Game Design

Game Design is the discipline concerned with how games are conceived, structured and made to work as interactive experiences. It sits at the intersection of creative art, narrative, technology and psychology, asking how rules, systems, environments and stories can be combined to create experiences that engage players and keep them invested over time. Understanding game design means understanding not just how to make games but why certain designs work and others do not, and developing the range of skills, across art, audio, narrative and technical knowledge, that allow you to contribute meaningfully to the complex collaborative process of creating them.

At Keele University this three-year full-time BA develops your creativity, technical understanding and knowledge of the games sector across a combination of core game design modules and optional content drawn from computer science and sound design. You will apply your skills across game art, audio, narrative design and storytelling, developing a versatile range of competencies that reflect the genuinely multidisciplinary nature of professional game development. The course includes a sandwich year, a year abroad and a work placement, giving you substantial opportunity to develop professional and international experience during your studies.

Graduates from Game Design degrees go on to careers across the video games industry in a wide range of roles, including game designer, level designer, narrative designer, game artist, audio designer and production coordinator. Others find positions in interactive media, simulation and training, educational technology, user experience design and digital advertising, where the design thinking and creative problem-solving skills developed in games contexts transfer effectively. For those wishing to continue their studies, the degree provides a good foundation for postgraduate work in game design, human-computer interaction or digital media.