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BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development

UCAS CODE: GG46 (Full-time) or G46G (Foundation Year)
TARIFF: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)
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  • Study Mode: Full Time
  • Location: High Wycombe
  • Duration: Three or Four Years
  • Start Date: September 2023

On our practical BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development degree, you will have the opportunity to gain technical skills and theoretical knowledge to help you become a confident and competent Games Developer.

From programming, software design and asset development to character animation, this course will cover the industry latest to help you stay up-to-date, ensuring you’re ready for the working world upon graduation.

BNU has been ranked 9th for Animation & Games Design in the UK (G.U.G. 2023)

The lecturers on my Games Development course covered such a wide range of topics and areas of development, as well as frequently getting in industry guest speakers. This meant I was able to develop my knowledge and skill set, making the transition from student into a junior position smooth.
Justin Leatherbarrow
Justin Leatherbarrow
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Application Guide

For everything you need to know about applying, check out our Application Guide. You can find useful information for each stage of your application journey – from before you even apply to what to do if you receive an offer, and everything in between.   

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Why study this subject?

Love playing videogames? Why not be part of a team that develops them? A degree in Computer Games Development focuses on how to program games, from traditional software design and coding to the latest techniques employed within graphics and AI.

This course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

 

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

Our BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development will help you gain a strong knowledge and competence in software development, focusing in particular on your development of software for computer games.

The course provides a balance of theory and practice in software engineering, systems, computing and games development, preparing you for employment in this exciting field.

While the course focuses on the teaching of software development within the context of games, the skills and knowledge you acquire are equally applicable to the production of software for sectors such as banking, manufacturing and retail.

The relevance of the degree is also underpinned by the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) Curriculum Framework (2008). This framework has been developed in collaboration with leading games companies and provides an indicative content of the course.

The lecturing team includes experienced professionals and there are regular visits from expert guest lectures who provide a context for the material being taught.

We are a member of the PlayStation® Vita Academic Development Programme run by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE), which provides access to professional console development hardware and software tools.

We are an NVIDIA CUDA Teaching Centre. We are also a member of TIGA, the trade association representing the UK's games industry.

Our modules, connections, and teaching expertise will help you become more independent and confident of your expertise, ready for your exciting future within the field of Games Development.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.

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Games Development student work 3
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Computer studio with male at desk
What facilities can I use?

We’ve invested in a range of state-of-the-art facilities across our campuses to support your learning.

Our computing facilities are packed with the latest equipment. We regularly upgrade our computer hardware and software, so you have the equipment and facilities to truly excel.

Our library is the perfect place to find the resources you need and a quiet place to study, filled with four floors of books, journals, computer suites and study rooms. Or, if you’d rather work off campus, e-Journals and resources are only a few clicks away using our Virtual Learning Environment.

 

What will I study?

During the first year you will develop your programming skills (C#) and apply them to the development of 2D mobile and console games and 3D levels within a commercial game engine.

Additional modules will provide a taste of other disciplines within the games industry, including an introduction to games design and 3D modelling.  Further modules provide a theoretical and practical understanding of the hardware on which games are deployed.

In the second year you will continue to develop your programming skills (C++) and apply them to the development of realistic AI and graphical applications using a graphics library.

You'll also be taught about the processes involved in managing the development of complex games within large teams and as a member of your own team, develop a game in collaboration with students on other courses, such as BA (Hons) 3D Game Art, BA (Hons) Audio and Music Production, BA (Hons) Animation and BA (Hons) Visual Effects.

During your third year, you will develop a physics engine and integrate it into a games engine. You will also extend your understanding of the more complex AI techniques used within games and gain an insight into how games companies operate.

In your final year, you will also gain valuable tips on how to start a career in the industry, either as an employee of an established games studio or as an indie developer.

A major component of the final year is the project, which provides you with an opportunity to draw on the knowledge and skills gained in the previous years, to develop a game or related software application.

To help ensure you can appreciate the roles of others within a diverse team, this course also provides an insight into other disciplines within the industry, such as design, modelling animation and business.

Games Development student work 1
Games Development student work 2
How will I be taught and assessed?

We have a strong computing department at the University, with a dedicated team of academics and professionals delivering industry-relevant courses in a suite of well-equipped computer labs.

