COURSE CURRICULUM

In Term One, Expressive Game Design introduces students to the essential skills of conceptualizing, prototyping, and critically playtesting games. It focuses on crafting game systems that engage users beyond commercial entertainment, exploring how game mechanics can support specific messages or meanings. Students analyze historical games to identify poor player connections and develop design solutions to improve the user experience. The Games Research and Professional Contexts 1 unit equips students with research methods and industry practices to evaluate and assess games and gameplay. It combines scholarly approaches with professional insights into the game development process, helping students build a critical and reflective toolset.Term Two focuses on more advanced aspects of game design. In the Prototyping Lab: Genre and Affect unit, students create game design prototypes that subvert genre conventions and produce emotional and sensory responses in players. Games Research and Professional Contexts 2 deepens students' understanding of player typologies, immersion, and the emotional impact of games. The unit also encourages a reflective synthesis of both scholarly perspectives and professional practices. A key component of this term is the Creative Start-up, where students gain practical experience in a real-world business context, which enhances their CVs and professional confidence.In Term Three, the Games Design Major Project serves as the culmination of the course. This major project allows students to synthesize all the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the program. Students undertake a challenging and specialist project of their choice, demonstrating professional accomplishment. The project involves research, design, development, and evaluation, with documentation and a set of digital assets produced as part of the final deliverable. Optionally, students may collaborate with industry professionals to enhance the project's real-world relevance.