1. BA Games Design
www.gamesatbrunel.com
@BrunelUni
#ExploreBrunel

2. Why Study
Games
Design at
Brunel?
Unique focus on game design
through theory
Supported by multinational
game companies
Investment in games, labs & facilities
Great graduate employment record
Taught by industry veterans and
pioneers of game studies

3. The Teaching Team

4. Professor Steve Jackson
• 30 years experience in the role-playing and
videogames industries
• Co-founder of Games Workshop
• Co-creator of Fighting Fantasy interactive game
books
• Designed first telephone game (F.I.S.T.)
• Games page of The Daily Telegraph
• Co-founded Lionhead Studios
• Created Battle Cards (collectable trading cards)
• Course fairy-godfather and über-industry contact

5. Justin Parsler
• Over 30 years of professional game design
experience. BAFTA Nominated.
• Senior Consulting Designer at Mediatonic, with
9 games currently in production, including
work for EA, Disney and The Walking Dead IP
• Research focuses on the nature of agency
(choice) and player empowerment
• Published academic work has includes analysis
of World of Warcraft, Lord of The Rings Online

6. Chris Cox
• Background in the creative arts and running
gaming events across the UK
• Game Designer / Lead Game Designer at Lady
Shotgun
• Producer and consultant at Octopus 8, one of
Develop’s 2013 Top 100 New Games Studios
• Teaches the Design and Application modules

7. Matthew O’Dell
• Graduate of CSM Industrial Design MA
• User Interface Designer for Xerox and others
• 3D / 2D game artist for web game developer JailDog
• Many years life drawing in acrylic, water colour, ink
• Freelance vector illustration
• Initially taught Comic Book Art at Chelsea College;
since taught a wide range of Adobe Creative Suite,
video games, various web / mobile / digital graphics

8. Dr Kelly Boudreau
• Player / avatar hybridity in the networked process
of digital game play
• Emerging digital / game research methodologies
• Modes of governance of toxic gamer culture
• Relationship between design and play
experience

9. Dr Ashley Brown
• PhD in Sociology from University of Manchester
• Fan of Role Playing Games (tabletop / digital)
• Board member of DiGRA (Digital Games Research
Association), and founder of UK chapter
• Research interest in nature of sexuality in games
• Active cosplayer and makes own outfits

10. The stuff that really matters
• The enthusiasm / respect we have for games design
• Our deep commitment to student learning – small team, highly
A great time to be studying games…
• In April 2014, EU agreed to UK tax credit of 25% of production
costs. 500 development studios in UK, employing around 9000.
• New generation of hardware (PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, Vita)
• Access to huge, growing market - 1 billion smart phones will be
sold in the coming year
GTA V made $800 million
dollars in it’s first weekend
Flappy Bird made
$30,000 a day
responsive, game jams, internships

11. The Degree Programmes & Possible Routes
Single Honours: BA Games Design – BBB / DDM
Or
BA Games Design and Film & TV studies BBB / DDM
BA Games Design and Creative Writing AAB / D*D*D
inc. English
BA Games Design with Film & TV studies
BA Games Design with Creative Writing
BA Film & TV studies with Games Design
BA Creative Writing with Games Design
Joint
Major
Minor
Note: entry requirements are under review, and likely to increase

12. ProPgrarcaticme-Tmheeor yE Smyntphehsias:sis
Practice informed by theory;
theory informed by practice
Theory Design Application
• Textual / formal dimension –
games as a particular language
• Socio-cultural dimension –
games as products of
societies, cultures
• Industrial dimension – how
games are shaped by
commercial and institutional
structures.
• Practical engagement with
designing games
• Self-evaluation and appraisal
• Creativity
• Pitching and market
• Group work
•Working with industry briefs
and formats
• Communication
• Presenting/pitching ideas
• Prototyping ideas
• Appreciation of the
industrial context of game
production
•Workshops on key skills.
• Industry speakers with
variety of roles.
Underpinned by art and animation skills

13. Single Honours – Additional Content
Additional Strand:
Asset & Story Creation
• Examine a range of
methods for
creating assets for
your games and
flesh them out even
further
• No prior experience
required
• Additional Level 3
project choice
Game-focused
modules in:
• Game Mechanics
• Animation
• Technical skills
• History of Games
Optional crossover
with computing
modules
• Round off your
game projects with
more assets and
spend more taught
time on their
narratives
• Your projects will be
your primary
assessments for the
whole 3 years

