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Computer Games Production BSc (Hons)

Become the innovative games producer or project manager of your dreams on our Computer Games Production degree course.

University of Portsmouth Connected Degree - 3 year course with 4th year placement

Key information

UCAS code:

I601

Accreditation:

This course is Accredited

Typical offer:

112-120 UCAS points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent

See full entry requirements
Study mode and duration
Start date

Showing content for section Overview

Overview

Our award-winning Computer Games Production degree course will help you achieve your dream of becoming a computer games producer or project manager.

You’ll also develop the essential business expertise to start your own indie games studio and tackle the challenges that arise – from funding and protecting your innovative ideas, to team and project management, marketing, and leadership. By working with fellow students from our Computer Games Technology degree course, you’ll gain experience in all areas of game development.

Our course emphasises collaboration and has strong ties with the South Coast games industry, so you'll have many opportunities to work with games companies, culminating in a year-long shippable development project in your final year.

The independent games industry is skyrocketing. According to Ukie, the trade body for the UK games industry, video games contributed a record £2.91 billion to the UK economy in 2019 and the pandemic has created a huge revenue opportunity. Now’s the golden time to make your mark.

Course highlights

  • Learn current industry standards by studying modules created with eminent games companies such as Rare
  • Build your industry contacts by collaborating with games companies
  • Learn from a teaching team with a mix of managerial experience and industry expertise
  • Attend guest lectures by industry speakers to increase your industry knowledge
  • Take advantage of a self-employed placement year to gain valuable professional experience
  • Showcase your work at our annual Graduate Show to attract potential employers and the wider public
TIGA Winner Logo
TIGA Accredited Course logo, featuring an illustration of a tiger with 'TIGA' beside it, and 'Accredited course' situated underneath

10th

for animation and game design in the UK

(Guardian University Guide, 2024)

Accreditation

This course is accredited by TIGA (The Independent Game Developers’ Association) as delivering skills relevant to the games industry. TIGA accreditation is applicable to courses meeting any of a range of games industry needs, such as programming, art, design and entrepreneurship.


In 2021, the University of Portsmouth was awarded Best Educational Institution at the TIGA Games Industry Awards.

Contact information

Admissions

+44 (0) 23 9284 5566

Contact Admissions

Entry requirements

BSc (Hons) Computer Games Production

Typical offers

  • A levels - BBB-BBC
  • UCAS points - 112-120 points to include a minimum of 2 A levels, or equivalent. A relevant qualification or experience in art/design/creative computing or graphic arts is required. Applicants without relevant qualifications will be asked to provide a portfolio to support their application. (calculate your UCAS points)
  • T-levels - Merit
  • BTECs (Extended Diplomas) - DDM-DMM
  • International Baccalaureate - 25

You may need to have studied specific subjects – find full entry requirements and other qualifications we accept.

English language requirements

  • English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5.

See alternative English language qualifications.

We also accept other standard English tests and qualifications, as long as they meet the minimum requirements of your course.

If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

We look at more than just your grades

While we consider your grades when making an offer, we also carefully look at your circumstances and other factors to assess your potential. These include whether you live and work in the region and your personal and family circumstances which we assess using established data.

Explore more about how we make your offer

Facilities

Images capturing CCIXR facility

Motion Capture Studio

Learn how to use the same professional motion capture equipment used in the VR, game design, and film industries.

Eliz Yusuf - CCIXR shoot

Photogrammetry and Scanning Studio

Scan people, objects, or locations with our 144-camera-decked photogrammetry and scanning studio.

Glenn Harris - CCIXR facility

Volumetric Video Studio

With our Holosys™-powered Volumetric Video Studio, you can capture stunning 3D footage of moving objects for your next XR project.

Careers and opportunities

The UK games industry has boomed despite the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, its generated revenue increased by 20% to £907 million, accelerating the UK's gross domestic profit to £2.2 billion (£4 million more than the previous year). In addition, almost 31,000 new jobs related to games studios were created – over 4,000 more than before the pandemic (TIGA, 2020).

Over the next few years, revenue and job opportunities in the UK games industry are expected to rise, so as a graduate, you'll be well-positioned to help further expand this exciting, innovative industry.

