BA (Hons) Computer Games Design: Story Development
Course overview
Start date
September 2020
Subject area
Digital Media
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Learning
On campus, dual delivery
Course summary
Whether it’s the fun of Super Mario or the horror of Resident Evil that consumes you, this is your chance to convert your passion for playing games into knowledge about how to create and design them.
You’ll get the most out of our course if you come with an interest in all kinds of games – board, card and pen-and-paper - not just digital ones. You’ll be amazed what you can learn from games like Munchkin or Dungeons and Dragons.
We run two games courses at UEL, subtly different but both sharing the same focus on designing games and game play.
Our course will equip you, like many of our successful graduates, for a role in the expanding games industry. We're justly proud of the imagination and quality of our students’ work. By the end of your course, you should be playing a game you designed and developed yourself – and hopefully following in the footsteps of the many UEL graduates now making their mark in the games industry.
Return to campus: dual delivery
In a Covid-secure environment, enjoy learning on our state-of-the-art campuses and flex between online delivery
Find out moreHands-on approach
We’ll give you the capability to come up with an interesting idea and take it from paper to screen – prototyping it and developing it both individually and as part of a multi-disciplinary team in a way that mirrors the professional games industry.
Practical experience
You’ll have the opportunity to create games for simulated real-world briefs, developing for targeted demographics, marketplaces and player types allowing you to have a real sense of what developing a game would be like within a large and small studio.
Industry experts
You’ll be taught by a mixture of academics and industry professionals with experience within multiple areas of game development and narrative design. You’ll also be inspired by the industry speakers who will visit UEL to give talks on various topics within the greater games industry.
Ben Nizan
Computer Games Design, BA (Hons)
I don’t think I’ve ever been made to feel more welcome. Being surrounded by people who are friendly, social, and share your interests has to be one of the best things I can say about my university experience.
Fees and funding
Tuition Fee Loan
You can apply for a loan to cover the cost of your tuition fees, which will be paid directly to UEL. There are no up-front fees required. Repayment only starts after you finish your course and are earning over £25,000. If you haven’t finished repaying your loan after 30 years it will be automatically cancelled.
To apply visit gov.uk/student-finance
Maintenance Loan
You can apply for a loan to help with living costs such as food, travel and accommodation. How much you can borrow depends on where you live and study, and whether you are currently on welfare benefits. The maximum loan you can apply for is £12,729.
To apply visit gov.uk/student-finance
Supplementary Grants
The government also offer the following additional support:
- Parents' Learning Allowance
- Adult Dependants' Grant
- Childcare Grant
- Disabled Students’ Allowance
- All nursing and many allied health students on courses from September 2020 will receive a payment of at least £5,000 a year from the government.
For further information visit gov.uk/student-finance or contact Student Finance England.
All students will receive:
Bursaries Schemes for which you can apply
- Care Leaver and Foyer Bursary - up to £1,500
- Progression Bursary - up to £2,000
- Engagement Bursary - up to £2,000
- Hardship Bursary - up to £2,000
- Helena Kennedy Foundation - £1,500
- Going Global – awards range from £300 - £700
Scholarships Schemes for which you can apply
- Vice Chancellor Scholarship - up to £27,750 over three years
- Dean Scholarship - up to £13,500 over three years
- Civic Engagement Scholarship - £1,000
- EU Scholarship (EU Only) - £1,000
- ELSEF Scholarship - £1,000
- UTC Scholarship - £1,500
- Sports Scholarships - up to £6,000
There are a number of external organisations that offer financial help to
students. Please see the list below list to view additional support options.
Alternatively, you can visit the Scholarship Search website.
Please note that the University of East London is not responsible for
the content of these external sites and is not associated in any way
with the funding schemes and their application processes.
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate your finances while you are a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
Tuition Fee Loan
You can apply for a loan to cover the cost of your tuition fees, which will be paid directly to UEL. There are no up-front fees required. Repayment only starts after you finish your course and are earning over £25,000. If you haven’t finished repaying your loan after 30 years it will automatically be cancelled.
