Content Generation (PCG), the technique developers use to automate asset creation and introduce controlled randomness into their designs. We will look under the hood of industry-standard examples.Whilst the theory and academic research of PCG is important, you will be expected to design and build your own PCG artefact. You’ll have the freedom to choose the problem you want to solve, whether that means generating terrain on a massive scale, creating a system for millions of unique weapons, or experimenting with narrative structures. By the end of the module, you will have a functional tool that demonstrates how these systems work in practice accompanied by quality technical documents, testing strategies, and the ability to academically critically review your work.

Module code: GDEV60060

Final Year Project: Technical Artefact

Modern game technologies continue to advance rapidly, shaping the way developers design, prototype and deliver interactive content. New engines, frameworks and production techniques are transforming what is possible across gameplay systems, simulation, interaction design, tooling and real-time rendering. This module gives you the opportunity to explore this evolving landscape by creating an independent technical artefact. You will define a technical challenge of your choice and develop a playable game, interactive experience or applied games technology prototype that responds directly to it. Working under supervision, you will investigate the techniques, tools and theories relevant to your chosen problem, plan and implement a substantial technical project, document your development process and evaluate your outcomes through structured reflection.This module is suited to students who want to push their technical abilities further and produce a portfolio-quality artefact that demonstrates readiness for roles in game development, technical design, programming, research and development, or further study in advanced games technologies.

Module code: GDEV60053