Graduate destinations

Our graduates have worked at some of the biggest names in the games industry, including:

  • Black Rock
  • Climax
  • Codemasters
  • Creative Assembly
  • d3t
  • Electronic Arts
  • Frontier
  • Jagex
  • Kwalee
  • Rebellion
  • Sony

Ongoing careers support

Get experience while you study, with support to find part-time jobs, volunteering opportunities, and work experience.

Towards the end of your degree and for up to five years after graduation, you’ll receive one-to-one support from our Graduate Recruitment Consultancy to help you find your perfect role.

Luke wearing a black T-shirt, on a sunlit beach, standing in front of the sea

The course helped me get a two-month internship as a Product Manager at a significant mobile games company. ...With only a few weeks left before my graduation, I was able to secure a full-time position as an Associate Product Manager with BossAlien, working on the Star Wars IP.

Luke Fitzgerald, BSc (Hons) Computer Games Enterprise alumnus

Placement year (optional)

After your second or third year (full-time), you can complete an optional work placement to gain professional experience and enhance your skills. It also makes a great incentive for employers once you graduate.

You can work for a company, organisation or agency, or you can go self-employed and start your own business with fellow students or by yourself.

Whatever you decide – or even if you just want some employability advice – our exclusive Creative Careers team can support you every step of the way.

Creative Careers

Our in-faculty Creative Careers team has extensive recruitment experience and knows the creative sector well, making it easier for students to find placements within the creative industries.

They can guide you through every step of the application process, including:

  • Searching for the ideal job through their database of vacancies
  • Giving tips on how to write an interesting CV that will catch employers' attention, no matter the role
  • Organising mock interviews, so you can hone your technique and familiarise yourself with the recruitment environment
  • Writing your startup business proposal – if you're going down the self-employment route

The team will continue to give you support throughout your placement year.

Lauren is Founder and Lead Developer of her own computer games studio, Dyak Studios

Featured placement

Lauren Ansdell-Miller – Self-employed

Lauren dove into a self-employed placement and set up her own company, Dyak Studios. Discover her entrepreneurial journey and learn about her highlights, challenges and best practices.

Read about Lauren's placement 

Modules

Each module on this course is worth a certain number of credits. You'll need to study modules worth a total of 360 credits.

If you're studying full time, you'll complete modules worth 120 credits each year for 3 years, with an optional placement year.

If you're studying part time, you'll complete modules worth 60 credits each year for 6 years.

What you'll study (full-time)

Core modules

You’ll practice various modeling techniques, from box modelling to sculpting. Master the art of asset creation that meets specific project requirements.

By assessing basic principles and their impact on final results, you’ll develop advanced technical skills. With your creative thinking and understanding of procedures, you'll excel in 3D roles and unlock new possibilities.

By practising texture and movement rendering techniques using analogue mediums, you’ll develop your drawing prowess.

By the end of the module, you’ll be able to bridge principles of visual communication with emerging tools for crafting emotive digital worlds.

You’ll work with different programming languages and APIs to show your understanding of technical terms. You’ll also master the control of game behaviors and data variables.

By recognising patterns in syntax, you’ll be able to write or forecast code outcomes accurately, establishing essential skills for creating functional game systems and mechanics.

You’ll test code and asset creation techniques aligned to brief specifications and actively identify and resolve product issues from visual bugs to interactive mechanics.

The collaborative context requires coherent documentation and excellent team communication.

By the end of the module you’ll be equipped with project lifecycle experience - from aligned ideation to an optimised, playable game demo.

Learn how gameplay mechanics, storytelling, and level design work together by studying successful games.

By looking at important academic sources, you’ll improve your academic writing skills and come up with original game concepts.

This module is ideal for developing your own design approach and generating marketable ideas for the entertainment industry.

By analysing case studies across game creation sectors, you’ll gain insight into economic and cultural drivers of success and failure.

You’ll use specialist abilities from art to engineering and have the invaluable opportunity to enrich your technical literacy - creating pieces of work as a team that are aligned to industry priorities.

Core modules

In this module, you’ll work with others to explore game ideas from concept to execution. Learn how to do market research, business strategy, marketing planning, and pitching with lecturers’ guidance. Work on team projects and presentations to assess the usefulness of game concepts and plan for their commercial success.