14. Ongoing Project Assessment
No exams.

15. Modules (each year worth 120 credits)
Level One
• Reading Games (20)
• Games Design 1 (20)
• Application (20)
(optional for Minor/Joint)
Joint: 40 or 60 credits
taken in other subject.
Single Honours:
• Historical Context and
Asset Creation & Story 1
or
• Film Style and Intro to
Programming
Level Two
• Critical Approaches(20)
• Games Design 2 (20)
• Application 2 (20)
(optional for Minor/Joint)
• Joint: 60 or 80 credits
taken in other subject.
Single Honours:
• Game Mechanics
• Asset Creation & Story 2
• Animation (optional)
Level Three*
• Socio-Cult. Contexts (20)
• Major Design Project (40)
and /or
• Medium Design Project
(20) (Term 1)
and / or
• Major Theory Project (40)
(Terms 1 and 2)
and / or
• Medium Theory Project
(20) (Term 2)
• Single Honours: Asset
Creation Project
* Options to be significantly
expanded and revamped

16. An example student game – “Autoscroll”

17. By the end of the course, you will have…
• gained much experience of making games
• a good understanding of how the games
industry operates
• had contact with a range of people working in
the industry / commenting on it and its products
• the ability to make use of a range of conceptual
models that aid the process of critical,
independent thought and problem solving

18. LudoLab - teaching
• Dedicated computer lab space for BA students
• High-end PCs, each with dual screens, Wacom tablet
• Two Macs, for exporting games to iOS
• Multimedia Fusion 2.5, Adobe Creative Cloud, Autodesk
Entertainment Suite 2014, Toon Boom Studio, Mixcraft 6
• Committed to further investment in computing resources
• 24 hour access
• Kitchen, bathrooms nearby

19. Ludolab - play
• PCs are available for LAN gaming
• Console lounge area with two HDTVs – PS3/4, Xbox 360/One,
WiiU.
• Vintage machines / games available (PSX, MD, DC etc.)
• Free to play / install own games (e.g. via Steam, XBLA)
• Small console game library

20. The Flat Room
• Secondary teaching space
• Large board game archive (£1500+ spent in the last year)
• Flexible layout, with tables to play games on

21. The ‘Ready’ Graduate Attributes Programme
• For first year undergraduates, 200 places available per term (10 weeks).
• 2 hours per week, with 2.5 hours outside work.
• Builds attributes / skills sought by employers:
• Communication
• Financial and other Data Analysis
• Personal Resilience
• Teamwork
• Commercial Awareness
• Organisation and Planning
• Problem Solving
• Time Management
• Work with students and staff from across Brunel along with a wide range of guest speakers.
• Project work reflects Brunel's focus on real-world learning, professionalism, and both local and
global communities.
• More info: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/life/student-guide/ready-programme.
• Enquiries to ready@brunel.ac.uk

22. Careers
• Games industry, in all its diversity – e.g.
designing, testing, producing, marketing
• Media industries, journalism, publishing,
research, critical writing, arts
administration…
• Transferable tech-industry focused skills e.g.
Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft software;
understanding of programming / computing
concepts.
• Opportunities offered by the other subject
of a joint honours degree.

23. Employment: all this and more!
• Junior Game Designer at Lionhead Studios
• Junior Game Designer at Asylum Entertainment
• Junior Game Designer at Curve
• Junior Game Designer at Nik-Nak
• Internships, Games Designers at Mediatonic
• Game and Level Designers at Supermassive Games
• Games Designer - Creative Assembly (BAFTA winner!)
• Games Designer at Splash Damage Games
• Games Designer at Rebellion Games
• Lead Games designer at Rovio (Angry Birds!)
• Games Designers at Zynga
• Games Designer at Riot Games USA
• Internships at Lionhead
• Internships at Ubisoft, Shanghai
• Localisation at Square-Enix UK

24. Summary: Why games at Brunel?
• Unique programme designed to help students gain
a foothold in the industry
• Proven track record of industry jobs
• Supported by a range of industry affiliates,
including some of the most well-known
developers world-wide
• Internship possibilities for talented students
• Taught by pioneering industry and academic
experts; regular guest speakers from the industry
• Dedicated programme lab – promotes
collaboration and a strong sense of ‘belonging’
• Join a community of game enthusiasts with a host
of different skills and backgrounds
www.gamesatbrunel.com
@BrunelUni #ExploreBrunel