School of Art, Design and Architecture

BSc (Hons) Game Production and Design

Planned new course

UCAS tariff 96 - 120 Contextual offers
A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes personal circumstances that may affect grades into account.
UCAS course code I623
Institution code P60
Duration

3 years

(+ optional placement)
Course type

Full-time
Study location Plymouth
Register for open day
Apply at UCAS.com

Dive in and explore the areas of technical design, mechanics design and production for games, exploring how to bring an idea to life from concept to production. Guided by industry and research experts, you’ll discover how to produce video games and navigate the complex field of design. With dedicated lab space for games students, you’ll be able to immerse yourself alongside future creatives in the games industry.

Develop your own games

Learn core programming skills with C++ and Visual Scripting, providing a solid foundation to craft your own games.

Bring games to life with collaborative learning

Work as a team, collaborating with industry peers from game arts and design to bring projects to life, preparing you with professional practice and communication skills.

Design your degree

Define your own pathway with a range of optional modules such as UI design, VFX for games, and motion capture, allowing you to tailor your studies to your interests and career goals.

This course is for you if...

  • You're passionate about bringing video game concepts to life from initial idea to final product.
  • You enjoy both the technical and creative aspects of game development.
  • You're eager to collaborate with peers in a team-oriented environment.
  • You aspire to work in roles such as game designer, technical designer, or production manager.
  • You seek a hands-on, project-based learning experience without the pressure of exams.
Game design student working on character model design on a laptop

Careers with this subject
Graduates in this subject area at University of Plymouth have gone on to work as Technical Designers with Criterion Games, Senior Level Designers at Rocksteady, Visual Effects Artists on Alien: Romulus and Netflix’s Three Body Problem, along with working at other top companies in the creative industries.

Key features
  • Learn core programming skills with C++ and Visual Scripting, giving you a solid foundation to craft your own games.
  • Collaborative learning and development skills get you prepared with professional practice and communication skills.
  • Define your own pathway with a range of options modules such as UI design, VFX for games, and motion capture.
  • Work as a team, collaborating with industry peers from game arts and design to bring projects to life.
  • The course is 100% coursework based – no exams, aimed at giving you the strongest portfolio potential.
  • Exciting events run through the year in the games area, with our regular Doodle Club to relax and practice illustration skills, and a Game Jam to kick off each semester to test your skills. Or, unwind with our Games Club to play through and review your favourite games.

Entry requirements

UCAS tariff

96 - 120

Contextual offers: Typically, the contextual offer for this course is 8 points below the advertised tariff. A contextual offer is an offer to study at university that takes into account individual circumstances that are beyond your control, and that can potentially impact your learning and your exam results, or your confidence in applying to university.

Check your eligibility for a contextual offer

T level
Merit
BTEC National Diploma/QCF Extended Diploma
Distinction, Merit, Merit. It is vital that you provide our Admissions team with details of the exact modules you have studied as part of the BTEC.
Access to Higher Education at level 3
Pass a named Access to Higher Education Diploma (preferably Art and Design or combined), with at least 33 credits at merit and/or distinction.
Welsh Baccalaureate
112 UCAS points at A level
Scottish Qualifications Authority
112 tariff points
Irish Leaving Certificate
Irish Highers Grades H2 H2 H3 H3 H3 (112 points) or equivalent
International Baccalaureate
28 points
If overseas and not studying English within IB, must have IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 in all other elements.
GCSE
Mathematics and English Language grade C / level 4 or above.
Other
Equivalent qualifications may be considered.
We welcome applicants with international qualifications. To view other accepted qualifications, please refer to our tariff glossary .
Portfolio
Applicants are required to submit and have a portfolio accepted. In some circumstances, a portfolio can be used in consideration for applicants that do not meet the normal academic requirements. A portfolio can include examples of existing technical coding and scripting, mods created for games, toolkits and other technical skills. It can also include 3D models, environments and example demo games produced in any game engine. The portfolio is encouraged to demonstrate creativity through original work and work based on existing media, with annotated processes to the creation of the work.

