Computer Games Development BSc Honours
University of Westminster
Key Information
Select location
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 15,400 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* international | UK: £9,250
Introduction
Our Computer Games Development course combines technology and creativity in a multidisciplinary way.
The games industry is an expanding and challenging sector with continually evolving ideas and cutting-edge technologies. It requires practitioners to exercise more flexibility in software specifications and functionality, through adapting their approaches to design and management while keeping abreast of broad changes to technology.
This course covers all major technical aspects of the games development process, from design to production. It aims to prepare you for a career in software development with a particular emphasis on computer games. The course provides you with a solid understanding of game technologies, including programming, applied maths, computer graphics and game engines. You'll develop a broad range of knowledge and skills including mobile and web application development, 3D modelling and animation, and human-computer interaction. To enhance student employability, the course offers a number of talks from the creative industry and will support your participation in prestige game competitions and digital fairs, as well as industrial placements and internships.
The primary language you'll learn is C++, but you'll also have the opportunity to engage with other languages and software, such as C#, Python (Machine Learning, Algorithms), JavaScript and Swift for Android and iOS development. For character development we use Adobe Maya, Photoshop, 3DS Max and 3D Coat. The course focuses on using Unreal Engine 4 and Blueprints technology, but students will have the opportunity to engage with any of the commercial engines across the course.
The course will prepare you for work in an increasingly challenging and rewarding field by giving you a clear perspective on the current nature and practice of game development. You'll be equipped with the required technical and creative skills for the new era of game developers. You'll gain a thorough knowledge of programming, computer graphics and game project management, together with an appreciation of the industrial environment. The course also includes opportunities to work on group productions, including multidisciplinary game projects that simulate a real game industry environment.
The course offers a short-term, work-based learning experience that will give you the opportunity to work on a real-life problem, which is normally set by an external organisation as a small-scale project. This experience will allow you to put theory into practice by applying knowledge and skills gained from various modules to address a real-life situation, usually within the context of a business-related problem.
In previous years, there have been opportunities to travel and engage with students from other universities across Europe. Trips have included Distant Horizons in Seville, Spain, as well as our annual Wmin-Graz Hackthon.
In addition, you'll have the opportunity to undertake a year in industry (work placement) after completing Year 2. This will help you gain work experience and enhance your employability after you graduate. You'll be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team. Typically, you'll be assigned to roles involving tasks related to various aspects of computer game development.
Top reasons to study with us
- Valuable industry insights – our strong links to the sector ensure the course is taught with the games development industry in mind. Our teaching staff includes academics with experience in the games industry, alongside industry advisors who support the course on all work-based learning projects and competitions
- Work experience before graduation – as part of the course, you'll have the option to work for a year in the industry, gaining valuable work experience and boosting your employability
- Successful alumni – our alumni have found positions in companies including Microsoft, Sega, and Marmalade
- Outstanding facilities – you'll benefit from a brand-new XRLab facility, our upgraded Motion Capture lab, and our Games Development Project Lab
- Extra-curricula activities – students can take part in industrial networking opportunities (EGX, PocketGamer, Aardvark Swift Game Careers Talks) and Game Jams to improve students' portfolios and experience (Global Game Jam, Tranzfuser, UKIE)
- Discover our student projects – our dynamic, collaborative environment is displayed in our students' work
- You'll qualify for free British Computer Society (BCS) academic membership for the duration of your studies. The BCS supports those working in the IT industry and has a commitment to making IT good for society. The organisation has over 60,000 members in 150 countries, and a wider community of business leaders, educators, practitioners and policy-makers. Membership of the BCS will allow you to continue your professional development and enjoy a range of valuable networking opportunities.
Why study this course?
- Gain industry experience
You'll have the option to take part in a year in the industry, helping you gain work experience and increasing your employability after you graduate.
- Teaching
93% of students on our Computer Games Development BSc agreed that staff are good at explaining things.
Source: Discover Uni – site accessed in November 2020.
- Extra-curricula activities
Students are encouraged to take part in national and international game jams, including the University of Westminster's own Games Jam, to improve their portfolios and experience (Global Game Jam, Tranzfuser, UKIE).
Professional accreditation
Our course is intended to fulfil the requirements of the British Computer Society (BCS), which means it complies with rigorous academic and professional standards as set out by the BCS. It also allows graduates to gain registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and partial registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng).
Career Opportunities
- Successful alumni
Our graduates have found positions as game developers, designers and testers in companies including Microsoft, Sega, King, SiniSoft, Arekkz Gaming, Bossa Studios and Marmalade. - Industry engagement
Industry speakers and guest lecturers give students insight into working in the industry, provide mentorship as part of their group project work and offer specialised feedback on their portfolios and CVs. - Career-led learning
We work with leading game developers, which in the past have included King, Imaginarti, Marmalade and Bossa Studio, to ensure our graduates are highly employable within the industry.
Career development
On graduating, you will have a maths/games-orientated programming degree, which is highly sought after by the computer games industry.