By the end, you’ll have the entrepreneurial mindset, collaboration skills, and industry knowledge to set up your own studio or prosper in one.

You’ll evaluate communication strategies and lead discussions that align desired outcomes with audience needs.

By analysing management styles and work-life philosophies, you’ll devise balanced, ethical frameworks to enrich sustainable practices. With critical reflection, you’ll be equipped to champion inclusive spaces where all voices are valued - driving innovation through unity.

Optional modules

You’ll research, design, and develop a character and environment following an industry-standard brief. Create model sheets and mood boards to guide your 3D workflow and visualise your concepts as you take your asset from concept to finish. Finally, you will use professional real-time techniques to create a demo reel that shows your technical excellence.

This module will equip you with practical experience and key skills in creating triple-A game assets, VR/AR content, and other real-time 3D applications.

In this module, you'll generate and evaluate ideas that bring narrative concepts to life.

In the design process, you'll express your vision through composition, observation, and interpretation. Experiment with software to advance your surfacing, lighting, and rendering techniques, then use your new technical and creative skills to craft an animated short through performance and visual storytelling.

With this module, you can transform a story from page to screen using 3D animation and visualisation abilities. By the end, you'll have valuable experience in creating captivating characters and animated worlds.

You'll gain familiarity with common code patterns and mechanisms for implementing interactivity, guided by code analysis and experimentation.

Through programming challenges, you'll apply your skills to build small-scale yet engaging gameplay prototypes.

This module provides the core technical knowledge to start realising your visions as playable game experiences.

By evaluating different programming approaches, you'll develop the implementation skills to advance your game projects from concept to playable prototype.

You'll investigate major game engines and collaboratively evaluate their potential.

Choosing an appropriate technology, you'll undertake a hands-on project to build a small-scale game interface.

Through this focused task, you'll gain practical experience working with industry-standard tools.

By the end, you'll have developed core technical knowledge to start interfacing games using professional APIs.

Apply design theories and professional methods to produce playable versions of games across various genres. By testing these games and thinking critically, you’ll spot what’s working and what’s not, then hone your games bit by bit.

You’ll thoroughly analyse how to make games fair and exciting, discover how game elements can lead to new gameplay, and learn how to polish the game rules and play. You’ll take a game idea all the way to a refined prototype that’s ready to be turned into a digital game.

This module will boost your abilities in coming up with ideas, making paper prototypes, testing games, and refining them — all crucial skills for a budding game designer.

Above all, you’ll see how making prototypes quickly and getting user feedback lead to better games.

You'll gain familiarity with common code patterns and mechanisms for implementing interactivity, guided by code analysis and experimentation.

Through programming challenges, you'll apply your skills to build small-scale yet engaging gameplay prototypes.

This module provides the core technical knowledge to start realising your visions as playable game experiences.

By evaluating different programming approaches, you'll develop the implementation skills to advance your game projects from concept to playable prototype.

Apply design theories and professional methods to produce playable versions of games across various genres. By testing these games and thinking critically, you’ll spot what’s working and what’s not, then hone your games bit by bit.

You’ll thoroughly analyse how to make games fair and exciting, discover how game elements can lead to new gameplay, and learn how to polish the game rules and play. You’ll take a game idea all the way to a refined prototype that’s ready to be turned into a digital game.

This module will boost your abilities in coming up with ideas, making paper prototypes, testing games, and refining them — all crucial skills for a budding game designer.

Above all, you’ll see how making prototypes quickly and getting user feedback lead to better games.

You’ll get to spend a semester at one of our global partner universities, giving you a unique international spin on your learning. This experience is perfect for building professional skills and a global outlook, preparing you for work anywhere in the world. You’ll also get the chance to study and work on your own in a new setting, which will boost your personal growth and relate to your degree.

When you come back, you’ll be full of fresh ideas to energise your work.

This module gives you the chance to explore different approaches and build international networks in creative technologies.

It will help develop your practical knowledge and collaborative abilities to thrive in the film and games industries.

