Courses
Principles of Game Design (Semester 1)
Principles of Game Design refers to the development of a game’s playable context – its visual language, player engagement, rules and systems and game dynamics. In this course you will be introduced to the core terminology that forms the central principles for an engaging game. You will work with fundamental game mechanics such as goals, feedback, user interface, player agency, progression, balance, loops and player reward. A comprehensive understanding of these principles will provide you with a skillset to develop original games and equip you with a strong vocabulary to communicate and collaborate with colleagues from other disciplines on game design projects.
Art-Tech Collaboration (Semester 1)
Across all disciplines within the games industry, the ability to collaborate effectively is paramount to successful game development, enhancing innovation, problem solving and production efficiency. In this course you will work with one or two colleagues from differing disciplines, employing teamwork principles towards a common goal of completing a game pitch for a potential capstone project. Drawing on the skills learned from other courses, all team members will assume appropriate responsibilities, such as conceptual design, visual style, game mechanics, user interaction, programming and game demo assembly. The course culminates with a team presentation of a viable game concept that could be continued as a capstone project.
Games for Society (Semester 2)
As communications within society become increasingly digital and screen-based, so does the game nature of these interactions. From gamification of an interface to the use of game mechanics as the core experience, game thinking is fast becoming embodied in all digital interactions. In this course you will examine a range of roles that digital games play in society, such as education, training, simulation, health and well-being, raising awareness, lobbying, social services and social innovation. You will use this research to develop a prototype concept of a game that responds to a need in society. The learning in this course will provide an expanding awareness of the social aspects of game design that can be applied to all future game projects.
Human Computer Interaction: Theory and Practice (Semester 2)
This course introduces you to the principles and practices of designing interactive digital systems that are user-friendly, accessible and aligned with user needs. You will learn foundational theories in human-computer interaction, including cognitive models and interaction paradigms, and apply them through hands-on projects involving task analysis, interface prototyping and usability evaluation. The course aims to equip you with both conceptual understanding and practical skills for creating effective and meaningful user experiences. It is suitable for students interested in computing, design or product development, and serves as a strong foundation for careers in user experience (UX) design, interface development or further studies in human-centered computing and interaction design.
Capstone Project (Semester 2)
The capstone project provides the opportunity for students with differing skillsets to work together to create an original playable game prototype that culminates all the learning from this programme. Expanding from the game pitch in semester one, your team will move into the production phase, applying the game concepts, art, asset creation, mechanics, systems, programming and assembly into a production pipeline. You will work in small teams comprised of members from differing disciplines. This capstone project will provide the full experience of teamwork and game production, giving you a taste of how a professional production pipeline operates.
Foundation for Art and Creativity
A creative professional in the game development pipeline needs to possess the ability to effectively communicate original ideas through compelling visuals. Every game is defined by its unique artistic style and the artist’s creative expertise plays a pivotal role in determining the visual identity and experience of the game. This course will introduce you to the essential principles of artistic ideation, creative thinking, visual development and motion principles. Through exploration of a range of mediums and techniques, you will cultivate your artistic talent, focusing on foundational art skills, fostering creativity and originality, applied to the context of art and creativity for games. The skills learned in this course will enhance your capability as a game artist, an important component of game design and development.
Foundation for Technology and Coding
This course is designed to help you build a strong foundation in coding and computational thinking, with a particular focus on applications in game design. It is intended for students new to programming who are keen to explore how technology powers interactive digital experiences. Through engaging hands-on practice, you'll develop the skills and confidence needed to design algorithms, write codes and solve problems using programming languages—essential tools for your future projects and studies in game development.
Modelling and Animation for Games
All of the original visual assets that make up a game are designed, modelled and prepared for animation before importing into the game engine. In this course you will explore essential techniques and processes for creating 2D sprites, 3D models, textures, basic animation, use of motion capture, fundamentals of environment design, principles of efficiency and basic assembly inside a game engine. You will create a portfolio of modular art assets for a game proposal situation. The techniques and processes acquired from this course will enable you to build capable assets for any game project.
