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BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design

Design, production, testing. Study Game Design and gain experience in the full game production pipeline.
Available at
Glasgow, Leamington Spa, Liverpool, London
Fees
BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
Domestic Fees
Glasgow

£9,000 per year

Partial funding is available for eligible home fee applicants who are residents of Scotland via the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from September 2024.

Leamington Spa

£11,100 per year

The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.

For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from January 2024.

Liverpool

£11,100 per year

The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.

For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from September 2024.

London

£11,100 per year

The annual tuition fee is fully funded via Student Finance England for eligible home-fee students.

For UK/Irish students commencing their studies from September 2024.

BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
International Fees
Glasgow

For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £13,000 per year



For EU/EEA/Swiss students*
: £9,000 per year

*Student visa required

For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.

Leamington Spa

For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £15,000 per year



For EU/EEA/Swiss students*
: £ 11,100 per year

*Student visa required

For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.

Liverpool

For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £15,000 per year



For EU/EEA/Swiss students*
: £ 11,100 per year

*Student visa required

For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.

London

For international students (non-EU/EEA/Swiss)*, £15,000 per year



For EU/EEA/Swiss students*
: £ 11,100 per year

*Student visa required

For more information regarding SAE’s EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy, please read the SAE UK EU/EEA/Swiss students bursary policy.

Duration(s)
2 years full-time
BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
Course Durations
2 years full-time
Start Date(s)
September
BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
Start Dates
Glasgow
  • September

Leamington Spa
  • September

Liverpool
  • September

London
  • September

Entry Requirements
BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
Domestic Entry Requirements
Domestic students must meet one of the following criteria:
Degree entry Offers will be made to applicants who are expected to meet, or exceed the entry requirements below, in addition to supplying a personal statement:
72 UCAS points
GCSE level A* - C in English AND Mathematics 9 - 4 (or equivalent). For students studying in Scotland this is equivalent to National 5, C grade
Personal statement
Non-standard entry routes SAE Institute will accept non-standard entry applications, which do not meet the 72 UCAS points or equivalent, and/or maths/English at level 2 or equivalent as required:
Portfolio of related work - This could include recordings, films, sketch books, a blog or any suitable medium that gives you the best opportunity to show us your creative potential.
Successful pass mark achieved via the SAE UK Maths test
Academic Essay
Further Domestic Entry Information
For more information, please look at our Domestic Entry page
Domestic Entry Requirements
BA/BSc (Hons) Game Design
International Entry Requirements
English language requirements Students whose first language is not English will need a qualification that demonstrates competence in English, equivalent to UK GCSE (Level 2) grade 4 (c) or above. Equivalent qualifications can be accepted, where these qualifications have been verified by ENIC and are adopted widely within the UK Higher Education sector, including:
IELTS (UKVI or Academic) (minimum 5.5 in all components and an overall score of 6.0)
www.ielts.org
Pearson Test of English (minimum 59 in all subscores)
www.pearsonpte.com
Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) (minimum grade C)
www.cambridgeenglish.org
Cambridge English: Level 1 Certificate in ESOL International (B2 First) – minimum grade C
TOEFL (IBT or IBT Home Edition online) 72 overall with the following component scores:
  • Listening – 17
  • Writing – 17
  • Speaking – 20
  • Reading – 18
www.ets.org/toefl
LanguageCert ESOL examinations:
  • International ESOL C1 Expert – pass in all four components
  • International ESOL SELT B2 (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) – minimum 33 in all components
  • ESOL Integrated Skills in English II – pass in all components
www.languagecert.org
• IELTS Indicator* (online) – minimum 5.5 in all components and an overall score of 6.0
*Accepted on exceptional basis for the applicants whose local test centres are affected by closures due to Covid-19
IELTS
Further International Entry Information
For more information, please look at our International Entry page
International Entry Requirements

YOUR CAREER IN GAME DESIGN BEGINS NOW

Simon Peacock work at SAE
Develop advanced skills in industry-standard software packages and programming languges Software: Unreal Engine 5, Unity 3D, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Substance, Premiere Pro, Audition), Autodesk Suite (Maya), Visual Studio.
Languages: C#, C++
Practical, immersive training Practical skills are vital. Our learning approach is a blend of vocational and academic from day one.
SAE Top 50 Creative Schools
Cross discipline collaboration Work across film, gaming and audio projects at SAE.
Expand your career Graduate with a portfolio, work experience, employability and entrepreneurial skills and a network of fellow creatives.
Rookies Top 50 SAE was ranked Top 50 Creative Media & Enterainment Schools and Colleges in the World in 2021 by the prestigious The Rookies.

Game Design skills

Game Mechanics and Mechanisms Theories of play (Flow, Magic circle, MDA) PCG Advanced (L System, Generative Algorithms) Mobile Development and Performance Optimisations

Game Design Degree course structure

In their first year, students will learn fundamental development and programming skills, explore level design and narrative construction. In the second year, students will learn more about the industry, and work in collaborative teams to complete project briefs in a simulated games studio environment. They will also be able to specialise in a topic of their own choosing and develop a comprehensive portfolio to use as they move into graduate employment.
Trimester 1
The first module provides fundamental knowledge and skills and you will be introduced to object-oriented programming (OOP) and common algorithms used for games, while practising practical applications. Core mathematics and other programming fundamentals are also explored, such as logic operations, algorithms, and basic vector mathematics.


