Bachelor of Game Design and Development

2D Visual Asset Generation utilises traditional art foundation theories and contextualises these practices for the digital domain. Students will create artefacts in digital formats for a variety of uses including concept art, pixel art, in-game assets, colour keys, user interface flow diagrams and more. Practical applications of art specifically for games will also be covered such as the basics of 2D digital animation. Students will receive critique from lecturers and learn to evaluate their own artwork with a critical eye.

Game Design Principles introduces students to game design foundations, techniques and paradigms through a series of lecture-led and student-led activities. Students will explore game design principles through the analysis of existing game artefacts, applying those findings to the development of their own games. Students are introduced to a variety of analysis, development and presentation techniques encouraging discussion, creation and dissemination of their design choices through prototyping and documentation.

Design Context is a foundational subject that introduces students to the designed world and their place within it. Students are encouraged to explore the interconnected nature of design and its capacity to inspire change, drive progress and navigate complex challenges. Through observation, research and iterative approach students will develop a series of creative responses that demonstrate an awareness of the value of design and its ability to create meaningful interactions for people, communities and their environments.

3D Asset Creation expands on the knowledge gained in the 2D Asset Creation (ACR101) and allows the students to utilise industry standard 3D modelling tools and techniques to communicate complex ideas and emotions. Students will critique artefacts which utilise the concepts or form, function, and silhouette learned through the underpinning knowledge gained in the previous components.

This subject explores the relationship between materials and storytelling. It introduces students to the attributes of materiality and encourages them to re-imagine the possibilities of creating through making. Students will explore the art of paper folding, developing skills and taking creative risks. These results will be captured digitally and altered using the appropriate software. Individual tasks allow students to develop an understanding and appreciation of materials, their many varied uses, properties, and the sustainable manufacturing processes related to them. Students will progress towards determining suitable materials in which to construct their final model with its form and function contextualised and supported by a documented process journal. Their final submission will be a model that reminds us that stories which fill our lives are not only spoken and written but sometimes are best told through craft.

Game Production Foundation combines art assets and basic scripting, enabling students to recognise how user experience is affected through art, design, and code. Utilising game development techniques and tools, students will create their own games, which requires a multifaceted approach including the following: project management, art and design theory, user interaction, menu systems, audio integration, scripting, game design and release. These trans-disciplinary artefacts scaffold the student’s knowledge for when they will interact with other disciplines in a professional development environment.

Game Studies introduces students to the study of video games as texts situated within wider cultural and theoretical settings. Students will explore histories of video games as creative technologies and as cultural artefacts. These ideas will be framed through critical analysis of specific case studies, informed by a wider reading of contemporary games scholarship.

Through a series of lecture and seminar-based talks, discussions, and play sessions, students are encouraged to critically analyse the wider context of the game industry in relation to the economic, social, & cultural determinants surrounding the production & consumption of games & game technology.

This look into society develops scholarly skills by encouraging students to research and debate contemporary issues surrounding the production, dissemination, and consumption of interactive media.

This subject builds and expands upon the 3D asset creation techniques explored and practiced in ACR103.

Students will explore more advanced methodologies used in professional practice and integrate them into their existing workflows. This includes the areas of modelling, sculpting, texturing, shading and other 3D processes. With these principles and techniques, students will be able to achieve even greater artistic results with better efficiency.

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that enables students to learn while engaging actively with meaningful problems. Students are given the opportunities to problem-solve in a collaborative setting, create mental models for learning, and form self-directed learning habits through practice and reflection. The underpinning philosophy of PBL is that learning can be considered a “constructive, self-directed, collaborative and contextual” activity. The principle of construct positions students as active knowledge seekers and co-creators who organise new relevant experiences into personal mental representations with the help of prior knowledge. This is further reinforced by social theories of learning that advance the merits of social interaction in cognitive development. The aim of this subject is to trigger student learning with a problem which needs resolution. Students make connections to the challenge by activating their individual and collective prior knowledge and finding resources to make sense of the phenomenon; they also engage in peer learning through small-group discussions and consolidate their learning through reflective writing. Beyond enabling students to make sense of the concepts and subject matter, this learning experience will also help students develop an understanding of themselves and their contexts, and the ways and situations in which they learn effectively.

