Game and Level Design BA Honours
Gain the technical training and overall knowledge to build your creative portfolio and succeed in the competitive games industry and beyond
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Viewing course details for 2024 year of entry
- Code
- W248
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Start
- September 2024
- Fees
- £9,250 (UK) | £16,600 (INT)
- Duration
- 3 years full-time
- Course Leader
- Penda Tomlinson
- Study mode
- On campus
- Location
- Hendon campus
- Entry Requirements
- 112 UCAS points
- Placement year
- Optional
- School / Department
- School of Film
Do you want to design and balance game mechanics as well as tell stories? On this hands-on course, you'll be making games with a mix of digital and paper prototyping and planning from week one.
Why choose Game and Level Design BA at Middlesex?
Learn to design game mechanics as well as tell stories. Staff have experience across AAA, indie, tabletop and mobile gaming. You will develop your skills in designing and prototyping games as well as several forms of storytelling. On this highly practical course, you'll be making games with a mix of digital and paper prototyping and planning from week one.
Our students work with Middlesex students from our 3D animation, art and design, music, and computing departments as part of our coordinated workshop activities and making games.
Our links with industry partners also give you access to live briefs, guest lecturers, and potential employers. These include CCP, CD Projekt Red, Creative Assembly, King, Mediatonic, Media Molecule, and NaturalMotion among many others.
What you will gain
The games industry is complex, diverse and spans a variety of old and new technologies from print to computer software to 3D printed game pieces. This BA gives you the skills and knowledge you need to become a successful games designer in this fast-changing industry.
You’ll gain hands-on experience that will help you build your portfolio that will set you up for a successful career in a range of creative industries. This degree's mix of in-person and online teaching will prepare you for the distributed nature of the world of work.
You’ll develop your employability skills and industry connections with a range of work placements and internship opportunities. Year after year, students from this programme produce fantastic, high-quality game prototypes. Take a look at some of the games created by our students past and present.
What you will learn
You will learn key skills, such as game design and prototyping, game engine scripting, environmental storytelling, game writing, idea generation and selection, game prototyping, basic programming, writing and storytelling for games and environmental design.
3 great reasons to pick this course
About your course
The overall themes of this degree are project work, analysis, research, reflection, collaboration, making, diversity, play and experimentation.
Your first year provides an overall introduction, where you will begin to learn the essential skills you need to become an effective games designer. These include such skills as, programming, level design, mechanics and some basic 3D modelling and sound editing. You will also learn about the broader context of games – their history and cultural impact, player experience and theories relating to game design.
Develop an understanding of workflows for making game prototypes using two different game engines as examples.
Develop an understanding of workflows for making game prototypes using two different game engines as examples.
Develop an understanding of workflows for making game prototypes using two different game engines as examples.
Explore the key theoretical concepts and history of game development and player experience focused design.
Your second year develops the topics that were introduced in year one with a greater emphasis on group work (including projects with students on other courses) and experimentation. Explore designing mechanics using a range of technologies and tools including VR/AR and locative elements.
Work to fulfil an industry brief as a collaborative group. Work with students from different specialities managing asset workflows to produce a prototype.
Develop an understanding of the technical challenges of designing for delivering a game to multiple platforms (PC, Mobile, Console). Develop a prototype for a cross platform game.
Learning to craft player experiences using worldbuilding and characterization techniques that include game writing and environment design.
Explore the key theoretical concepts and history of game development in a wide range of contexts. This includes looking at serious games and games for education.
Your final year is where you can develop and specialise your skills even further and showcase your mastery with a significant project. You will produce a complete level environment using your advanced level design knowledge. You will develop your portfolio using updated project work from over your three years of study and undertake an industry-focused project, which may be the result of an internship, a live industry brief or a negotiated topic.
Develop a more advanced appreciation for creating story-based experiences using assets, sound, and writing to create well rounded levels.
Propose a games design research topic and write a substantial examination of the existing knowledge on the subject. Using an existing game or a prototype they will carry out a playtest study to examine the design question that interest them.