You’ll benefit from small class sizes that give you a chance to develop close working relationships with the tutors and other students. You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars and workshops with one-to-one and small group teaching, as well as written assignments and practical exercises. You will also learn from guest speakers and benefit from valuable networking opportunities. Course assignments reflect real-life problems because we believe that’s the best way to learn – and it’s more fun!

We also encourage you to gain work experience whilst studying and actively look for clients for your project work, which provide you with the opportunity to develop your skills in a work-base setting.

Where possible, assessments are tied to real-world contexts and constraints, allowing you to practically demonstrate the skills you have developed. You may also be assessed through projects, in-class assignments, workshops, presentations and formal written exams.

BSc (Hons) Computer Games Development Programme Specification

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

This course has Opportunity modules.

Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in both your first and second year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers. Find out more.

Core Modules
You’ll learn about the overlap between study skills and employability skills and develop your existing abilities in both areas. You’ll be prepared for successful progression to Level 4 academic study whilst preparing yourself for employment through inquiry-based learning, problem solving and critical and creative thinking.
You’ll develop the skills associated with leadership and self-development and social and ethical awareness and responsibility, which are essential for success in higher education and in the world of work. This module will prepare you for successful progression to Level 4 academic study while allowing you to learn about employment in the twenty-fir...

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This module has been designed to develop your understanding of key concepts and themes as well as basic methodologies and approaches to academic work. You’ll have the opportunity to analyse a problem or question that relates to your subject area, making use of information gathered from various sources using different methods and strategies.
This module introduces key concepts in computing. This will include computer architectures & networking as part of a discussion about the uses of computer technology for a range of different purposes in the modern world. We'll help you learn about the design and development of websites & mobile apps, and use programming to solve different problems.
This module introduces you to the wide variety of computer technologies used in the creation, adaptation and distribution of digital resources across a range of media platforms. It aims to provide you with basic digital media processing skills you'll need to develop and manage digital content including images, animations and audio components.
Core Modules
Credits
Discover the foundational principles for programming languages. You'll study variables, data types, assignment, conditionals, functions, data structures and the object-oriented paradigm. You'll work with other students on a project to simulate the working environment and will develop your problem-solving and computational thinking skills.
You'll look at principles of computer organisation, the layered nature of systems structures & the interfaces between them. You'll also study: components of a computer, the architecture, how they're organised, hardware, data representation, computer logic circuits, manipulation of data at the bit level & the theory of computation and its paradigms.
Discover the techniques used in the design and creation of video game levels including building, designing & testing 3D game scenarios, using advanced game engines and industry standard tools. You'll study how to generate 3D terrains, import & manipulate 3D models, create & apply textures and special effects and implement basic game play.
This module is designed specifically for game developers, not mathematicians, and aims to provide you with maths tools & techniques relevant to 3D games manipulation. To program a more complex game, you must master concepts like matrices & vectors. You'll study solutions for dealing with problems you'll face programming many types of 3D games.
Discover the elements of game design. You'll review games history & genres then analyse the anatomy of games & develop your own game concepts, expressed using industry-style documentation. Discussions about different game control systems, player motivations and psychology will establish ground rules for creating immersive game playing experiences.
Opportunity Modules

You must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 4 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.

Core Modules
Credits
This creative programming module aims to provide you with practical skills needed to create and manipulate 2D and 3D objects using a Graphical Application Programming Interface.  You'll also be introduced to the related topic of shader programming and how these small programs that run on the graphics card can produce customized visual effects.
You'll study Object Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD), a software engineering approach that models a system as a group of interacting objects. Each object is characterised by its class, data elements and behaviour.  You'll use various techniques using the Unified Modelling Language (UML) approach to describe the views under investigation.
This module within a practical Integrated development environment (Visual Studio) and using a modern OOP language (C#, C++, Java), will demonstrate how the key techniques of inheritance, polymorphism and encapsulation can be directly applied to produce high quality software systems.
This unit provides you with an opportunity to work on a small project, ideally in a small team but individual projects are possible where appropriate. You may also work with people studying other disciplines. Projects are the basis of much creative work and typically involve pre-production, production and postproduction phases, as well as teamwork.
Optional Modules
Credits
Agile project management is often applied to game & creative projects, with its emphasis on iterative development. You'll study the incremental, evolving & responsive thinking that defines agile methodology, covering techniques of adaptive planning, prioritisation, estimation & collaboration that result in products that meet the needs of end users.
This module introduces software tools and techniques used when creating 3D model assets. You'll look at how to design, create and deploy your own designs into game engines such as Unreal and Unity or prepare models suitable for 3D printing or use with VR, AR or holographic devices. You'll study how to optimise modelling for different applications.
A key task of any 3D game is to build a game environment. This module covers the processes involved in building a one suitable for use in a games engine such as Unreal Engine. You'll study how to design & build a set of assets and from these create a 3D game level. You will be able to import additional resources to ensure your level feels complete.
Opportunity Modules

You must choose 2 x 10 credit Level 5 Opportunity modules from the Opportunity module catalogue.