This subject provides students with foundational and core skills in rigging and animating characters and 3D elements in industry pipelines. The principles in animation, kinematics, rigging mechanics, animation direction and performance are explored, to inform the processes involved. Students will investigate industry techniques and practices and apply these in common scenarios in the field of game development and interaction.

The goal of this subject is to provide the students with an opportunity to collaborate on a series of projects, and enhance collaborative skills working within a team of people across multiple disciplines. Additionally, the assignments in this subject will challenge the student in finding creative solutions to project management and small scale rapid game creation. In teams, students will be asked to create and present various game prototypes over the duration of the subject.

The myth of innovation is that brilliant ideas leap fully resolved from the minds of geniuses. The reality is that most innovation comes from a process of rigorous examination through which great ideas are identified and developed before being realised as new offerings and capabilities. This subject introduces Problem Based Learning (PBL), mapped out as the 'Double Diamond’, the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are employed to integrate the needs of people, the possibility of technology and the requirement for business success. In this subject, students examine a range of possible ideas – divergent thinking; before refining and narrowing down to the best idea – convergent thinking. To discover which ideas are best, the creative process is iterative. Ideas are developed, tested and refined many times, with weak ideas dropped in the process. This cycle is an essential part of a good design strategy.

Students specialise in developing games for the Sony PlayStation® platform utilising available game engines for input, graphics, sound and physics. Topics covered include the theory of PlayStation® architecture including SDK installation and network neighbourhood. Students will also learn how to port a project to the platform.

Social Enterprise is an exciting theoretically-based subject that is driven by the desire to create positive change through entrepreneurial activities. These activities harness design thinking and problem-solving processes in the realisation of pragmatic, viable project proposals from initiation to client presentation. By providing students with a framework to understand business model generation and the skills to source, evaluate, and measure opportunities through systematic research and competitor analysis, Social Enterprise empowers students to conceptualise, develop and propose new ventures and products that focus primarily upon social change for good. In addition, this subject will help students understand and address the practical challenges of working within this environment; to analyse different entrepreneurial business strategies, to explore diverse funding strategies, as well as incorporate theoretical discussions on major trends and issues in the social economy. Social Enterprise enables students to appreciate the power of creativity in problem-solving and the importance of the designer’s role in making a difference and precipitating change.

This subject is designed to provide students with professional experience in an area related to their field of study or the career they are working towards. The aim of providing industry-specific opportunities is to enable students to develop skills that will enhance their prospects of gaining meaningful employment and building their career for the future.
Much of the benefit of work integrated learning comes from observation, practicing under supervision and reflection. Work Integrated Learning is an excellent way to broaden the students learning environment while they are studying. It allows them to see first-hand how what they are learning in their degree translates into practice, as well as how ‘real world’ practice relates to what they are learning at University.
This subject will develop work ready skills and boost students’ employability while they are studying.

There are two work integrated learning options available to students:
Option 1: Internship
Students are offered the opportunity to work within a professional design environment for an extended period of time. It encourages students to build long-term relationships with the design industry and exposes them to the rigour of applied design practice while building their confidence in adapting to new environments. It also provides a context in which to enhance their communication skills and work collaboratively in a professional arena. Students will undertake a series of research tasks, conducting interviews and gathering data in order to understand the key concepts in managing a professional design practice with emphasis placed on the operation of the professional design environment.

Option 2: Industry Live Brief 
This subject requires students to respond to criteria set within the context of an Industry Live Project. An understanding of research methodologies appropriate to professional practice and the documentation of personal creative investigation will be explored. Students will also further investigate and examine entrepreneurial and commercial opportunities through collaborative work practice. The subject is delivered from a cross discipline perspective and draws on both discipline specific and common design practices.
Students are required to work both independently or as part of a collaborative team in order to conduct research, analyse and define project parameters and deliver innovative solutions that expand the notion of an industry live brief.

