Games Art and Design BA(Hons)

Why study with us? 

• You will benefit from a dedicated course team of industry professionals as well as high-profile visiting lecturers from games design, animation, graphic design, illustration and digital media industries.

• Our degree teaches you the creative skills needed to enter this exciting industry – from storyboarding, to character and environment design, to how to work to client briefs to collaborating with other disciplines, to self-promotion and use of social media.

• Diverse methods of learning keep the course stimulating – these include lectures, seminars, practical workshops and individual tutorials, as well as regular field trips.

• Learn in a modern building with specialist facilities in the heart of Brighton.

• Brighton is the ideal city in which to study this degree – as a hub for digital and creative organisations, it provides many opportunities for industry experience at events such as the Brighton Digital Festival.

Areas of study

• Experimental image making, visual effects , asset creation and concept art.

• Storytelling through a range of imaginative projects using linear and non-linear narratives.

• Games mechanics and architecture.

• Applied animation for immersive technology including AR and VR.

• Design for interactivity, tablets, apps, installations and expanded cinema.

• Collaboration with other disciplines including music, sound art and design.

Year 1 

In year 1, you will explore the practical and analytical uses for games art and design, through a series of projects. Your work will be nurtured and developed through both group and personal tutorials, and inspired by a series of lectures from visiting industry professionals.

Under the guidance of expert teaching staff, you will immerse yourself in an exciting programme of lectures and workshops, shaping your projects and building your portfolio as you progress through the year.

In year 1 you will work alongside Design for Digital Media and Animation students, sharing modules and collaborating on projects.

Year 2 

In year 2, you will focus on developing your creative potential, building on knowledge gained during your first year.

The projects you will be set have strong links with industry, so that the skills you learn and practise reflect those that employers are looking for.

You will be encouraged to work collaboratively with your fellow students to develop ambitious projects within the local and wider professional community. Your research and analytical skills will be developed through group discussion and documentation of project outcomes.

Final year 

In your final year, the knowledge and skills that you have developed so far come together as you work on a final personal project. You will also write a dissertation in conjunction with Historical and Critical Studies.

Final year lectures and tutorials are taught by teaching staff and by visiting industry professionals. They include practical information about professional development, preparing you for your professional or academic life after university, and one-to one personal tutorials offering in-depth, personalised support for your continued development.

International requirements

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Portfolio advice

Applying for a place in 2019?

This course requires the submission of an online portfolio via our applicant portal. In this, we would like to see:

• examples of work that demonstrates how you develop ideas. The work can be in any medium or combination of media, for example drawing, typography, collage, photography, animation or video.
• evidence of personal work including drawing, use of type, collage, photography, and other mediums. It would be great to see how this reflects your personal interests.
• your ability to develop an idea from concept through to a finished project
• at least one sketchbook showing how you experiment and explore different techniques and media
• any completed moving image, animation or interactive work (best shown on Vimeo)
• several examples of your finished outcomes in either 2D design, illustration, animation or moving image if you have them.
• your potential to experiment and explore ideas, using different techniques and media
• a passion for image-making and design

We recommend using Flickr, Tumblr or making a pdf to create a simple portfolio and Vimeo or YouTube for embedding video. Please note that you do not need to show work that moves or interacts within a digital environment, as we will support you to develop that. At this stage we are looking for an exciting and creative portfolio and a genuine passion to learn.

Course fees

Info

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2019–20.

Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee.

You can find out more about our fees in the university's student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full-time or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Local area

Campus where this course is taught

Accommodation

Maps

Accommodation

University building

Moulsecoomb campus map