Take a game idea from pitch to advanced prototype. Most students will work as a group and are encouraged and supported in finding students from other disciplines to collaborate with.
To find out more about this course please download the Game and Level Design BA Honours specification (PDF).
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Teaching
You'll be taught by an experienced teaching team with a wide range of expertise and professional experience. You will learn by attending project-based workshops with recorded and live lectures and seminars. Seminars and workshops are a great opportunity to discuss what you have learnt in lectures and through independent study with your peers and tutors. You will work with fellow students on related courses such as 3D animation, art and design, computing and graphics while gaining experience in teamwork and professional workflow as you collaborate to produce working games. The programme is focused on innovation and design, equipping you with the skills you need to begin your career in this rapidly changing area. Most seminar groups have about 20–30 students. Work is divided into credits of approximately 10 hours of study time. You will need to complete 120 credits per year, which are broken down into modules of typically 30 credits.
During your first year, your weekly timetable will typically consist of:
- 4–6 hours of practical workshops
- 1–2 hours of lectures
- 4 hours of seminars
Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.
Teaching vs independent learning
Here is an indication of how you will split your time:
Year 1
|
Percentage |
Hours |
Typical activity |
|
24% |
288 |
Teaching, learning and assessment |
|
76% |
912 |
Independent learning |
Year 2
|
Percentage |
Hours |
Typical activity |
|
24% |
288 |
Teaching, learning and assessment |
|
76% |
912 |
Independent learning |
Year 3
|
Percentage |
Hours |
Typical activity |
|
22% |
264 |
Teaching, learning and assessment |
|
78% |
936 |
Independent learning |
Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop your skills, from research and practical skills to critical thinking. Our Sheppard Library is open 24 hours a day during term time. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus.
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North London campus
Our north London campus is 23 minutes away by underground train, travelling from London Kings Cross.
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Student Support
We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.
Additional needs
We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.
Wellness
Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.
Work while you study
Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.
Financial support
You can apply for scholarships and bursaries and our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
We have also reduced the costs of studying with free laptop loans, free learning resources and discounts to save money on everyday things. Check out our guide to student life on a budget.
Careers
How can the Game and Level Design BA support your career?
This degree equips you with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive as a game designer in a dynamic industry. Through hands-on experience, you will develop a portfolio that will set you up for a successful career in a range of creative industries.
Graduate job roles
This degree opens up a wide variety of different career options, including technical game designer, gameplay designer, level designer, interaction designer, app designer, developer and programmer.
Graduate employers
Graduates from the course have gone into a range of roles throughout the gaming and creative industries:
- Junior open world designer at CDProjeckt Red
- Game designer at Outplay Entertainment
- Game developer at Trick27
- Level designer at Pixel Foundation
- QA tester at Rockstar
- Account assistant at PlayStation
- Assistant producer at Square Enix
Transferable skills
This degree's mix of in-person and online teaching will prepare you for the distributed nature of the world of work. You will gain experience and skills in management and team collaboration.
MDXworks
Our careers and employability service, MDXworks will launch you into the world of work from the beginning of your course, with placements, projects and networking opportunities through our 1000+ links with industry and big-name employers in London and globally.
Our dedicated lifetime career support, like our business start-up support programme and funding for entrepreneurs, has put us in the top 10 UK universities for students who want to be CEOs and entrepreneurs (Hitachi, 2021).
MDXcelerator Student Start-Up Support
Want to be your own boss? You'll have the chance to pitch your business to gain mentoring and grants of up to £15,000.
Global network
You’ll study with students from 122 countries who’ll hopefully become part of your global network. And after you graduate, we'll still support you through our alumni network to help you progress in your chosen career.
Work placements
Placements and internships can greatly improve your future job prospects after you graduate. They usually boost your confidence and academic results by giving you the opportunity to practice what have learned in a professional setting.
Our specialist employability service will help you find placement opportunities.
Entry Requirements
Our entry requirements provide a guide to the qualifications that you’ll need to study our courses. We have a personalised admissions approach and we make fair but aspirational offers. We want you to aim high and achieve great results.
