About this course
- Entry year: 2012/13
- Course code: G611
- Applications: UCAS
- Level: Undergraduate
- Tariff points: 300
- Department: Computer Science and Creative Technologies
- Campus: Frenchay
- Duration: Three years full-time; four years sandwich
- Delivery: Full-time and sandwich
- Programme leader: Andy King
- Key fact: Great news for BSc(Hons) Games Technology - now accredited by the British Computer Society.
Introduction
The UK has traditionally been a major hub of video game development and as such, all the major international players - EA, Activision, THQ, Sega, Atari, Microsoft Xbox, Sony Computer Entertainment, Rockstar / Take Two, Codemasters, Nintendo and many more - all with a significant presence here in the UK.
More than 22,000 people work in the UK games industry with around 6,000 in development and we remain a competitive global contributor to the development of games technology. Despite the recent global downturn, the UK industry remains the third largest in the world in terms of developer success and sales of hardware and software by country alone. This is a significant industry that has seen huge growth over the last 30 years, with much more to come.
This course is designed to apply game concepts and techniques within the context of dedicated console devices and associated software development technologies, including mobile devices. The programme will introduce you to a range of development languages and tools during your first two years of study, followed by specialisation in Year 3.
Structure
Content
In the first year of the programme you will study computer systems and programming as well as media technologies which provide the framework for contemporary game design. You will also study the history of electronic games and create your first game in a dedicated authoring environment.
In your second year study will extend into game development core technologies. You will consider the role of artificial intelligence within the context of computer games. You will also be introduced to game content design and production using modelling and animation systems.
We encourage all students on our degree courses to do a placement year. You will discover that the experience of being in a company is an excellent preparation for your future career and invariably improves final year performance. The Placement Team will show you how to prepare your CV correctly, advise you on how to write letters of application and help you learn successful interview techniques.
The third year consists of a computing project and a specialised commercial games development where you will undertake roles as a team and development a title to industry specifications. You will also look at games development for the commercial environment and the professional, ethical and policy issues involved.
Find out more about the Department of Computer Science and Creative Technology.
Teaching and learning
We operate an extensive pastoral care system that includes a welcome weekend, induction activities and access to academic staff and student advisors for guidance and support throughout your time here as a student.
We also operate a Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) scheme, where specially trained and experience students provide mentoring and support to help you really get to grips with some of the more demanding subjects.
Our Graduate Development Programme (GDP), embedded as part of your course from day one, will help you to get to grips with University-level study. As you progress through your course, GDP adapts and grows with you to help equip you with the skills and competencies you will need once you graduate. GDP was put together across the University in response to an extensive consultation exercise with a wide range of employers.
Assessment
You will be stimulated and encouraged to become a proactive, autonomous learner through a variety of means. The most common way to be assessed is by examination and two pieces of coursework.
Special Features
Professional accreditation
This degree has been accredited by British Computer Society under licence from the UK regulator, the Engineering Council. Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.
BSc(Hons) Games Technology has been fully accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS) to Chartered IT Professional (CITP) level. In the Department, all courses that are determined as appropriate for accreditation and exemption are regularly inspected by the relevant institutions. Accreditation visits are cyclical and it is important that you check the current accreditation status of courses. For more information please visit www.bcs.org.
Find out more about the Department's accredited courses.
Placements
We encourage all students on our undergraduate courses to do a placement year, sandwiched between Years 2 and 3 of the degree. You will discover that the experience of being in a company is an excellent preparation for your future career and invariably improves your final year performance. Our Placement Team will show you how to prepare your CV correctly, advise you on how to write letters of application and help you learn successful interview techniques. Visit our Department website for more information about our work placements.
plan+make degree show 2011
Have a look at our students' work which was on display at the plan+make degree show 2011. Students from across the Department of Computer Science and Creative Technologies exhibited along with students from across the Faculty. The event, held in June each year, enables our students to showcase their final year projects to both family and friends as well as employers from the region.
Study facilities
Games Technology students will have access to a dedicated studio of over 40 high-end PC workstations with industry standard software and hardware.
Each PC has Nvidia Quadro FX graphics with dual monitors as standard. They are also equipped with industry standard tools such as Visual Studio/XNA, Maya, Adobe CS suite, Unreal Development Kit, Virtools and other relevant content creation applications for games.
You will also have access to a wide variety of consoles including Xbox360s and other hardware such as Kinect Sensors, which can be used for student projects.
Staff have also set up the UWEGames.com development portal which provides you with a suite of enhanced applications to work with during your studies. This helps you to familiarise yourselves with the tools used in industry and prepares you for the standards expected.
The department hosts its own servers to provide Windows, Linux and Unix based operating systems. There are over 500 available workstations in our teaching laboratories, as well as a large open-access laboratory providing PC and Unix based machines.
The Department operates an extensive pastoral care system that includes induction programmes and access to academic staff and student advisers for guidance and support throughout your time here as a student.
Students will use the Department's IT Helpdesk, staffed by students and available for both students and staff to use. You will also have access to Bristol UWE's vast IT services, including 24 hour computing laboratories.
Careers/further study
Recent graduates have taken up employment in a variety of roles including programming positions at key studios like Sony in London and Rockstar North, as well as a range of other studios throughout the UK. Our graduates attain the technical skills and creative process for design and development that the industry requires. Excellent opportunities for graduates exist with developers in the UK and worldwide, with many students additionally finding the core technical and transferable skills attained during the programme well suited to software development roles well beyond the context of entertainment software alone.
Check out our Games Forum where current students and lecturers are able to communicate informally. This has been created especially by our games technology academics to allow students to ask questions about the course and discuss their projects. Visit us at www.uwegames.com.
Graduate destinations
Find out what our graduates are doing six months after graduating- includes examples of careers, employers and further study. Download a PDF from graduate destinations.
Key employer partnerships
Our degrees can lead to a wide variety of career choices. To ensure that our degrees make you as employable as possible we work closely with seven major partner employers in our engineering and computing consortium.
Creating employable students
UWE places strong emphasis on employability and skills development at every level. Through work placements, volunteering, study abroad and UWE initiatives which nurture talent and encourage innovation, students gain valuable real world experience and graduate with diverse career opportunities and a competitive place in the job market.
See great graduate prospects for further information.
Be inspired
Read about the key jobs in the information technology sector.
Useful links
UWE - graduate occupations
Skillset - careers in the computer games industry
The UWE careers service provides guidance and support throughout your studies in addition to useful resources, CV checks, career coaching and details of current job vacancies.
Entry
Typical offers
- Tariff points: 300
- GCSE: Maths and English Language at grade C or above required.
- A-level subjects: No other specific subjects are required and you do not need to be familiar with programming to be accepted onto this course.
- Relevant subjects: Any Science or Technology subject.
- Access: Achievement of the Access to HE Diploma; achievement of level 2 credits in Maths and English Language.
- Baccalaureate IB: Accepted (see the UCAS website for the UCAS tariff points that you can gain from the IB to put towards our points requirements above)
Entry requirements
In addition to the 'typical offer' given here, please read the general information about
entry requirements.
How to apply
Please see the general information about
applications.
For further information
Page last updated 14 December 2011