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Interactive Games Design – (M.Sc.)
Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus
Faculty of Science & Technology
| Application Deadline: | January 15 | ||
| Annual Tuition Fee: | ≈ € 6,820 - ≈ € 12,690 (non-EEA) | ||
| Location: | Cambridge / United Kingdom / View location on map ▾ Hide location on map ▴ | ||
| Duration: | 18 months | Start Date: | September |
| Educational Form: |
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| Languages: | English | ||
Location of Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus
The UK video games industry is currently worth £3.78 billion and contributes more to the UK's gross domestic product than the film industry. The Recent Livingstone-Hope Skills Review of the Video Games and Visual Effects Industry has recognised a skills shortage in the UK games industry and, in particular, a shortage of skilled games designers.
This course has been developed in close co-operation with Sony Entertainment, who have provided valuable input and guidance to help build an industry relevant degree.
Course content focuses on exploring a mixture of mechanical and creative processes which can be employed to create engaging interactive games. It recognises the fact that the design mechanics of many forms of games are similar, from video games to board games and alternate reality games, and the fact that these skills are transferrable across the entire entertainment industry.
Course delivery will focus on the application of theory to realistic design scenarios, recognising the importance of real world constraints. A key approach will be exposure to a series of practical design challenges in which you can apply theory gained from lectures and learn through iterative application of theory, testing, reflection and re-design.
This course focuses on developing your understanding of how to combine a range of design skills with your own specialist background knowledge. For this reason, the course would be suitable for students from a range of backgrounds, including programming, art, media and design. Students from other creative industries are also encouraged to apply.
The skills developed within this course will also be directly relevant to other forms of games, including board, educational and serious games. For those with a journalism background, the course will provide an ideal opportunity to develop an insight into the realities of games design and help strengthen your ability to analyse games.
We also encourage you to consider the entrepreneurial opportunities within the games industry. It is now possible for individuals or small teams to create and publish successful games across a range of platforms and this course would provide the technical design skills to enable you to consider such options.
This course will:
* meet a local and national demand for appropriately skilled game designers
* provide an opportunity for you to gain in-depth relevant specialist knowledge in games design
* demonstrate an ability to apply this specialist knowledge through the creation of innovative and engaging games
* develop objective and critical analysis skills necessary to synthesis effective game designs
* equip you with the appropriate depth in understanding of current game development tools and techniques.
Contents
Module guide
Core modules
* Game Mechanics (30 credits)
* Design Practice (30 credits)
* Game Technology (45 credits)
* Research Methods (15 credits)
* Postgraduate Major Project (60 credits)
On successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
* demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the design mechanisms which can be used to create engaging interactive games, and critically evaluate their effectiveness
* demonstrate an ability to deal with complex and interdependent design issues both systematically and creatively
* devise strategies to design, analyse, evaluate and optimise interactive games
* evaluate the tools and techniques required to create interactive games
* demonstrate an awareness of, and ability to critically evaluate, current research and challenges within the discipline
* recognise your obligations to function in a professional, moral and ethical way
* synthesize original interactive game designs from a knowledge of current tools, methodologies and strategies
* critically survey current and recent practice in the field of game design, in order to identify examples of best practice and to propose new hypotheses
* demonstrate the ability to act autonomously to plan and manage a project through its life cycle, and to reflect on the outcomes
* critically evaluate the goals, parameters and methodology of a research and development activity.
Assessment
Assessment within the degree will be based on coursework. This will take a variety of forms within each module. This could include a design document, physical or digital prototype, working video or board game, development blog, critical evaluation, presentation.
Due to the practical nature of the degree, formative feedback will be an integral part of the learning process. Within individual modules, a variety of tasks will be used to assist formative feedback, these will include work related case studies, game post-mortems, hypothetical scenarios and design tasks. These will be used to give students the opportunity to build confidence in their ability to analyse situations, identify key issues, select, synthesise and apply techniques and skills from different modules and to be able to evaluate the appropriateness of their solutions when compared to industrial practice.
You will also receive summative feedback at the end of a module which will provide an opportunity to reflect on their progress and to identify any further learning objectives which are specific to your own needs.
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Requirements
Degree classification required for entry - 2:1 or above. An online portfolio must be submitted and reviewed by the Admissions Tutor Steve Harris (or in his absence Mike Hobbs) before a place is offered. Portfolio requirements
As part of the entry requirements on to the MSc Interactive Games Design it will be necessary to review a portfolio of your work. We encourage applicants to host their portfolios online and provide us with the URL. Alternatively you may wish to mail a CD or hardcopy to our Admissions Office (please note that hard copies and CDs will not be returned to applicants).
What are we looking for?Your portfolio should comprise 4 to 6 pieces of work demonstrating the following:
* group work, where you have been an active contributor for the completion of a project
* a completed design project or interactive experience in either digital or non-digital form. This could be a board game, a physical game, a card game, a video game, an interactive tour, an art or engineering design project
* awareness of formal design techniques within interactive games
* evidence of how you have organised the testing of a product or experience and how you have used the results to improve it
* clear communication skills with evidence of analysis and critical evaluation
* awareness of the inspiration which art and science can provide to designers.
Submitting your portfolioIf submitting an online portfolio, supply the full URL to the Admissions Office. Hard copy portfolios are accepted, but will not be returned to applicants. If you send a CD\DVD portfolio please ensure the following:
* the CD\DVD must auto-run when inserted into a Microsoft Windows computer and present an appropriate interactive menu or clear instructions on how to view the contents of the CD\DVD
* ensure your portfolio does not require any specialist software to view the contents, and can be run in a stand-alone mode
* check your completed CD\DVD before sending it to the admissions team. A CD\DVD which is unreadable will delay your application.
International applicantsInternational applicants are encouraged to host their portfolios online and provide us with the URL or submit in pdf format by email attached. CD or hardcopy formats submitted by post to our International Admissions Office are also acceptable but please note that these will not be returned to applicants.
Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.
We welcome applications from International and EU students.
Additional Requirements
| Minimal degree required: | Bachelor's degree |
| Minimal amount of work experience | Not specified |
Language Proficiency
| IELTS Band: | 6.5 |
| Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE): | Grade C (Score: 60) |
| TOEFL Paper-based: | 600 |
| TOEFL Computer-based: | 250 |
| TOEFL Internet-based: | 100 |
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You can contact Admissions Office to ask a question about Interactive Games Design at Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge Campus.
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