The video game industry is now larger than the film and music industries combined, and there are over 3 billion gamers worldwide. Video games serve as a source of artistic and creative expression for developers and players alike.
In this module, students can gain a well-founded appreciation for what goes into making a video game, from ideation and creative computing through to systems design and marketing. They will have the opportunity to learn about industry roles and, through assessed work, design their own video games from beginning to end.
This module is available to second-year students with whose home department is Computer Science only. Availability is limited and first-come-first-served according to a pre-registration process to be undertaken before the end of the previous academic year.
Students will learn the fundamentals of designing and developing video games from the ground up. This includes a full view of the component parts of video game development, such as: design and ideation; the use of digital assets (graphics, audio, text); engineering concerns and system design and architecture; the psychology of play; and selected topics in human-computer interaction.
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Topics covered in this module may include: algorithmic techniques for video games (applications of AI; procedural generation); the psychology of play ("game feel"); video game engineering (the entity-component-system architecture); human-computer interaction as applied to games (incl. inclusive and accessible computing); the video game development life cycle (ideation; rapid prototyping; publishing); and the use of game development frameworks.
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
Video Game Design: Principles and Practices from the Ground Up, M, Salmond, 2016. Bloomsbury.
Game Programming Patterns, R. Nystrom, 2014. Genever Benning. Available online: https://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/
Studying Videogames, J. McDougall and W. O'Brien, 2008. Oxford University Press.
Spelunky, D. Yu, 2016. Boss Fight Books [Independent.].
Technical design and application of software engineering principles
Algorithmic thinking
Rapid prototyping
Creative computing
Use of video-game development frameworks
Critical analysis and evaluation
Design thinking
Project management
Working in a team
Technical writing
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 sessions of 1 hour (13%) |
| Supervised practical classes | 20 sessions of 1 hour (13%) |
| Private study | 70 hours (47%) |
| Assessment | 40 hours (27%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Completion of assessment components; reading of recommended texts to complement lectures
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prototype and Game Design Document | 30% | 10 hours | No |
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The development of a small prototype of a video game idea according to a set brief given at the beginning of the module. This is to be accompanied by a Game Design Document outlining the intentions for the game, and linking the design to concepts seen in lectures. This is to be completed in small groups to be determined at the beginning of the module. (The given word count covers the game design document only.) |
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| Video Game | 70% | 30 hours | No |
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Groups will work together to design a complete video game according to a given theme and set of criteria. The assessment also requires an individual report from each student evaluating the submitted game according to key evaluation criteria seen in lectures, and relating aspects of the implementation to the critical theory of games. (The listed word count covers the individual report only.) |
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| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video Game | 100% | No | |
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The student will create a small video game project according to a set brief, which will differ from the original assessment brief. The assessment will also require a report evaluating the submission according to key evaluation criteria seen in lectures, and relating aspects of the implementation to the critical theory of games. A prototype and Game Design Document are not required for reassessment. (The listed word count covers the individual report only.) |
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Written group and individual feedback where appropriate.
This module is Optional for:
This module is Option list A for: