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Games Design and Development BA (Hons)

Undergraduate

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This course will prepare you for a range of career options across this vibrant industry.

Year of entry

2024-25 2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Sandwich

Duration

3 years full-time
4 years sandwich

Course code

W285

Start date

September 2025

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Course overview

You will explore the multi-faceted world of games design and development, from storyboarding, concept development and prototyping to creative development, quality assurance and testing, enabling you to translate your ideas into playable games.

You will develop all-round workflow skills and a clear understanding of the design treatment, preliminary design, development and production pipeline, enabling you to focus on a specialist area in your final year.

Industry-led practice across all aspects of games design and development.
Collaborative project development to understand the entire games pipeline.
Studio-based approach to teaching and learning that emulates industry best practice.

A star in the centre of a rosette.

Rated Gold Overall

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023

Five stars in a speech bubble.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Top 5 Student City in England (Coventry)

QS Best Student Cities Index 2025

Why you should study this course

This course focuses on games design and development, aiming to equip you with the skills and knowledge to conceptualise, build and test your own playable games.
The concept-to-playable prototype approach aims to give you industry applicable skills. The course aims to equip you with the skills for employment with developers of all sizes, working across various technologies and platforms. Alternatively, graduates should be able to design, produce and distribute their own games or to establish their own studio.
Integration of logical and visual design elements means you can test graphical content in gaming environments and develop original mechanics, freeing you from the constraints of genre-specific software tools thus aiming to improve your employability.
Real-world practices include pitching, prototyping, workable games design documents and testing.
Industry links embedded in the course, from master classes and guest lectures to field trips² (subject to availability).

What you'll study

This course has a common first year.

The common first year enables you to work alongside students doing similar courses to you, to widen your knowledge and exposure to other subject areas and professions. You will have the opportunity to collaborate with other students, so you can share your insights and experience which will help you to develop and learn.

If you discover an interest in a specific subject you have studied, upon successful completion of your first year, you could swap degrees with another course in your common first year (subject to meeting progression requirements). Once you learn more about your industry, you’ll be more prepared and more clued up on how you may want to progress your education.

Common first year courses:

Animation BA (Hons)
Digital Media BA (Hons)
Games Art BA (Hons)
Visual Effects (VFX) BA (Hons)

In your first year, you will develop skills across a range of areas in the creative technologies sector, working collaboratively with students from Animation, Games Art, Digital Media and Visual Effects (VFX) courses. You will engage with concepts of design in both 2D and 3D, explore narrative and storytelling within the context of creative technologies, and develop experience of the iterative development process.

Modules

Skills Lab – 20 credits

This module aims to develop your skills in a range of specialist fields through applied practice. It will introduce you to analogue and digital tools and methods used to produce artefacts in the creative industries. You will receive specialist skills training in your field of study.

Compulsory

Hack Lab and Creative Play – 20 credits

This is an intensive real-world simulation module where you will address a live industry brief (either commercial, artistic, social or cultural) with a problem to solve. By the end of the module, you will create a ‘rapid prototype’ solution that can be presented to the client or wider public. You will learn project management techniques, working to a creative brief, collaboration and problem-solving, while applying specialist skills within a larger project.

Compulsory

Narrative and Storytelling – 20 credits

This module will investigate the effects of evolving forms of media and technology on storytelling across the creative industries. It will examine traditional approaches to narrative in the context of new and emerging forms of storytelling such as games, virtual production, interactive web experiences, and immersive production. The learning will enable you to think about the way that networked culture has enabled new forms of storytelling and creative design.

Compulsory

People, Pipelines, and Productions – 20 credits

This module will introduce you to the contemporary creative industries landscape, exploring theoretical and professional foundations in the practice of digital design and development in games, digital media, animation, VFX, and related fields. The module will explore approaches to production within the context of the creative industries, focusing on roles and responsibilities, production processes, and pipelines and workflows.

Compulsory

Prototyping, Concept Development, and Design – 20 credits

Developing an idea into a testable concept or prototype that can be learned from is an important part of work in the creative industries. This module aims to encourage you to explore ideas development through practical exercises in concept development, prototyping, and design.

Compulsory

From 2D to 3D: Developing Visual Skills – 20 credits

This module explores complex specialist skills development in the creative field of study, developing an understanding of professional approaches to processes through the application of skills. In addition, you will be introduced to personal development planning and will be supported to become reflective learners.

Compulsory

In your second year, you will continue to develop the skills and knowledge you’ve learnt. We do this by embedding the following four principles into the curriculum and developing your:

technical skills – digital fluency, backed with the right academic knowledge
study skills – to be an adaptive, independent and proactive learner
professional skills – to have the behaviour and abilities to succeed in your career
global awareness – the beliefs and abilities to be a resilient, confident and motivated global citizen.

You will develop more advanced knowledge and skills to do with: games design, concept development, prototyping and pitching.

Modules

Concept Development in Games Design – 20 credits

This module is designed to introduce you to the skills and knowledge needed to develop and pitch a concept for a digital game, outlining all elements and taking account of ethical, situational, and legal contexts. Developing a games concept for a mobile, console or other digital game requires developing a blueprint for the ludology, aesthetics, and narrative of the game. Plotting out conceptually how your game will work requires an understanding of gameplay, mechanics, dynamics, elements, and assets. You will examine ludological and narratological approaches to concept development in games design and engage with new and emerging technologies as part of your concept development.

Compulsory

Prototype Development – 20 credits

Game engines are where your ideas suddenly come alive, through interactivity, response and player feedback. Game engines allow you to rapidly prototype your ideas into a playable demo and test this on your audience, using their feedback to reshape and refine our game. This module is designed to introduce you to the skills and knowledge needed to develop, iterate, and refine a working game prototype, using a range of feedback to improve and enhance the player experience.

Compulsory

Understanding Player Experience – 20 credits

Gameplay is often described as the sum of what a player does and what a player experiences. The player experience is central to game design and comprises immersion, social presence, embodiment, interface and engagement among other things. This module is designed to introduce you to the skills and knowledge needed to critically engage with the design and phenomena of player experience across a range of platforms, contexts, and game genres. It examines the impact of ludological and narratological approaches on player experience and explores approaches to addressing ludo-narrative dissonance. The module addresses the implications of new and emerging technologies on player experience and engages with diversity and inclusion in the context of games design and development.

Compulsory

Designing Game Worlds – 20 credits

Game worlds are rich and diverse landscapes with physical, temporal, environmental, emotional, and ethical dimensions to support both storytelling and gameplay. This module is designed to introduce you to key tools and methodologies in the production of games art and asset development. You will develop your knowledge of a range of design software relevant to games development and explore professional creative approaches and working practices relating to your use in the context of creating and developing your game worlds.

Compulsory

Experimental Games Project – 20 credits

Experimentation in concept development for digital games allows you to explore the creative application of your ideas and skills to better understand and assess your competencies in the broader production context. This module provides you with the opportunity to refine your practice by developing and executing a response to a self-initiated brief.

Compulsory

Professional Practice in the Games Industry – 20 credits

Professional experience through either project-led work or placement allows you to develop an understanding of your role within the games industry and to reflect on your skills and competencies. This module provides you with the opportunity to develop your professional practice in contemporary games design or development, through undertaking external briefs and/or work placement opportunities².

Compulsory

There’s no better way to find out what you love doing than trying it out for yourself, which is why a work placement² can often be beneficial. Work placements usually occur between your second and final year of study. They’re a great way to help you explore your potential career path and gain valuable work experience, whilst developing transferable skills for the future.

If you choose to do a work placement year, you will pay a reduced tuition fee³ of £1,250. For more information, please go to the fees and funding section. During this time, you will receive guidance from your employer or participating institution, along with your assigned academic mentor who will ensure you have the support you need to complete your placement.

Modules

UK Work Placement – 0 credits

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved placement undertaken during your programme. A placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

International Study/Work Placement – 0 credits

This module² provides you with an opportunity to reflect upon and gain experience for an approved international study/work placement undertaken during your programme. A work/study placement should usually be at least 26 weeks or equivalent; however, each placement will be considered on its own merits, having regard to the ability to achieve the learning outcomes.

Optional

Your final year aims to bring you to the level to enter the world of work by consolidating your knowledge and skills from your first and second years. You could also work on a large final project in an area of your interest, with the support of a mentor.

Modules

Research Investigation – 20 credits

The Research Investigation module will enable you to apply your skills and knowledge to conduct detailed, useful and instructive research for a thematic game project, gathering information and using this to draw conclusions in the context of your game brief. This module aims to develop your research skills, using a variety of research methodologies to discover, analyse and utilise information from a wide range of sources. You will embark on a process of discovery, researching your theme, professional practices, toolsets, and techniques. You will use this new understanding to inform your creative plans, recorded in a detailed game design document.

Compulsory

Advanced Game Design and Development – 20 credits

This module will enable you to synthesise your experiences of game design and development over the course of your studies, applying skills and knowledge to plan and produce a working, professional game prototype for a PC or console platform, working independently within a set theme. The module will enable you to refine the advanced practical and technical skills required to produce a working prototype of a game, from asset creation and management to creative coding. You will demonstrate advanced skills and techniques, developed over your period of undergraduate study, and refined in a series of workshops and seminars, exploring new toolsets and ways of working.

Compulsory

Indie Game Project (Course-Based Assessment) – 20 credits

The Indie Game Project is an assessment -only module bringing together learning developed in Research Investigation and Advanced Game Design and Development. The aim of this module is to enable you to bring together knowledge and understanding developed across the semester into a single piece of assessment that is aligned with the overall course learning outcomes. A game project brief will be provided which requires you to bring together aspects of your learning into an assessed project.

Compulsory

Working in Collaboration – 20 credits

In this module you will develop your ability to negotiate the challenges of working as part of a creative and technical team within and across disciplines in the context of the creative industries. This module addresses the collaborative culture of studio production across the animation, and games art, and games design and development pipelines and responds to the need for collegiate communication in a professional working environment. Starting with a negotiated brief, you will aim to produce work that will demonstrate meaningful planning, time management and high-quality output.

Compulsory

Final Major Project – 40 credits

This module aims to immerse you into the games production process. Through an intensive studio-based project you will develop a games concept and build a live games demo product. The module will explore the practical skills required in the development of games whilst developing your collaborative leadership capabilities. You will be expected to work in collaborative inter-disciplinary teams to develop the necessary agile project management and cross-communication skills expected by industry.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

The teaching and learning on the Games Design and Development BA (Hons) course is predicated upon the general core principle of transforming you into innovative, creative, industry-ready, reflexive games designers over the course of study.

The course will be delivered using a variety of methods including face-to-face workshops and lectures, and some online digital content such as guest speakers from industry (subject to availability).

Teaching methods may include:

lectures
seminars
technical workshops
studio projects
industry talks².

Course resources are stored on the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), which is currently Aula, where you will be able to access a range of digital resources such as learning materials, worksheets, talks, module handbooks and assignment briefs. The VLE also has an in-built chat function where you can message academics directly about your work.

Teaching contact hours

As a full-time undergraduate student, you will study modules totalling 120 credits each academic year. A typical 20 credit module requires a total of 200 hours study. This is made up of teaching contact hours, guided and independent study.

Teaching hours:

Teaching hours vary each semester, year of study and due to module selection. During your first year you can expect 15-18 teaching hours each week. You will also have the option to attend optional sessions including time with a progress coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback. As you progress through your studies, teaching hours may reduce.

Guided and independent study:

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent study to make up the required study hours per module. You'll be digging deeper into topics, review what you've learnt and complete assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress through your studies, you'll spend more time in independent study.

Online learning:

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods may include:

group work
presentations
reports
projects
coursework
individual assignments
course-based assessment.

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

Requirement	What we're looking for
UCAS points	112
A level	BBC
GCSE	Minimum 5 GCSEs graded 4 / C or above including English
BTEC	DMM
IB Diploma	29 points
Access to HE	The Access to HE Diploma. Plus GCSE English at grade 4 / C or above.

If you do not have the typical entry requirements, you may want to consider studying this course with a foundation year.

Portfolio

You may be required to attend a portfolio showcase, activity session or audition or submit a portfolio via email (as is appropriate to your course), either virtually or face to face, as is practical to arrange. Invites for these sessions will be sent directly to your contact email.

Each application will be considered on its merits.

Other qualifications and experience

Our students come from a variety of backgrounds, each with a unique story. We recognise a breadth of qualifications. If your qualifications differ from the above, contact our Admissions Team who will be happy to discuss your qualifications and routes into your chosen course.

Contextual offers and Fair Access Scheme

If you meet the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme, you could automatically receive a contextual offer that may be up to 24 UCAS points lower than our standard entry requirements. View the criteria for our Fair Access Scheme.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

South East Asia

Russia and Central Asia

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Portfolio

You may be required to attend a portfolio showcase, activity session or audition or submit a portfolio via email (as is appropriate to your course), either virtually or face to face, as is practical to arrange. Invites for these sessions will be sent directly to your contact email.

Each application will be considered on its merits.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.0 overall (with at least 5.5 in each component area)

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £9,250 per year	Not available
EU	2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £9,250 per year with EU Support Bursary 2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £19,850 per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	2025/26 fees TBC 2024/25 fees - £19,850 per year	Not available

If you choose to study this course with a professional placement² or study abroad year, you will need to pay a tuition fee³ of £1,250 to cover your academic support throughout your placement year.

For advice and guidance on tuition fees and student loans visit our Undergraduate Finance page and see the university’s Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

The university will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The university will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permits an increase in tuition fees, the university may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the university reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

We offer a range of International scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

Find out what's included in your tuition costs.

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Coventry University is home to superb facilities, including our purpose-built Delia Derbyshire building, first opened to creative learners in 2023⁴.

You will have access to cutting edge facilities, including post-production, games and animation studios, immersive studios with performance capture facilities, electronic and digital hack labs and much more. The ethos is one of playful, open, collaborative approaches that bring together interesting configurations of people, spaces, technologies, and ideas, and this will provide exciting opportunities for students on the course to collaborate and for staff to develop and adapt approaches to course learning and delivery.

The high-end games and animation studios allow you to develop working playable versions of your games using state-of-the-art hardware and software used in industry.
The immersive studios includes performance capture and audio capabilities allowing you to engage with development methods across the games design and development pipeline.
The electronic and digital hack labs allow you to experiment with new and emerging technologies in the context of games design and development.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

On successful completion of this course, you may take on roles ranging from community manager, games producer, or games publisher, to gameplay designer, level designer, UX designer, Quality Assurance (QA) tester or games writer.

You should have developed an understanding of the key priorities for the games industry, such as the recent change in working patterns, equality, diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition and retention, and an understanding of cultural and commercial priorities, by engaging in real-world scenarios and collaborative opportunities and embedding theoretical and applied-practical exploration of sustainability, representation, player experience, and emerging areas of practice.

Further study

Upon successful completion, graduates may progress into master's study with courses such as:

You can explore all of your options using our postgraduate course search tool. You may be entitled to an alumni discount on your fees if you decide to extend your time with us by progressing from undergraduate to postgraduate study.

How to apply

Institution code

View our courses on UCAS

UK students

Full-time students can apply for this course through UCAS. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

If this course has a part-time option you will need to apply directly to the university.

Apply via the portal

If you'd like further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Chat with our admissions team

Complete our contact form

International students

International codes:
AHU099

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for an undergraduate degree view our International hub.

You can also download our International mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

ioadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Chat with our admissions team

Complete our contact form

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website for information purposes however the 2025/2026 contract will apply for the 2025/2026 intake. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.

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