Students develop game project documentation to be used in the development of a game, enhancing their skills in the areas of industry procedures and game design principles. Students draw on learning from previous materials to debate and justify the contents of their design. Teams need to communicate the project, ideas and scope through presentation, documentation, and playable prototypes. During this preproduction period, the environment is studio based, helping students prepare for industry realities.

This subject focusses on developing and producing an industry-ready creative technology project. In the pre-requisite subject (PPR301 Pre-Production Capstone 1), students addressed the pre-production components of a digital game. During this subject, students move from pre-production planning, to product development.

Students will work collaboratively to manage the processes surrounding production, design and development of their projects. They will formulate strategies that can be used to solve problems and adapt to changes and modifications so that the final product aligns with agreed outcomes.

Additionally, students will be required to explore developing technologies that can be incorporated into a digital project, and to reflect on, communicate and document their experiences.

This subject serves as an introduction to communicating with imagery, from initial concepts and quick sketches through to more sophisticated visual responses, utilising a variety of media. With an emphasis on exploration within historical, practical, and technical parameters, 'Thinking Visually' aims to enable the student to effectively articulate ideas through both drawing and photography. Students will develop skills in observation, idea generation, and effective visual communication through a combination of theoretical studies, observational drawing and material experimentation.

This subject provides an introduction to the information and skills needed to begin working in software engineering. This subject will cover the concepts of object-oriented programming with a particular focus on learning to use the C++ programming language. An understanding of C++ will form the basis of the necessary skills needed for developing professional and complex software packages such as video games.

This subject introduces the foundational theory and practice of motion graphic design and live action camera production. Students will explore basic skills in concept development, asset creation, 2D animation and compositing suitable for motion graphic production. Additionally, the process of developing a live action video piece is introduced, from pre-production through to post-production, including fundamental sound design principles. Students will gain basic skills in camera-based production including basics of lighting, sound recording and editing.

This subject explores the groundwork theory and practice of user experience (UX), user interface (UI) and interaction design for digital media. The subject covers the core research phases of UX before enabling students to create UI and web-based solutions to identified problems. Students will focus on interpreting and structuring information architecture and focus on the visual aspects of UI design – how visual design affects end-user experience.

Design Studio 2 offers an introduction to the building blocks of creating and developing brands and is designed to give students a broad understanding of the stages and methodologies adopted in the brand development process. The subject draws on the theory and practice that sits behind brand creation. It covers the broad spectrum of brand development, values, trends and branding techniques, as well as fundamentals such as brand positioning and brand architecture. The subject also explores the relationship between branding and audiences, cross-cultural influences and shifts in consumer behaviour. Students must first understand and apply the fundamentals of branding and then go on to use that knowledge as the basis for developing and progressing a brand. This theoretical and practical subject will equip students with the knowledge and insight with which to build their own branding expertise.

In this subject, introductory programming concepts and software engineering management methods are introduced within the context of game development. Through practical project-based learning and a foundational introduction to development through industry standard video game engine tools and associated programming languages, students will explore how to break complex development problems down into smaller tasks that can be planned, managed and implemented. This process will enable them to respond to game design briefs with appropriate programming and development solutions.

This subject expands the understanding of symbols, signs and semantic conventions within communication systems and media. Students are introduced to the history and application of semiotics and encouraged to review, relate and re-evaluate design and communication strategies within the context of de-constructing conventional thinking and design practices. There is particular reference to the cultural shift from words to pictures and the role of meaning in an evolving creative and technological environment. Students present individual and group solutions for the development of a system of symbols and information graphics.

Emerging Design Technologies: Commercial examines the technology focused theories affecting the experiential nature of design for commercial and public environments in both the physical and digital arena. It examines how technology is influencing the experience of retail, exhibition, workplace, hospitality and any activity associated with the commercial experience. It also examines a global context of changing perceptions of ‘commerce’ and how the commercial environment is being redefined by environmental and technological trends. This subject also explores the emerging factors influencing the experience of virtual worlds, film and animation.