You’ll use drawing to capture animal forms, structure, texture, and proportions. Relating visual research to the design process, you’ll develop industry-standard workflows, put your skills into practice through industry-led briefs and create professional-quality concepts and assets.

You can immerse yourself in the production pace and pipelines of entertainment studios through collaboration in a simulated studio environment.

You’ll finish this module with real-world creative experience and a portfolio of your design talents.

Join a team of creative students and do a project together. Try new things and see how they can help you.

You’ll also grasp how to use your skills with others. Sometimes you’ll be a leader, sometimes a helper. Talk about your ideas and learn from them. You’ll make something to show what you learned and share it with others.

This module helps you gain new skills and understand other fields. You’ll be a smart and creative person, ready to solve real-world problems.

You’ll choose learning tasks that add up to 60 hours, like internships, volunteering, research, or remote study that match your career plans. Workshops will help you make meaningful goals and think about what you’ve accomplished. Through this, you’ll grow the knowledge, skills, and qualities you need to thrive in the workplace.

By looking at your growth through active participation and reading, you’ll become a perceptive, eager job-seeker who stands out.

By evaluating concepts from algebra to trigonometry, you’ll grasp their integration and solve technical challenges to elevate product capabilities and optimise performance.

You’ll develop your problem solving skills through industry-inspired exercises, as this module provides crucial analytical foundations that are transferrable to programming roles - where mathematical fluency intersects with code to create dynamic interactive experiences.

You'll learn standard console hardware, software, and workflows. Create optimized software under console restrictions and use profiling tools for smooth gameplay. Develop pro-grade games with console dev kits, APIs, and documentation. This module upgrades console development skills for success in the games industry.

Get ready to ideate, plan, and execute games — tailored to market needs — to thrive as a game designer in industry.

As part of the design process, you’ll analyse game genres to understand mechanics, systems, and documentation. From that, you’ll create professional design documents for an original game concept and enrich your concept by evaluating commercial contexts to consider target platforms and audiences. In the last stage, your ideas will come to life through a digital prototype, presenting your gameplay and innovation.

By completing this module, you’ll gain first-hand experience of taking a game from concept to playable build.

Core modules

Demonstrating project management and problem-solving skills, through critical analysis and experimentation, you'll produce a body of work that advances knowledge in your discipline.

Communicating scholarly outcomes with impact, you'll demonstrate your knowledge and abilities, drawing together your learning into a compelling self-directed showcase.

This is the culmination of your degree journey - proving your readiness for professional and academic challenges ahead.

Putting methodologies into practice, this module develops adaptable leadership and communication abilities — empowering you to set direction and motivate groups to achieve shared goals.

You'll get essential experience for coordinating projects involving creative programmers and artists. You'll oversee schedules, resources and workflow, emerging as a collaborative producer ready for industry challenges.

Building on prior project experience, you'll evaluate approaches to optimise outcomes for stakeholders. You'll cement your ability to strategically manage creative undertakings.

Analysing wider leadership models to hone your own style and strengths, you'll reflect on successes and areas to grow.

Optional modules

As part of your games industry training, you will work on a project that aligns with your career aspirations. This could involve creating 3D characters and worlds, designing original artwork or animating game levels. You will have the freedom to unleash your creativity and showcase your skills by incorporating real-world elements into your game designs.

In addition, you will learn to make informed design decisions through independent study and proactive feedback, rather than relying solely on classroom instruction. By analysing professional works, you will be able to evaluate your own creations and ensure they meet industry standards.

By the end of this module, you will have built a portfolio that demonstrates your readiness to embark on a career in game development, with projects that reflect your ambitions.

More information for this module will be available soon.

Through lectures and discussions, you’ll explore academic perspectives, covering analytical, cultural, and design approaches. You’ll think critically about old and new ideas, using theories such as Huizinga’s ‘magic circle’ to examine game structures, content, and players. You’ll also focus on how to research games, using various methods to understand them in context.

By the end, you’ll be able to study games academically. This knowledge is great for your final-year projects, further study, or jobs in game production, journalism, user testing, and research and development.

You’ll end up with a firm grasp of games as a cultural form, preparing you for an industry or academic career in games.