For information visit gov.uk/student-finance
Please note EU students can only apply for their funding using a paper application form.
To download a form visit www.gov.uk/student-finance-forms
All students will receive:
Bursaries Schemes for which you can apply
- Care Leaver and Foyer Bursary - up to £1,500
- Progression Bursary - up to £2,000
- Engagement Bursary - up to £2,000
- Hardship Bursary - up to £2,000
- Helena Kennedy Foundation - £1,500
- Going Global – awards range from £300 - £700
Scholarships Schemes for which you can apply
- Vice Chancellor Scholarship - up to £27,750 over three years
- Dean Scholarship - up to £13,500 over three years
- Civic Engagement Scholarship - £1,000
- EU Scholarship (EU Only) - £1,000
- ELSEF Scholarship - £1,000
- UTC Scholarship - £1,500
- Sports Scholarships - up to £6,000
There are a number of external organisations that offer financial help to
students. Please see the list below list to view additional support options.
Alternatively, you can visit the Scholarship Search website.
Please note that the University of East London is not responsible for
the content of these external sites and is not associated in any way
with the funding schemes and their application processes.
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate your finances while you are a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
At UEL, we understand that studying in another country is a big financial commitment. If you apply early for an undergraduate, you may be entitled to a scholarship of up to £3,000.You can find out more about the international scholarships here.
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) also run an Emergency International Fund to assist international students in hardship.
You can contact our SMART team on 02082233333 or study@uel.ac.uk
As part of the Tier 4 student visa requirements, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) estimate that you will need £1,265* per month to cover your living costs. It includes expenses for accommodation, food and drink, travel within London, text books, entertainment, clothing, toiletries and laundry. Most Tier 4 students are required to show they have sufficient funds to cover the first nine months of the course before they start- a total of £11,385- in addition to the tuition fees. You can find more information about the specific requirements of the Tier 4 student visa here. The amount that you will spend can vary depending on your lifestyle. The UKCISA International Student Calculator can help you plan and manage your money. Please make sure you also factor in the fees for the visa application and immigration health surcharge when budgeting.
* Please note the Immigration Rules are subject to change and this figure is likely to be increased by UKVI year on year. Please therefore check our ISA pages for more information at the time of preparing your visa application.
Deposits and paying by instalments
International students are required to pay a deposit prior to being issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Your remaining balance will be paid in five monthly instalments over your first term. The first of these instalments must be paid when completing your enrolment on arrival at UEL. Please follow the payment instructions here.
After the required payment has been made, you will be asked to complete the online International Student Reply Form to confirm your acceptance of our offer and of our terms of admittance and fees policy.
Our International team at UEL are available for advice and guidance on studying in London, fees, scholarships and visa requirements.
Email: international@uel.ac.uk
Entry requirements
- September 2020
-
Degree
112
New UCAS Points
All applicants are required to submit a game design challenge and analysis exercise in support of their application.
Details of the challenge can be found on the UEL games website.
Access to HE Diploma (QAA approved) with 60 credits overall and 45 credits at Level 3
We will also consider the UEL New Beginnings pre-entry course
If you do not meet the academic English language requirements for your course, you may be eligible to enrol onto a pre-sessional English programme. The length of the course will depend on your current level of English and the requirements for your degree programme. We offer a 5-week and an 11-week pre-sessional course. Find out more.
Level 2 equivalences such as Level 2 Functional Skills in English / Maths, Level 2 Key Skills in Communication / Application of Number and Level 2 Adult Literacy / Adult Numeracy
Please note that some courses require applicants to meet the entry requirements outlined on the course page. Our pre-entry Information Advice and Guidance Team are able to provide further advice on entry requirements and suitability for study.
What you'll learn
Both of our three-year computer games courses share a common core of modules. The Computer Games Design (Story Development) programme differs slightly, though, with its emphasis on the application of traditional story and narrative design to game and gameplay design. The course will allow you to develop creative writing skills and focus on how they relate to game design.