Qualifications
- 112 UCAS points
- empty col
- A-Level
- BBC
- BTEC
- DMM
- Access requirements
- Overall pass: must include 45 credits at level 3, of which all 45 must be at Merit or higher
- Combinations
- A combination of A-Level, BTEC and other accepted qualifications that total 112 UCAS Tariff points
At Middlesex, we're proud of how we recognise the potential of future students like you. We make fair and aspirational offers because we want you to aim high, and we’ll support you all the way.
We’ll always be as flexible as possible and take into consideration any barriers you may have faced in your learning. And, if you don’t quite get the grades you hoped for, we’ll also look at more than your qualifications. Things like your work experience, other achievements and your personal statement.
Our general entry requirements page outlines how we make offers where we have given a range (e.g. BBB – BBC in A levels), and how you will be made an offer if you are studying a combination of qualifications (e.g. BTEC and A level). In both cases, we will base this on information you’ve provided on your application. Applications from mature candidates without formal qualifications are welcomed, provided they can demonstrate appropriate levels of relevant ability and experience.
We'll accept T Levels for entry onto our undergraduate degree courses (including our extended courses with a foundation year) with standard application of science requirements and GCSEs in line with UCAS tariff calculation.
Foundation year
If you don't meet the entry requirements, why not consider our Foundation Year in Media course to help you prepare for the full degree?
Mature students (over 21)
We welcome applications from mature candidates, including those without formal qualifications if you can demonstrate relevant experience and ability.
Academic credit
If you have a qualification such as a foundation degree or HND or have gained credit at another university, you may be able to join us in year two or three. Find out how you can transfer courses.
If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, we may be able to count this towards your entry requirements.
Interviews
You won’t be required to attend an interview for this course.
We welcome students from the UK, EU and all over the world. Join students from over 122 countries and discover why so many international students call our campus home:
- Quality teaching with top facilities plus flexible online learning
- Welcoming north London campus that's only 30 minutes from central London
- Work placements and networking with top London employers
- Career support to get you where you want to go after university
- Global alumni network and connections
Qualifications
In addition to qualifications such as A level and International Baccalaureate, we accept a wide range of international qualifications.
Find out more on the relevant country support page. And if you are unsure about the suitability of your qualifications or would like help with your application, please contact your nearest regional office.
English language
You'll need good English language skills to study with us. The most common qualification we accept is the IELTS 6.0 (with minimum 5.5 in all sections). We also normally require Grade C GCSE or an equivalent qualification. Find out more about our English language requirements. And, don’t worry if you don't meet our minimum English language requirements, as we offer an intensive pre-sessional English course.
Visas
To study with us in the UK, you will need a student route visa.
Interviews
Interviews are not required for this course.
Please apply now via UCAS using code W248.
Need help with your application? Check out our undergraduate application page.
Fees & Funding
The fees below are for the 2024/25 academic year:
UK students1
Full-time: £9,250
Part-time: £77 per taught credit
International students2
Full-time students: £16,600
Part-time students: £138 per taught credit
Additional costs
The following study tools are included in your fees:
- Free access to resources, learning materials and software you need to succeed on your course
- Free laptop loans for up to 24 hours
- Free specialist software for your course
- Free printing for academic paperwork
- Free online training with LinkedIn Learning
The following course-related costs are not included in the fees, and you will need to budget for these:
- Additional books that you wish to purchase
- Memory media
- Stationery
- Travel to some (non-course essential) external events
Scholarships and bursaries
To help make uni affordable, we do everything we can to support you including our:
- MDX Excellence Scholarship offers grants of up to £2,000 per year for UK students
- Regional or International Merit Awards which reward International students with up to £2,000 towards course fees
- Our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
Find out more about undergraduate funding and all of our scholarships and bursaries.
Fees disclaimers
1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase undergraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.
Speak directly with one of our Unibuddy student ambassadors
Unistats information
Discover Uni provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Middlesex.
Please select 'see course data' on the following course option to view the full Unistats data for Games Design and Development.
Why not explore
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.