You’ll learn to use game data like player input, physics, and game states to design reactive soundscapes that adapt as you play. Explore how to create non-linear music and sounds that can be generated on the fly. Pick up industry skills in audio middleware to build systems that can mix and switch sounds dynamically.

Make and produce your own music and sound effects that work well with interactive elements. Use coding to create your own audio plugins. Show off your technical and artistic skills with an interactive audio project in a game engine.

This intense training in a specialised area will give you expertise that game studios really want.

The module also gives you valuable experience in managing projects as you turn your sound ideas into reality. Challenge what’s possible in game audio and let your creativity soar.

You will dive into essential AI concepts, from academia to industry, and practice making AI alone or in a group. You will get to use methods like pathfinding, decision trees, and machine learning to create more engaging games. Additionally, you will explore various strategies for AI challenges in games and learn how to create realistic characters through advanced knowledge and reasoning.

By completing this module, you'll gain genuine experience in enhancing AI for more engaging games. Your skills will be in high demand for jobs in AI and game creation.

Delve into the latest algorithms, rendering, and development tools that drive interactive media. Use real-life examples and exercises to examine the technologies shaping the future of games, animation, and more. Get tips from leading graphics researchers and develop the advanced skills you need to be innovative — whether in business or academic work.

Once you finish, you’ll be set to use the latest graphic techniques to make your own virtual worlds. This module will motivate you to keep pushing the envelope.

In this fascinating module, you’ll delve into this enthralling next-gen realm. Explore the latest techniques for digitally capturing human motion and seamlessly applying it to 3D character animation.

Join us in our futuristic mocap studio and master the entire process — from capturing data to animating it using industry software. Experts will guide you as you critically assess different technologies and develop skills to preserve the authenticity and nuance of performances.

By the end, you’ll have firsthand experience with this powerful storytelling tool, widely used to create captivating virtual characters in films, games, and beyond. Your creativity will soar as you explore the boundless possibilities of bringing digital worlds to life.

More information for this module will be available soon. 

By producing platform-specific demos, you’ll use suitable languages and asset optimisation techniques to critically assess hardware capabilities and audience priorities.

You’ll gain insight into commercial programming challenges, and this will enable strategic consideration of economic factors when proposing content across emerging channels.

During this module, you'll spend 6 months working on your own business venture, then 3 months gaining industry experience. This opportunity allows you to apply what you've learned in a practical setting while exploring different career options. You'll also have the chance to develop professional relationships and expand your network.

Assess your personal strengths and weaknesses to set goals for the future. Throughout the module, you'll demonstrate increasing independence while still valuing the support of others. Gain a broader understanding of the world through real-world experiences and insights. Additionally, you'll earn valuable credits for your CV and enhance your skill set.

By the end of this module, you'll graduate with the practical experience that employers are seeking.

This experience lets you learn firsthand how to set up and run a small business. You’ll absorb professional practices and business situations that matter to your entrepreneurial goals. Make important connections while working independently within set rules. Think deeply about your strengths, weaknesses, criteria for success, and future plans.

This opportunity is useful for your career. It lets you use what you’ve learnt in your degree in the real world and helps you understand your capabilities.

After finishing this placement and the related assessments, you’ll get more credits for your sandwich degree. This practical experience is a valuable step in developing an entrepreneurial way of thinking.

You’ll spend 24–48 weeks at a chosen company, learning from professionals and helping out with actual projects. Gain confidence, knowledge, and skills by taking on more responsibility with gradually less help. As you progress, you’ll make professional connections and think about how you’re doing. Take in what you learn about how industries and businesses work.

This placement is an ideal chance to grow in your career. By using what you’ve learnt in a workplace, you’ll understand more about your own strengths, what you need to work on, and your plans after you graduate.

After this placement and the related assessments, you’ll get extra credits for your sandwich degree. This practical experience is a valuable part of your education.

Showcase specialised abilities by completing relevant assignments abroad. Then examine your global experience critically: how has immersion in foreign creative culture expanded your perspective? Identify new cross-cultural transferable skills to empower your continued educational and professional journey.

Evaluating international contexts, you'll critically connect on-site activities to your disciplinary knowledge, gaining global insights. Working independently abroad, you'll complete relevant assignments, honing skills transferable to your future career.