Fees, costs and funding
New student 2024-2025 2025-2026 *
Home N/A £9,535
International N/A £17,600
Part time (Home) N/A £795
Full time fees shown are per annum. Part time fees shown are per 10 credits. Please note that fees are reviewed on an annual basis. Fees and the conditions that apply to them shown in the prospectus are correct at the time of going to print. Fees shown on the web are the most up to date but are still subject to change in exceptional circumstances. More information about fees and funding.

* UK Government announcement on tuition fees

On Monday 4 November 2024, the UK Government announced a proposal to increase tuition fees for home undergraduate students from £9,250 to £9,535 per annum from September 2025 onwards. The University of Plymouth intends to apply this new fee from September 2025. However, implementation of this increase will be subject to parliamentary procedure. This change applies to new students starting their studies in September 2025. For current and returning students, the University is reviewing fees and will update you as soon as possible.

How to apply
All applications for undergraduate courses are made through UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).
UCAS will ask for the information contained in the box at the top of this course page including the UCAS course code and the institution code.
To apply for this course and for more information about submitting an application including application deadline dates, please visit the UCAS website.
Support is also available to overseas students applying to the University from our International Office via our how to apply webpage or email admissions@plymouth.ac.uk.

Real-world, relevant and expert-led

Video games. Virtual reality. Getty Images. VR
Endless possibilities
Game artist, 3D modeller, gameplay coder, level designer, technical game designer, technical artist, producer. Or use your transferable creative and technology skills as a designer, programmer or producer in other creative and tech industries.
BA (Hons) Game Arts and Design - follow us on Instagram
Learn from the experts
Taught by industry experts with a focus on preparing you for a career in the games industry. We teach everything from the ground up in a practical, project-based way, developing and pushing your art and coding skills regardless of your prior knowledge.
Game Design edited - Getty images
Gaming expos and festivals
Amazing national and international field trips to gaming expos and festivals. Previously we've met with professionals from top games studios at EGX Rezzed in London and explored immersive gameplay in Amsterdam.

Learn from experts in their field

The Digital Art and Technology Group

As part of the digital art and technology group at the University, this course builds on 25 years of excellence in interactive media education.
The course is a new evolution of the Medialab Arts and Digital Art and Technology programmes, which have seen graduates go on to join the world’s top tech companies including Reddit, Facebook, Electronic Arts, Aardman Animation and Pixar, as well as find success as indie games developers, tech start-ups and world-renowned artists.
Our team is a multidisciplinary collective of coders, artists, designers and hackers who work with data visualisation, games, virtual reality, robotics, interactive installations, sound design and everything else digital. We aim to future-proof our students to prepare them for an ever-changing world where technologies evolve but smart thinking is always in demand.
Digital Art and Technology

Create strong industry connections with a placement year

Supercharge your career with invaluable professional experience. Take advantage of optional year-long, paid work placements, boosting your employability and building powerful industry connections.

The placement gave me real life working scenarios to talk about in interviews when finding my first full time job out of university, which I think was attractive to those who were interviewing me. It also made me feel more confident because I knew that I would be able to tackle whatever was thrown at me. Graduating university, I felt so much more confident and knowledgeable with a placement year behind me and felt that I had more to show off and offer.

Ella, graduate
Ella Chambers

Our research

The exciting work going on in our research feeds back into the teaching on this course.

i-DAT

i-DAT
An Open Research Lab for playful experimentation with creative technology.

Roland Levinsky Building at sunset

CODEX research
An international Postgraduate Research network operating in the volatile and dynamic space that frames new interdisciplinary art and design practices.

FourTet and Squidsoup at the Sydney Opera House Photo: Mark Metcalfe

Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business postgraduate research degrees
Our specialist areas of research excellence and postgraduate research opportunities.