Games Design
Games design is a discipline concerned with the conception, development, and evaluation of games as interactive experiences. It encompasses the mechanics and systems that make games engaging, the narrative and aesthetic dimensions that make them compelling, and the production processes through which design ideas are turned into playable products. Games are now one of the largest entertainment industries in the world, and the skills that games designers develop are increasingly relevant beyond the games industry itself, in education, healthcare, training, and interactive media more broadly.
At Brunel University London, this three-year full-time programme develops the creative and technical skills needed to design, make, and understand games, with no previous games background required. The programme teaches you from the ground up, developing your ability to conceptualise and prototype game ideas, to understand the principles of player psychology and engagement, to work with design tools and game engines, and to evaluate the experiences your designs produce. The combination of creative and technical dimensions in the programme reflects the nature of games design itself, a field in which artistic vision and technical implementation must work together.
The programme is also concerned with the wider creative landscape, asking how games can innovate and shape culture beyond entertainment.
Graduates go on to careers as games designers, level designers, narrative designers, game artists, user experience designers, and producers across the games industry, as well as in the growing field of serious games, gamification, and interactive media for education, health, and training. Many graduates build careers in independent studios or with major publishers, while others apply their skills in adjacent industries such as film, advertising, and virtual reality. Postgraduate study in games design, human-computer interaction, or interactive media is another route, and some graduates go on to research and academic careers.