Games degree courses

Getting you started on your creative journey

Luke Underhill Games Design student with VR headset

In the wild world of creative culture, digital tech is stealing the spotlight, and the digital design team at the University of Plymouth is right there at the forefront. We’re all about diving deep into immersion, playing around, and facilitating creative interactions.

Our games courses include an exciting mix of art, design and technology, underpinned by experts in their field with a focus on preparing you for your future career and giving you the strongest portfolio potential.

Master the design fundamentals in every project – balance, hierarchy, contrast, repetition, and alignment. These principles are the bedrock of impactful visual outcomes.

We instil design theory in our curriculum to ensure that our graduates possess a solid foundation for crafting designs that resonate with depth and significance.

Acquire the design thinking skills to research, test, and problem-solve, enabling you to generate design solutions that are not only visually compelling but also meet the diverse needs of users. It's about thinking beyond aesthetics to create meaningful solutions.

Learn all the design software and techniques you’ll need, across the whole Adobe CC suite, Unreal, 3D Studio Max, Zbrush and more.

The gaming industry is rapidly growing, it’s an area with so many different possibilities to explore and opportunities to find your niche. It’s also a really fun and exciting area, there’s so much tech and software you get to play around with!

Undergraduate courses

BA (Hons) Game Arts and Design

Game art, animation, and visual design

Perfect for creative minds who want to design the visual world of games. Focus on 3D modelling, 2D art, animation, and level design. Get hands-on with industry-standard tools and bring art to life.

Career paths: Game Artist, 3D Modeller, Concept Artist, Level Designer.

BSc (Hons) Game Production and Design

Coding and designing gameplay experiences

Ideal for those who love to code and design interactive gameplay. Master programming, prototyping, and game mechanics design. Bring your ideas to life through programming in C++ and scripting.

Career paths: Gameplay Programmer, Game Developer, Technical Designer, Level Designer.

BSc (Hons) Computer Science (Games Development)

Computer science with a focus on game engines and tools

For the tech-minded who want to dive deep into computer science with a game-focused twist. Develop game engines, artificial intelligence, and programming tools. Build a solid foundation in software engineering principles.

Career paths: Engine Developer, Tools Programmer, AI Programmer, Software Developer.

[ BA (Hons) Game Arts and Design awarded a Silver Status Academic Partner with Unreal Engine and Epic Games

The Unreal Academic Partner Program recognises institutions committed to providing high-quality educational experiences through knowledgeable faculty and proven curricula.

Our Senior Technician Andrew Banks has also been awarded a Silver Status as an Unreal Authorised Trainer.

Postgraduate programme

MA Game Design

Take your skills to the next level, refine 3D modelling, 2D art and animation skills, level design and gameplay coding. Games industry experts guide you through aspects of game design and development, game theory and industrial contexts. You will learn relevant theory and contemporary practices in a friendly collaborative setting and have access to the latest hardware, including high-spec gaming PCs and virtual reality headsets.

Explore our cutting-edge facilities

Utilise the latest hardware, including high-spec gaming PCs, VR headsets, and a 35-seat, 360° immersive vision theatre, providing an exceptional environment for game development.

Motion capture

360° immersive vision theatre

Computer science student using a VR headset

Virtual reality

Digital Fabrication and Immersive Media Laboratories (DFIML)

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.

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.