The course was created in response to the acute shortage of game programmers and designers within the industry and is designed to meet the industry requirements outlined by industrial panels such as TIGA and Skillset.
There are frequent opportunities for students to gain work experience on the course, which in the past have included games testing opportunities at local studios, such as Bossa and King, summer internships at companies such as Natural Motion, and placements in a range of software engineering and mobile companies that include:
- Bossa Studio
- Sumo Digital
- Natural Motion
- Microsoft
- Sega
Industry links
Industry engagement is an essential part of the course as students will hear from industry speakers and receive mentorship from industry professionals as part of their group project work.
The University works closely with leading game developers such as King, Imaginarti, Marmalade and Bossa Studios, Target 3D, Natural Motion, and Genera. There are also frequent networking opportunities (EGX, PocketGamer, Aardvark Swift Game careers talks) and Game Jams, to improve students' portfolios and experience (Global Game Jam, Tranzfuser, UKIE).
As part of the course, students regularly engage with industry partners for specialised feedback on their portfolios and CVs, and our annual visit from the talent hunter team at Aardvark Swift is always well attended.
Job roles
The course prepares you for roles in a range of sectors including:
- Game developer, designer and tester
- Mobile app developer
- Multimodal Interactive Applications (VR, AR, XR)
- QA consultant
- Software developer (including artificial intelligence gaming, mobile, algorithms etc.)
Graduate employers
Graduates have found employment as games, graphics and network programmers in a wide variety of areas, ranging from creating console games for Microsoft Xbox, to programming the latest mobile devices.
While pursuing their studies, some students have taken advantage of the University’s enterprise initiatives to find their own start-up companies – Arrekz Gamin, True Ronin Games. Other graduates have gained positions with these big names:
- Amtech
- Arekkz Gaming
- Beyond the Story
- Bossa Studios
- CGI
- GEEKS – Game Testing
- King
- Marmalade
- Microsoft
- Natural Motion
- NETbuilder
- Neybar
- Portable Pixels
- Royal Bank of Scotland
- Sega
- SiNi Software
- Slitherine Software UK Ltd
- Sumo Digital
- Target 3D
- TT Games
- Two-Way Media
- VMC – Game Testing
- We R interactive
- 5th Business
Admissions
Curriculum
As part of the main computer science stream, our games development course aims to produce graduates with a solid background in software engineering, to help shape the future of the computer science creative industry. The course content is contemporary and shaped for employability through close links with local and national employers.
You'll spend around 12-15 hours per week in lectures, tutorials and laboratories. Lectures are used to present key concepts, theories and techniques. Tutorials and laboratory-based activities increase your understanding of the subject and allow you to develop your competence and confidence in technological and theoretical work.
During the course, you'll be required to actively participate in group work, discussions, seminars, and private study.
Due to the practical nature of this course, assessment is extremely varied and includes academic and evaluative essays, case studies, exams, multiple-choice tests, oral presentations, practical projects, and work portfolios.
The following subjects are indicative of what you'll study in this course.
Year 1
Subjects of study include:
- Applied Mathematics
- Game Design and Asset Creation
- Game Enterprise
- Games Development Group Project
- Programming Methodology
Credit Level 4
Year 2
Subjects of study include:
Core modules:
- Game Programming Patterns
- Game Studio (Work-Based Learning)
- Games Engine Architecture
- Maths & Physics for Games
And a selection of 2 optional modules from the list below:
- 3D Interactive Media Development
- Algorithms: Theory design and implementation
- Machine Learning and Data mining
- Mobile Application Development
- XR Multimodal Interaction
Credit Level 5
Placement Year
This course gives you the opportunity to take a year in industry (work placement) after completing the second year of your study. This will help you gain work experience and increase your chances of employability after you graduate.
You'll be offered help and support to find and secure placement opportunities through various workshops and events organised by the Careers and Employability Service and the course team.
Typically, you will be assigned to roles involving tasks related to various aspects of computer game development.
Year 3
Subjects of study include:
Core modules:
- Computer Graphics Programming
- Computer Games Development Final Project
- Game AI
- Games Networking and Security
And a selection of 1 optional module from the list below:
- Interactive 3D Visualisation
- Mobile Native Application Development
- Advanced Interactive Media Development
Credit Level 6
International Opportunities
Many of our courses offer international study and work experiences, and the University provides other global opportunities that all students can apply for - so whatever you're studying, you'll have the chance to go abroad.
Opportunities could include:
- Taking part in a semester or year-long exchanges at institutions around the world
- Attending an international summer school or field trip
- Developing your CV through volunteering or work placements abroad
International experience broadens horizons, boosts self-confidence, and improves global understanding, alongside being fantastic for your career.
Program Tuition Fee
Scholarships and Funding
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible undergraduate students, which cover all or part of your tuition fees.
Gallery
English Language Requirements
Certify your English proficiency with the Duolingo English Test! The DET is a convenient, fast, and affordable online English test accepted by over 4,000 universities (like this one) around the world.