Game Development (Programming) MSc

Choose Kingston's Game Development (Programming) MSc

This course, one of a suite of digital media courses, enables you to study professional digital media practice in a microstudio environment with a focus on the programming skills necessary for the field of games development. Through a student-centred project-based curriculum, you work as a games programmer to develop your specialist skills while working as part of an interdisciplinary team with students from across the full programme.

• This course has been developed in consultation with our industry panel, and we are an educational partner of Sony Interactive Entertainment through PlayStation First. We are also an active member of TIGA, the games industry's representative body.
• This course has been designed to utilise the best digital media expertise and resources from across the University, and will prepare you for employment in the digital media industry, where teams of specialists work together to develop and author innovative digital media projects.

What will you study?

You will design and create computer games, alone and in teams, using industry-standard production management tools and techniques that stimulate a professional environment of collaboration to deliver a product on time. You will also develop vertical-slice prototypes using new technologies, such as computer vision and stereoscopy, and will learn how to present yourself to potential employers through your professional presence and portfolio.

Assessment

Vertical slices, prototypes, demos, videos, presentations, design documents, essays.

Many postgraduate courses at Kingston University allow students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; we cannot guarantee the work placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's tier 4 visa.

Invoicing on the placement courses is split into two stages. The standard course fee is payable in year 1 with the placement fee invoiced in year 2. Therefore, students starting in September 2017 would therefore be charged the placement fee of £1,070 in September 2018. Students commencing the course in September 2018 will be invoiced the placement fee in 2019 (provisionally £1,230).

This amount will only be charged to your account after you find a placement and are enrolled on the module. You will not be charged this fee if you do not manage to secure a work placement.

Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.

Kingston University is an educational partner of Sony through PlayStation First. Through this partnership you will have the opportunity to learn how to develop games for the PlayStation 4 as part of this course.

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.

Teaching on this course usually takes place in 2 separate specific week blocks (Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm). For further details please contact secpgstudentoffice@kingston.ac.uk.

Modules

• Digital Studio Practice

• Digital Studio Practice

  You will work with a multidisciplinary group of students as appropriate for your course (User Experience Design MSc, Game Development (Design) MA, Game Development (Programming) MSc and Computer Animation MA); involved with the digital media production process in response to a project brief developed in consultation with the industry panel and/or research staff. Projects concern contemporary platforms, such as iPhone, Android, Windows, Playstation, Xbox and Next Generation controllers and innovative input devices. You also develop a professional profile (online CV/portfolio) fitting for your role and intended destination which you maintain throughout the course.

  • Coursework: report, prototype, and presentation (group and individual)
  • Schedule: allow one weekday per week in the first semester
  • Class size: approximately 20–30
  • Staff: course staff

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• Media Specialist Practice

• Media Specialist Practice

  This flexible module gives each you the chance to develop your unique interpretation of professional practice that captures your specific interests or niche within your course field.

  • Possible specialisms for User Experience Design include: information architecture, web prototyping (Javascript, HTML, CSS etc), mobile-user testing, remote user research, visual design, interaction design, content strategy, service design, branded Ux and information design.
  • Possible specialisms for Games Development (Programming) include: tools and plug ins; pathfinding algorithms; graphics programming; physics; game server backends; traffic/flocking/crowd AI.
  • Possible specialisms for Games Development (Design) include: concepts; mechanics; levels, narrative; gameplay; world and system design; interface and navigation; casual, serious and game studies.
  • Possible specialisms for Computer Animation include: storyboarding; character development; visual narrative; match moving; lighting; art; environments; levels and props; motion capture; rigging; particles, dynamics and fluids; tools and plug ins.
  • Coursework: design report, artefact (video, prototype, design documentation, or empirical data as appropriate), presentation
  • Schedule: allow approximately one weekday per week in the second semester
  • Class size: approximately 20–30
  • Staff: course staff

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• Real-time Programming

• Real-time Programming

  This core module covers performance optimisation for application in computer games and embedded systems.

  On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

  • measure and optimise the performance of code in C/C++;
  • efficiently debug and troubleshoot code in C/C++;
  • improve code performance, through low- and high-level optimisation and create plug-ins based on DLLs;
  • create code optimised for specific games devices/embedded systems;
  • implement multi-threaded applications, for example on a PlayStation 3; and
  • develop optimised code using low and high level networking libraries.

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• 3D Game Programming

• 3D Game Programming

  The aims of this module are to equip you with the skills necessary to be able to create 3D computer games to a professional standard using appropriate game libraries and to develop problem-solving abilities in the relevant mathematics, physics and graphics techniques which underpin this.

  On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:
  

  • select and incorporate relevant mathematics and physics techniques in a games implementation;
  • describe and make use of rendering techniques to display 3D graphics primitives and handle images;
  • apply and code standard game elements such as camera, movement, skyboxes and terrains;
  • select and code using a range of game libraries and engines;
  • incorporate realistic behaviours and gameplay; and
  • develop reliable, tested games using industry-standard practices and techniques to schedule.

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• Digital Media Final Project

• Digital Media Final Project

  The Digital Media Final Project, as a capstone project, consolidates the knowledge gained in earlier modules and is informed and supported by prior learning.

  You will interpret the coursework into a practical solution and demonstrate skills in defining, analysing and developing a substantial solution to an individually defined design related problem. You will utilise an advanced understanding of contemporary digital media practice. The research and documentation of the project is an integral part of the submission; reflecting on the process, as well as the critical analysis and methodology of the research itself. The research will be conceptually integrated within the practical work. Individual project topics are expected to be wide ranging and provide the opportunity to fully investigate a practical situation, underpinned by a critical report on the work produced. Topics must allow the opportunity to position work with respect to business, social and cultural goals and identify and apply appropriate technology as a means of delivery.

  On successful completion of the module, you will be able to:

  • Critically apply theoretical knowledge of design and evaluate contemporary discourse on the subject.
  • Demonstrate the application of design research methods in formulating concepts and ideas.
  • Originate design propositions through the application of appropriate design ideologies, research principles, methods, materials and technology, forms, means, actions or interventions.
  • Engage in the critical reflection of own work and in peer review related to the development and production of the major project, employing skills of evaluation, contextualisation and communication.
  • Disseminate the research process and outcomes of the final project with appropriate currency and consideration of audience.

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You will have the opportunity to study a foreign language, free of charge, during your time at the University as part of the Kingston Language Scheme. Options currently include: Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.