Games Development MSc

This programme runs as part of a suite of six courses available from Digital Media Kingston: User Experience Design MA/MSc, Games Development MA/MSc and 3D Computer Generated Imagery MA/MSc.

This new suite of courses are twinned across the arts and sciences to prepare you for employment in the digital media industry where teams of specialists work together to develop and author innovative digital media projects.

The courses have been specifically designed to utilise the best digital media expertise and resources from across the three faculties of Art, Design and Architecture (FADA); Art and Social Sciences (FASS); and Science, Engineering and Computing (SEC). They have been developed in consultation with our industry panel which includes representatives from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, DreamWorks and Samsung Design Europe.

The emphasis on project and team work provides an industry-focused learning experience where you can hone your own specialist skills in a professional context. Work placements, real projects, internships and an industry mentoring scheme mean these courses will arm you for entry into the fast-growing and highly competitive digital media arena.

What will you study?

In the introductory part of the course, common across all DMI courses, you will work with other students from diverse academic, creative and technical backgrounds to experience the commonalities in professional digital media practice.

The second part of the course is shared with Games Development MA and 3D Computer Generated Imagery MA/MSc students. It focuses on the craft of modelling and visual effects, including the core 3D graphics skills of modelling, shading, lighting and rendering.

The specialist modules emphasise 3D graphics programming for games and the mathematics, physics and coding skills which underpin this. Optional modules allow you to either develop an individual design project and/or specialise in development methods, multimedia and/or networked communications in project work with other DMi students.

For your final project you will be encouraged to work in a team, taking a professional role (eg programmer, level designer, art director etc) to produce a professional piece of work. Alternatively you may undertake an industry-based project.

Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.

Core modules

• Digital Interdisciplinary Practice

• Digital Interdisciplinary Practice

  Responding to the changes and new demands of the digital media Industries, the focus of Digital Interdisciplinary Practice is establishing students' team-working skills through innovative project development practices devised in consultation with external advisors from industry.  These may be innovative and complex and involve high-levels of creative problem solving and user testing, developing students' ability to interpret,  interact and participate in iterative design processes and agile development practices.  Students' will be expected to present work in the context of their own practice, making their understanding of development processes for digital media clear and contextualising their own contribution.  They will also be expected to develop an understanding of how iterative design processes and agile development practices relate to career opportunities in the digital media industries, cultivate their professional practice and initiate professional standard working relationships towards group projects.

  
   
• Digital Content Production Processes

• Digital Content Production Processes

  This module forms one of the cornerstones of the Digital Media suite of courses and is one of two modules that all students will take. Its focus is on the various modes of production such as but not limited to: games production, mobile computing, online social spaces and interactive media. Indicative content may include idea development formalisations, responding to a brief, researching the brief, developing a pitch, pre-production paperwork, production pipelines, post production and testing etc. These practices will be contextualised by emerging and constantly changing legal frameworks of intellectual property, digital rights in the 21^st Century and the increasing concerns over accessibility are also explored.

  
   
• Fundamentals of CGI

• Fundamentals of CGI

  It is anticipated that students undertaking this module will already have experience of 3D computer generated imagery (CGI) in some form. This module develops student's skills up to a level that will enable them to continue with project components at postgraduate level. This will include the theoretical aspects of CGI. The module will ensure that students are competent in the preferred industry standard software used on this postgraduate course.

  
   
• Applications of CGI

• Applications of CGI

  This module will further develop your skills in 3D CGI modelling and rendering to an advanced level. You will specialise in the area specific to your overall degree course. This module will enable you to specialise in creating models for buildings, environments and interior spaces, photorealistic rendering and compositing into live action.

  
   
• High Level Games Programming

• High Level Games Programming

  The module covers the process of creating computer games using various graphics libraries together with high level games features such as particle systems, physics and behaviours. It aims to guide you through the process of creating 3D computer games to become familiar with code using high level games development libraries.

  
   
• Low Level Games Programming

• Low Level Games Programming

  This module covers performance optimisation in games programming. It aims to introduce the essential concepts of optimised coding strategies applied to games programming and relate these strategies to actual games hardware, and to study strategies for optimised networked games programming.

  
   

Option modules

• Agile Development

• Agile Development

  This module is a core module in the Information Systems and Software Engineering postgraduate programmes. The module focuses on various approaches to agile development and deals mainly with techniques, documentation, testing and project management. This module aims to provide:

  • a critical awareness of the strengths and limitations of agile development approaches and techniques;
  • a comprehensive understanding of the use of the DSDM Atern framework with analysis and design techniques from the object oriented paradigm; and
  • a systematic understanding of the fundamental principles and techniques associated with agile project management.
  
   
• Multimedia Communications

• Multimedia Communications

  The module mainly focuses on providing key concepts about multimedia signals (audio, images and video) and relevant compression and transmission techniques. It aims to provide you with an understanding of:

  • quality of service (QoS) parameters and mechanism applied to IP networks; and
  • the principles of source coding applied to voice, audio, image and video compression and experience of writing an academic report.
  
   
• Craft Project

• Craft Project

   

  In this module you will individually research a digital media craft. Research will be undertaken into the individual techniques, skills and working methodologies of that craft. You will need to adopt contemporary practices currently used within industry. At the end of the module you will need to display your ability in the craft with an appropriate individual project. This will be an individual project and the skills learnt should compliment the skills learnt in the taught part of the programme.

  Examples of such craft skills are learning a specific aspect of 3D modelling, learning a scripting language, building user interfaces, learning a software application, developing skills in dynamic simulation, developing skills in high dynamic range imaging, learning a rendering application. This could be a craft skill that will be required for your final major project.

   

  
   
• Digital Communications

• Digital Communications

  To provide you with working knowledge of the digital communications area, covering subjects such as PHY for digital networks, digital transmission and media, digital modulations and digital access networks with emphasis on wireless networks. This module aims to provide you with:

  • a sound understanding of the physical layer;
  • a comprehension of digital transmission;
  • a comprehension of digital modulation;
  • an understanding of transmission media; and
  • a comprehension of high-speed digital access with emphasis on wireless networks.
  
   
• Digital Audio

• Digital Audio

  This module aims to:

  • develop your understanding of digital music production;
  • provide you with the skills to use MIDI qequencers and samplers in the creation of audio files; e.g. sound effects, music, samples, field recording, MIDI, etc.;
  • to enhance your understanding of the makeup of analog and digital audio;
  • engage you critically with the principles of sound design for digital media products including websites, CDRoms, digital video and mobile content.
  
   

Staff from three faculties teach on this course.

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