Topics include:

  • Programming Basics

  • Structured Programming

  • Object-Oriented Programming

  • Introduction to Algorithms

  • Boolean Algebra, Numeral Systems

  • Vector Arithmetic

  • Version Control

This module complements the Programming Basics by giving you an overview of the concepts and practice of games design. You will research elements of game design and learn to create your own game designs; learn about game mechanics and game mechanisms; and explore the functionality and operation of game engines.

The implementation and tweaking of game mechanics and mechanisms in common game engines are applied to a game project.

Topics include:

  • Game Design Fundamentals

  • Game Engine Basics

  • Game Mechanics

  • Game Mechanisms

Trimester 2
In this module you will apply the theories and frameworks of foundational game design, utilising testing framework to validate the theory in practise. You will learn the fundamentals of level design and User Interface design, and apply a playtesting testing framework to iterate on it. And present the data collected to others in a variety of ways.

Topics include:

  • Asset management and creation

  • Playtesting and QA

  • Data collection principals and ethics

  • Statistics for game design

  • UI/UX

  • Level Design
Utilising a small game project students will research and present the context of games culture of an appropriate genre or game space. Students will undertake pre-production of the project through fundamental game production methodologies and utilise theories of play. Students will present to peers through a variety of mediums.

Topics include

  • Academic research and writing

  • Game Production basics (Agile/Scrum, Kanban, Risk analysis, etc)

  • History and Culture of Games

  • Ethics of video games

  • Theories of play (Flow, Magic circle, MDA)

  • Narrative in video games

Trimester 3
Game designers, in collaboration with game programmers, are critical to meeting the technical needs of the game project. In this studio module, you will learn how to apply iterative design and rapid prototyping to develop all the necessary systems and tools for a functional immersive dynamic world.

Topics you may draw upon in Creative Studio 1 include:

  • Rapid Prototyping

  • Games narrative

  • Reward systems

  • User Interface and User Experience (UI/UX) design

  • World building
Trimester 4
Creative studio 2 introduces the commercial, community, and marketplace aspects of games development. You will collaborate with others to build games that reach an audience. A key aim of the module is to identify a target market and develop a product that can be distributed to a paying audience. Collaboration opportunities may also exist with students from other programmes and departments.

Topics you may draw upon in Creative Studio 2 include:

  • Commercial games

  • Modern marketplaces for games

  • Games product lifecycle

  • GAAS

  • Mobile and platforms

  • Business Planning

  • Marketing
Trimester 5
Research is key to the successful outcome of any creative project, and as part of creative studio 3 you’ll learn qualitative and quantitative research methodologies and their application for both artistic and scientific research. You’ll advance your knowledge, planning and implementation of research-based inquiry to address specific questions, while deepening your understanding of the creative media industries and your potential role as a creative media practitioner. The culmination of Creative Studio 3 will be your major project proposal.

Topics you may draw upon in Creative Studio 3 include:

  • Games with Meaning, Inquiry, and Purpose (Serious Games)

  • Game Economies

  • Psychology of Games

  • Accessibility

  • Research Methodologies and their Application in the Creative Media Industries

  • Scientific Research and Practice

  • Contemporary Issues Surrounding Research

  • Developing a Research Question / Hypothesis

  • Gathering, Analysis, Interpretation and Presentation of Data

  • Literature Review and Critical Analysis of Existing Research

  • Research Ethics

Trimester 6
During your final trimester you will work to the completion of your final Major Project, which will have been designed, scoped and approved through the preceding term. This project gives you the opportunity to focus and advance your knowledge and skills in your chosen specialism within your field, and serves as the culmination of your learning journey with SAE. Previously, students have used their Major Project as a springboard into industry, creating award winning projects, establishing their own businesses or making connections with industry professionals that have led to employment
UCAS Course Codes
GD01

What jobs will this course lead to?

  • Game Designer
  • System Designer (Gameplay Designer)
  • Level Designer
  • UI Designer
  • Technical Game Designer

Course FAQs

While we would recommend that anyone who is studying Game Art & Animation should invest in their own hardware, our labs are kitted out with high end PCs that you will have access to for your classes. Students can also book access to PCs when they aren’t in use.

We are looking to see an applicants’ best and most refined artwork in whatever medium they choose, and should evidence their creativity and technical skill. You are welcome to contact our admissions team for advice on what you should include.

We are looking to see applicants passion for film, if you have created any work before applying. This can include examples of your work, script work or practical mov examples or anything creative and film related that boosts your creative vision. We would also like a 800 word write up of why you want to study film production as well as what your favourite is and why? (400 words on each). You are welcome to contact our admissions team for advice on what you should include.

You can provide a PDF document or a personal URL with your artwork. Traditional artwork should be scanned and submitted in a digital image format like JPEG, or as part of a PDF.

FAQs

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