Core Modules
Credits
This practical class aims to provide you with a deeper understanding of high-level programming language. It covers several advanced topics, including object oriented, concurrent and network programming and provides insight into how data is managed in such systems. Practical sessions expose you to industrial software development practices.
This module draws on techniques from the field of Artificial Intelligence to implement the illusion of intelligence within Non-Player Characters. Utilising a commercial games engine, you will develop software that implements complex AI behaviour using multiple coordinated AI techniques that have been proven in a range of high-profile AAA titles.
You'll have the opportunity to carry out an individual in-depth investigation of a topic of interest, and to further develop your skills in research, problem solving and critical analysis. You'll select the project in consultation with your supervisor and may involve a local company. The work will be culminate in a final report and oral defence.
You'll develop a deeper understanding of production process in a simulated workplace. In a team you'll develop a game of your choice using appropriately researched tools, pitch the idea, demonstrate that recognised production techniques have been used in the development process and provide evidence that legal & marketing issues have been addressed.
Optional Modules
Credits
Discover how to design and develop a game engine, including their modular nature and different architectural approaches to their design. Using components built in this and related modules, you will implement your own engine, that will render 3D assets and include features such as user input, physics, cameras and a scripting component.
Design Patterns provide robust, reusable software solutions to common problems in different types of application. This module examines those ‘elegant’ patterns most widely used within the industry. Having successfully completed this module you should have a firm grasp of the structures, intentions and implementations of the major Design Patterns.
You'll study the ‘Critical Systems Specification’, a crucial point-of-reference for all subsequent activities in the software development process. This document must be expressed in a language whose vocabulary, syntax and semantics are formally defined, so is based on maths. This generates proofs that the resulting code will meet its requirements.
This module investigates and applies the successful combination of static verification techniques (inspection, walkthrough), alongside dynamic testing approaches (component, system, integration and acceptance), in the pursuit of creating software that is both fit for purpose and right first time, all within the framework of quality assurance.
You'll learn about the role of the physics programmer: developing the physics a game will employ. Typically, a game will only simulate a few aspects of real-world physics. To reduce unnecessary CPU (Central Processing Unit) usage, you'll study “shortcuts” that are computationally inexpensive but look and act “good enough” for the game.

What are the tuition fees

Home

Home, Academic Year 2023 - 2024

£9,250 per year

International

Overseas/International, Academic Year 2023 - 2024

£15,000 per year

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.

You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Questions about fees?

Contact our Enquiries Team:

0330 123 2023

advice@bnu.ac.uk

What are my career prospects? 

Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. We also help you find employment after graduation. Have a look at our Careers and Employability pages to find out more.

Graduates of the course will be well placed to pursue a career within the growing games and media sectors as Tool, Engine, Level, Graphical or AI Programmers.

Alternatively, you may use the transferable knowledge and skills gained during the course to follow a career within the mainstream software industry as Software Engineers, Analysts or Application Developers.

You could also choose to stay on at Buckinghamshire New University and continue your studies at postgraduate level.

Games Development student work 3

Did you know?

We are one of the top 10 UK universities mostly likely to produce graduates who go on to own or manage a business (Capital on Tap, 2021), find out more about this excellent news.

Course leader

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Guy Walker
  • Senior Lecturer
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Dr Kevin Maher
  • Deputy Head of School (Creative and Digital Industries)
  • Associate Professor
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Michael Everett
  • Associate Professor
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A head and shoulders shot of a smiling Justin Luker wearing glasses and a grey suit looking into the camera
Justin Luker
  • Senior Lecturer
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A head and shoulders shot of a smiling Hilary Mullen looking directly into the camera stood against a grey background
Hilary Mullen
  • Senior Lecturer
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A headshot of a smiling Philip James Bateman, a Games Development lecturer at BNU
Philip Bateman
  • Lecturer
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Mario Rui Oliveira Dos Santos
  • Senior Lecturer
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