This subject focuses on the design and modelling of characters suitable for 3D visualisation and animation. The subject explores organic and inorganic modelling principles and techniques for character body and face creation. Students learn how to create surface and subcutaneous anatomy, and how to create 3D textures by manipulating original source imagery. Throughout the subject, students learn how to apply concepts and principles of character creation to visualise personality, emotion and affect in 3D virtual characters.

This subject introduces the core theory and practice of 3D character animation. Students learn the creative and technical skills needed to rig props and characters for keyframe and performance capture animation. Fundamental character animation theory concepts and principles including character design, narrative, weight and timing are explored in order to inform animation design and development. The subject also introduces particle and rigid body dynamics as means of creating and augmenting animated sequences and content.

This subject focuses on the development of modelling and 3D design skills suitable for the creation of photorealistic and animated visualisations. Students will learn 3D design principles and techniques specific to the creation of photorealistic 3D imagery, including texture creation, lighting and photo-real rendering toolsets. In addition to learning about photorealist approaches, students will also have the opportunity to design and develop bespoke stylistic visual approaches as alternatives to photorealism. The subject also explores the creation of animated 3D simulations in order to visualise processes and systems.

This subject explores the theory and practice of motion graphic design. Idea generation and concept development techniques for motion graphic sequences are explored and practical and conceptual skills in asset creation, kinetic typography, 2D animation and compositing are developed. The history of motion graphic traditions such as broadcast and film title design are investigated as a means of enriching the design process.

This subject introduces the theory and practice of compositing and visual effects (VFX). A history of visual and special effects in film and TV production is covered as a means of exploring both the technical developments in this field and the new storytelling possibilities accompanying these developments. Students develop practical skills in fundamental compositing techniques such as chromakeying, rotoscoping, tracking, stabilisation and matchmoving. Students are also introduced to the challenges of balancing the creative and technical aspects of visual effects work by undertaking a project in response to a brief.

In this subject students will research and develop self-promotion materials in preparation for employment. Students will be expected in this unit to review, revise and edit their existing body of design work. They will be expected to frame and deliver this work with an emphasis on self-reflection and identification of a personal brand and value proposition in relation to a chosen design industry sector.

This subject addresses new and emerging technologies, methods and practice within the motion design field. Students investigate specific current examples of emerging practice within the field, assess their potential applications and appraise their creative and commercial potential. Students gain practical experience in the adoption of new concepts, processes and techniques through the completion of a research project. The subject also requires students to critically reflect on, document and communicate a research process and findings to a motion design community of practice.

This subject develops further practical and conceptual skills in motion graphics, reinforcing and extending skills in idea generation, asset creation, kinetic typography, animation, compositing and sound integration for motion graphic design. The subject also focuses on the design and development of 3D assets and animation for motion graphics, and the integration of motion graphics elements with live action footage, as a means of expanding students’ motion design vocabulary.

This subject develops practical and conceptual skills in compositing and visual effects. The subject focuses on managing and working within a small visual effects production team. Students are required to design and manage the production of their own original effects sequence, and also to contribute as a team member to a project led by another student. The subject also expands on compositing methodologies suitable for the integration of live action and computer-generated 3D imagery.

This subject covers the design and creation of 3D environments suitable for integration with live action and photographic imagery, and the fundamental knowledge and skills required in order to create successful composites of 3D and live action elements. Students will learn the essential compositing techniques required by 3D artists and animators, including tracking techniques for integrating 3D elements into moving camera shots. Students also learn how to prepare, render and deliver 3D design and animation assets in formats suitable for a range of compositing and visual effects uses and applications.

This subject focuses on defining the value of design in modern business. It embeds a systematic process for leveraging relationships between design and business processes and encourages students to think through design to exceed user’s needs. Students must understand and influence how people give meaning to things, by transforming ideas from conception to innovative business strategies. Students can generate unique user- centered offerings, build emotional brand engagements and gain insight into all aspects of establishing a unique and viable business. Students are required to conduct research, analyse and define an entrepreneurial and commercially viable opportunity.