AI Generative Art
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to accelerate creative workflows and enable outcomes that would be difficult to achieve through traditional methods. In this course you will explore the principles of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) art, where digital systems are manipulated to produce creative results. You will investigate key concepts, techniques and tools as you learn to shape and refine visual and textual outputs. You will also examine the broader implications of generative AI, critically analyzing its integration into artistic workflows, advantages, limitations, originality, ethical considerations and industry practices. You will explore the role of input methods, particularly the role of language in guiding generative systems and how this programming influences the final result. As you develop a critical and practical understanding of generative AI’s potential, you will be able to apply these processes judiciously to other creative areas of game design.
Emerging Trends in Game Design
The digital game industry is constantly evolving as a consequence of technological advancements, new business models and changing consumer preferences. These dynamic trends can pose a challenge for any individual seeking employment in the game industry. In this course, you will investigate these trends, the state of the industry now and projected trends for the future. You will gain insights into game-changing trends, such as generative AI, new production pipelines, new monetization models, immersive technologies, platform preferences, genre trends and the embodiment of games as part of a changing consumer society. You will also investigate game genre trends, such as ambient games, adaptive storytelling, competitive formats, portable formats and games embedded into social media. This course will provide you with a greater awareness of your own potential to create opportunities within the games industry.
Game AI
This course focuses on concepts and techniques related to game artificial intelligence. It highlights design, deep learning, mathematical and programming issues related to the creation of artificial intelligence, character modelling, physics, animation and navigation. A game engine is used for hands-on sessions and assignments. It requires familiarity with linear algebra, calculus, programming and 3D computer graphics.
AI Driven Computer Graphics and Visualization
Automation and AI processes have revolutionized digital game development by enhancing speed, efficiency and creativity while delivering unique experiences for players. In this course you will explore procedural generation techniques to create game assets and behaviour from algorithms and datasets as well as integrate AI to visualize data in real time using a contemporary game engine. You will learn workflows for automating content creation, generating synthetic renderings and designing immersive visualizations. The skills and techniques learned in this course can be applied to any game project.
Immersive Design Environment
All games aim to engage players by fostering deep engagement, resulting in highly immersive experiences. This sense of immersion enhances player satisfaction, their sense of achievement and long-term loyalty, which are key factors that collectively drive a game’s success. In this course you will investigate principles of immersive game design, such as style, genre, narrative, sound, ambience, feedback, challenge and reward, with the goal to create high engagement to fully immerse a player in a game, whether this be a mobile handset, augmented reality or virtual reality. You will apply these principles and demonstrate proficiency by building a digital 3D immersive environment using a game engine.
Virtual Reality and Neural Rendering
This course covers concepts and mathematical foundations of virtual reality to model and experience immersive and simulated worlds in computers. An understanding of the hardware, software and algorithms for virtual reality allows you to push the limits to design and develop useful applications. It requires familiarity with linear algebra, calculus, programming and 3D computer graphics.
Modelling for Metaverse
This course aims to equip you with advanced knowledge and practical skills in 3D modelling techniques specifically designed for immersive environments within the metaverse. Through the integration of theoretical foundations, algorithms, software tools and hands-on practice, you will learn to design, develop and optimize complex 3D assets and environments suitable for real-time rendering in virtual and augmented reality platforms. The course emphasizes core modelling approaches, including polygonal modelling, NURBS (Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines) and subdivision surfaces, to ensure the creation of detailed, efficient and interoperable assets. In addition, you will learn emerging methods in computer vision and generative AI for 3D modelling, fostering critical engagement with data-driven and algorithmically generated content. Upon completion of the course, you will be well-prepared to contribute both creatively and technically to metaverse development across diverse domains and platforms.
Visualization
Visualization is important for effective data analysis, data exploration and insight communication. With visualization techniques and tools, everyday data analysts from various disciplines such as business, gaming, sociology, economy and public policy can convert data into visual representations and derive insights from massive, dynamic and complex datasets in an intuitive and interactive manner, making data analysis and insight discovery reliable, trustworthy and full of fun.
This course provides an in-depth exploration of visualization principles, practices and techniques for effective data analysis and communication. Students will gain a comprehensive understanding of visualization concepts, human visual perception principles, visual design guidelines and their applications in game design and development. The course introduces the advanced visualization techniques for displaying different types of real-world data that students may deal with, such as high-dimensional data, time-series data, geospatial data and network data. Through hands-on tutorials, projects and case studies, students will develop practical skills and technical competency in creating, evaluating and interacting with data visualizations, particularly those related to gameplay mechanics, user behaviour and production pipelines, while also gaining insights into the latest advancements in the field of data visualization.