In your first year, you’ll look at the basic theoretical and practical aspects of games design and development. One day, you could be deconstructing Asteroids or Pac-Man; the next, creating your own board game. You’ll be learning about graphics and prototyping production techniques as well as games theory.
In your second year, you’ll concentrate on more detailed games design as well as studying games research methods. You’ll also get the chance to apply your developing knowledge by working for a live client. You’ll gain valuable insights into all aspects of professional practice. It’s not just about designing games but about communicating your ideas properly, so you’ll take part in presentations and pitches.
In your final year, you’ll complete an individual research and dissertation project. Working in a group, you'll also conceptualise, design and develop an original game to give you a proper feel for how the games industry works. At the same time, you’ll be putting the final touches to your final professional portfolio to ensure you are in the best possible position after your graduate.
What you'll study and when
We consistently review our courses to ensure we are up-to-date with industry changes and requirements from our graduates. As a result, our modules are subject to change.
- Academic Development
- Creative Project
- Analogue Games
- Narrative and Creativity
- Group Film Project
- Professional Development: Mental Wealth
- Introduction to Game Design
- Gameplay Development
- Game Studio 1 (Mental Wealth)
- Software Development
- Storytelling for Games
- Documentary: Games
- Game Level Design
- Interactive Narrative Design for Games
- Applied Narrative & Gameplay Design
- Game studio 2 (Mental Wealth)
- Game Client Project
- Database Systems
- Game Studio (Mental Wealth)
- Rapid Game Prototyping
- Agile Game Development
- Advanced Game Narrative Design
- Dissertation Project
How you'll be assessed
Learning takes place through lectures, seminars, practical workshops in specialist labs, screenings, presentations, critiques and invited speakers from industry. Tutorial sessions are a major part of the course, as well as personal one-to-one supervision of final-year projects and dissertations. All assessment is via practical, theoretical and group and individual project coursework.
Foundation Year Specification Course specificationHow you'll learn
You’ll have rare insight into the games world thanks to tutors and lecturers who know it inside out. They include Senior Lecturer Richard Leinfellner, the former vice-president of Electronic Arts. A major figure in the business for 30 years, he has unrivalled contacts in the industry.
Our facilities are outstanding, too. We have equipment to study user experiences such as brainwave activity while playing games. We also have specialist, dedicated laboratories such as our Ludology Lab, which is equipped with industry-standard hardware and software. It’s a treasure trove of hundreds of video and board games run by - and beloved by - our students.
In your second year, you’ll work to a games creation brief set by a client. The company has given us intellectual property from a number of their TV programmes to turn into games. Over the year, our students will create a game for them while demonstrating that it meets their brief.
We run an exciting programme of guest lectures from industry professionals. A recent speaker was Tim Heaton, the creative director of Creative Assembly, who gave a behind-the-scenes talk about Alien Isolation.
Your future career
We believe our courses are ideal preparation for a career in the games industry - and we can point to a couple of BAFTAs to back it up.
After graduating with a computer games degree here, Ashraf Mohammad started working with Rocksteady as a games tester. He has gone on to work on the Batman series of games and was a member of the team who won the 'Best Gameplay' and 'Best Game' BAFTAs for Batman: Arkam Asylum.
He is just one in a long list of our graduates who have made a real impact in the industry. For instance, in the last five years, two have featured in Develop Magazine’s list of the industry’s top 30 most promising young talents.
One, Richard Hamer, is now a top designer for Sony Entertainment Europe. The other, Ryan Wiltshire, worked for leading companies and has now set up his own studio. Another graduate, Matt Glanville, is a highly respected designer who’s now working for Just Add Water on Oddworld.
Some students go on to work as designers, programmers, testers and producers in a wide range of companies while others have become games design teachers themselves or launched successful careers in other areas of digital media.
Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal
