Games Development
BA (Hons)
Undergraduate degree - single honours
- UCAS codes: Institution B20, Course GD01 or GD02 with professional placement year
- Games Development - Programme Document
- Award
- BA (Hons) Games Development
- School/s
- Bath School of Design
- Campus or location
- Newton Park and Locksbrook Campus
- Course length
- Three years full time, or four years full time with professional placement year. Part time available.
- UCAS codes
- Institution Code: B20
- Course Code: GD01 or GD02
- Campus Code: A,BSU
Entry requirements
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed under 'Typical offers' in the main column below. For combined courses, please check both subjects. If your qualification is not listed, please email admissions@bathspa.ac.uk with your specific details.
Turn your love of games into a career with our hands-on, industry-focused Games Development course.
- Build a diverse portfolio of games and playful experiences that showcases your talents and inspires curiosity.
- Learn new creative and technical skills by making experimental and imaginative games that push boundaries.
- Develop essential and in-demand skills: collaboration, adaptability, and professional practice.
Whether you're interested in the artistic, technical or production side of gaming, our Games Development course prepares you for lots of different career opportunities in the global games industry. You'll develop the creative, computing and professional skills needed to turn your unique game ideas into exciting published titles.
We are interested in the games you want to make, in our practical workshops and game development labs we will help you make games that are expressive, impactful and that tell great stories. If you see your future in indie gaming, AAA or beyond, this forward-thinking game design degree will encourage you to reimagine what games are, and what they can do.
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and #1 in the South West for Satisfaction with Teaching in Computer Science (Guardian University Guide, 2024)
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“Thanks to the effort and support provided by the Creative Computing team, I was able to graduate with a first. This opened so many doors for my career path, including my current role working at Rockstar Games, which I started two months after graduating. I've been able to follow my dream of working in the games industry, and so far I haven’t had a day that feels like work.”
- Adam Clarke, Game Tester at Rockstar Games
What you'll learn
By joining this course you'll become part of a committed community of game makers. You can expect to learn by making, to be encouraged to be curious and experimental, and to collaborate with others. We value and reward unique ideas and risk-taking, and help you think about games not only as commercial products but also meaningful art experiences.
The course begins with a close review of the fundamentals of games or the ‘rules of play’, while covering the key design skills, programming tools and co-creation strategies that lead to compelling titles. You’ll explore the function of game engines, make 2D assets, and test your developing knowledge in a series of mini game jams.
Your second year shifts attention to narrative design, game sound and 3D asset creation. Alongside this you’ll engage with emerging forms of game-making for extended realities (XR), while building essential industry insight through modules that target commercial and entrepreneurial thinking.
Year three encourages you to think differently about the form and function of games. You’ll build both ‘tangible games’ and ‘serious games’, and consider how the real-time capabilities of game engines can add a playful twist to a range of art, design and performance disciplines.
Following this the course transforms into a professional games studio, providing you with an opportunity to develop a complete and original title. Here you'll dive deeper into the workflows that underpin the industry, and receive advice and feedback from regional professional game designers, developers and producers.
Year one
Build a tabletop game and a portfolio of mini game prototypes. Key topics include:
- Understanding game concepts, rules, and the psychology of gaming
- History of gaming and games theory
- Introduction to game engines and coding
- Graphic design, illustration for 2D character, and level design
- Prototyping and testing games concepts
Year two
Build a 2D, a 3D, and a VR game. Key topics include:
- Technical development and design skills for both 2D and 3D games
- Writing interactive narratives
- Marketing and entrepreneurship
- 3D modelling and animation
- Web games
- Sound design
- Extended realities working with the Bristol VR Lab
Year three
Build a serious game, a tangible game, and a playful interactive entertainment experience. Key topics include:
- Serious games
- Data visualisation
- AI and machine learning
- Tangible games
- Real-time interaction using game engine technologies
- Commercial games studio workflows
Our Games Development degree is entirely coursework assessed. You’ll work on games and playful experiences of varying form and focus, as well as portfolios of art assets, code, sound design, and experiments in interaction.
Creative and technical work is supported by assessments that use communicational tools used in both the games industry and arts practice. You’ll compile game design documents and QA records, write contextual summaries and reflective accounts, deliver pitches, conduct UX sessions and collaborate on industry showcase events.
You’ll learn by making through game jams, collaborative briefs and studio days led by dynamic and inventive tutors with ongoing experience in the creative industries. You'll also get the chance to learn from some of the most interesting game designers, developers and studio leaders in the region.
Through each project we support you to develop your own interests and working methods, and help you to establish a unique and diverse portfolio that will impress prospective employers/clients.
To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.
Course modules
This course offers or includes the following modules. The modules you take will depend on your pathway or course combination (if applicable) as well as any optional or open modules chosen. Please check the programme document for more information.
- Rules of Play
- CodeLab I
- 2D Game Art
- Sound for Games
- Critical Play
- Game Jam
- Indie Game Design
- Narrative Design and Gameplay
- 3D Game Art
- Code Lab II
- Extended Realities
- Tangible Games
- Playful Media
- 3D Game Art II
- Immersive Audio
- Professional Placement Year
- Industry Ready
- Games Studio Pre-Production
- Serious Games
- (Re)viewing Games
- Games Studio
Opportunities
From EGX to Now Play This, you’ll have opportunities to participate in events and field trips across all levels of the course.
As a student of our Game Development Bachelor's degree, you can also sign up to industry insight visits organised by other courses in Creative Computing. Recent destinations include the Innovation Lab at IBM Hursley, and Bletchley Park, home of the WWII codebreakers.
We have access to a wide network of companies within the creative industries and tech sector – both in the region and nationally. Artists, designers, developers and leaders of digital agencies, games and animation studios, and tech companies engage our students regularly through industry-insights events, specialist talks, masterclasses and live briefs.
Students on courses in Creative Computing have undertaken recent work experience projects with Aardman, IBM, Complete Control, We The Curious, Opposable Group, Bristol VR Lab and many others. Many of our students have gone on to secure freelance opportunities, internships and part/full time employment with some of the best brands in the South West and beyond.
Recent graduates of courses in Creative Computing are working at Rockstar Games, Codemasters, Complete Control and Endemic Creations, and beyond games, Dyson, Aerian, Network N and more.
The broad scope of skills acquired by studying Games Development at Bath Spa will prepare you for a range of employment opportunities both within and outside of games. Games-specific roles include:
- Games Designer
- Level Designer
- 3D Artist
- 2D Artist
- VFX Artist
- Technical Artist
- Environment Artist
- Game Developer
- Creative Director
- Gameplayer Programmer
- UX Designer
- QA Tester
- Producer
- Project Manager
- Community Manager
As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.
If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.
You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.
Develop a wealth of indispensable digital skills that you can take into your future career. One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, we provide all Bath Spa students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving you the tools to communicate creatively, whatever your course or chosen professional field.
Professional placement year
This optional placement year provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.
By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.
Before your Professional Placement Year, you'll work to secure your placement, constructing a development plan with your module leader and your placement coordinator from our Careers and Employability team.
On your return to University for your final year, you'll submit your Placement Portfolio, detailing your development on your placement.
“My goal was always to become a games designer, and thanks to Bath Spa that goal is now a reality. I gained everything I needed to get my foot into the industry: creative thinking, leadership, management, work placements and programming experience, all alongside an extensive portfolio filled with my projects throughout the years, with games from small single player stories to multiplayer arenas and Virtual Reality experiences. This breadth of knowledge and showcase of work was the very core to getting where I am today.”
- Matt Westlake, Junior Game Developer at Ndemic Creations
Facilities and resources
As a BA Games Development student, you'll benefit from access to comprehensive and specialist facilities including:
- Our modern Commons building, situated at the heart of our stunning Newton Park campus
- Access to our well-stocked Library at Newton Park
- Knowledgeable staff and industry speakers
- High-spec game development labs
- VR development workspaces
- A wide collection of AAA, indie and experimental games
- Virtual Learning Environment.
Fees
| Student | Annual tuition fee |
|---|---|
| UK full time | £9,250 |
| UK part time | £4,625 |
| International full time | £16,905 |
Professional Placement Year
During the placement year, the fee is reduced to 20% of the full time fee. This applies to UK and EU/International students.
- UK: £1,850
- International: £3,381
Interested in applying?
We're looking for people who love games and are open minded about where the discipline may take them in the future. You should be motivated, curious and keen to work with others to produce the best games that you can.
You don't need a formal background in coding, art or games development, however some exploration of these areas is valuable.
We accept a wide range of qualifications for entry to our undergraduate programmes. The main ones are listed below. Applicants are considered on an individual basis also taking into account any relevant skills and experience that may not be reflected in your qualifications. The most important thing for us to consider is whether you have the qualities and potential to succeed in this exciting new area of study.
- A Level – grades BBB-BCC preferred.
- BTEC – Extended Diploma grades from Distinction Distinction Merit (DDM) to Distinction Merit Merit (DMM) accepted in any subject.
- T Levels – grade Merit preferred.
- International Baccalaureate – a minimum of 32 points are required.
- Access to HE courses – typical offers for applicants with Access to HE will be the Access to HE Diploma or Access to HE Certificate (60 credits, 45 of which must be Level 3, at Merit or higher).
If you don’t meet the entry requirements above, we may be able to accept your prior learning or experience from outside of formal education. See our Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) page to learn more.
English Language Requirements for International and EU Applicants
IELTS 6.0 - for visa nationals, with a minimum score of IELTS 5.5 in each element.
Course enquiries
For further information about the programme or entry requirements, please email us at admissions@bathspa.ac.uk.
Ready to apply? Click the 'apply now' button in the centre of this page.
Need more guidance? Head to our how to apply pages.
We encourage you to include one or two games ideas, examples of concept art, mini games in development or other interactive projects alongside your UCAS application. Although not a requirement, this is a great way of showing us what you are interested in.
A great way to prepare for this course is to play lots of games and try to figure out what makes them fun.
Course leader: James Newman
Email: j.newman@bathspa.ac.uk