Games Design and Development

Entry requirements

Games design and development students at the NFTS come from a wide range of backgrounds and prior experiences, and have all demonstrated an excitement, aptitude, creativity and willingness to learn new skills. We actively seek a diverse and interesting group of people who have something new to bring into the games development fold.

Successful applicants have come to us with previous qualifications from across the arts, sciences and humanities; and from all walks of life. Recent students have included a neuroscientist, a kickboxing instructor and a copy-writer! Games development experience is most welcome, but by no means essential.

While many applicants will have a degree from a British or overseas university, we will consider applicants who do not have a degree if they have an impressive portfolio, a creative track record or an alternative qualification.

Months of entry

January

Course content

Do you want to create your own games? Could you run your own games company? NFTS Games aims to give you everything you need to make high-quality games across a range of styles, formats and platforms.

Learn the practical skills and expand your creative knowledge to design, devise and build games, from inception to delivery, in our collaborative and innovative environment.

We have a ‘games innovation’ ethos, giving you the opportunity to create complete games in a unique environment, collaborating with students from across the School – from composers and sound designers to marketing and distribution students – learning not only how to create games, but how to release them and promote them across indie games and Triple-A.

You’ll get access to high-spec gaming systems and related tools, working on both solo and group projects, with plenty of opportunities to experiment, innovate and excel.

You’ll also have the opportunity to develop industry contacts through events and visits from professionals and experts.

Course Facilities

As an NFTS student, you will have 24/7 access to the NFTS Games Design and Development Lab. This consists of two large dedicated studios containing a suite of Alienware Aurora development workstations – one per student. Each machine is based around Intel i7 processors with Nvidia Geforce GTX 1080 graphics cards. They are all kitted out with the latest software and specialist game development tools.

What You Will Study

The video games industry is continually innovating and evolving, and new platforms and technologies have created fantastic opportunities for technical invention and artistic innovation. This course provides the practical skills and creative knowledge to design, devise and build games, from inception to delivery, and gives you the ability to experiment with evolving technologies and techniques. We strive to develop the creative leadership necessary to become a leading innovator and practitioner within the industry.

You will be working alongside film, television and animation practitioners, developing creative and technical skills in games design, code, art, animation, production, audio and interface. In our uniquely creative environment, we actively encourage students to benefit from numerous collaborative opportunities across our production studios.

In the first year students undertake a series of set projects – both group and solo – during which you also get to learn core games development disciplines of design, art, animation, coding and production. Modules and workshops cover 3D modelling/animation, game programming (C#/Unity), game design, character creation, producing and project management.

In the second year you will work with students from other disciplines to design, develop and market your Final Major Project.

Information for international students

This course is open to UK/EU/International students.

Fees and funding

Please visit our website for fees information. All production costs are included in the course fees, including the use of School facilities and equipment.

The NFTS is committed to ensuring it is open to students of genuine ability, no matter what their background or financial circumstances, which is why we award more scholarships and bursaries to British students, relative to the size of our student body, than almost any other educational institution in the UK.

Assessment