Upon returning, thoughtful reflection will reveal your personal growth as you process new worldviews and cross-cultural competencies.

What you'll study (part-time)

Core modules

You’ll practice various modeling techniques, from box modelling to sculpting. Master the art of asset creation that meets specific project requirements.

By assessing basic principles and their impact on final results, you’ll develop advanced technical skills. With your creative thinking and understanding of procedures, you'll excel in 3D roles and unlock new possibilities.

You’ll work with different programming languages and APIs to show your understanding of technical terms. You’ll also master the control of game behaviors and data variables.

By recognising patterns in syntax, you’ll be able to write or forecast code outcomes accurately, establishing essential skills for creating functional game systems and mechanics.

Learn how gameplay mechanics, storytelling, and level design work together by studying successful games.

By looking at important academic sources, you’ll improve your academic writing skills and come up with original game concepts.

This module is ideal for developing your own design approach and generating marketable ideas for the entertainment industry.

Core modules

By practising texture and movement rendering techniques using analogue mediums, you’ll develop your drawing prowess.

By the end of the module, you’ll be able to bridge principles of visual communication with emerging tools for crafting emotive digital worlds.

You’ll test code and asset creation techniques aligned to brief specifications and actively identify and resolve product issues from visual bugs to interactive mechanics.

The collaborative context requires coherent documentation and excellent team communication.

By the end of the module you’ll be equipped with project lifecycle experience - from aligned ideation to an optimised, playable game demo.

By analysing case studies across game creation sectors, you’ll gain insight into economic and cultural drivers of success and failure.

You’ll use specialist abilities from art to engineering and have the invaluable opportunity to enrich your technical literacy - creating pieces of work as a team that are aligned to industry priorities.

Optional modules

In this module, you'll generate and evaluate ideas that bring narrative concepts to life.

In the design process, you'll express your vision through composition, observation, and interpretation. Experiment with software to advance your surfacing, lighting, and rendering techniques, then use your new technical and creative skills to craft an animated short through performance and visual storytelling.

With this module, you can transform a story from page to screen using 3D animation and visualisation abilities. By the end, you'll have valuable experience in creating captivating characters and animated worlds.

You'll investigate major game engines and collaboratively evaluate their potential.

Choosing an appropriate technology, you'll undertake a hands-on project to build a small-scale game interface.

Through this focused task, you'll gain practical experience working with industry-standard tools.

By the end, you'll have developed core technical knowledge to start interfacing games using professional APIs.

Apply design theories and professional methods to produce playable versions of games across various genres. By testing these games and thinking critically, you’ll spot what’s working and what’s not, then hone your games bit by bit.

You’ll thoroughly analyse how to make games fair and exciting, discover how game elements can lead to new gameplay, and learn how to polish the game rules and play. You’ll take a game idea all the way to a refined prototype that’s ready to be turned into a digital game.

This module will boost your abilities in coming up with ideas, making paper prototypes, testing games, and refining them — all crucial skills for a budding game designer.

Above all, you’ll see how making prototypes quickly and getting user feedback lead to better games.

It will help develop your practical knowledge and collaborative abilities to thrive in the film and games industries.

You’ll use drawing to capture animal forms, structure, texture, and proportions. Relating visual research to the design process, you’ll develop industry-standard workflows, put your skills into practice through industry-led briefs and create professional-quality concepts and assets.

You can immerse yourself in the production pace and pipelines of entertainment studios through collaboration in a simulated studio environment.

You’ll finish this module with real-world creative experience and a portfolio of your design talents.

Get ready to ideate, plan, and execute games — tailored to market needs — to thrive as a game designer in industry.

As part of the design process, you’ll analyse game genres to understand mechanics, systems, and documentation. From that, you’ll create professional design documents for an original game concept and enrich your concept by evaluating commercial contexts to consider target platforms and audiences. In the last stage, your ideas will come to life through a digital prototype, presenting your gameplay and innovation.

By completing this module, you’ll gain first-hand experience of taking a game from concept to playable build.

By evaluating concepts from algebra to trigonometry, you’ll grasp their integration and solve technical challenges to elevate product capabilities and optimise performance.

You’ll develop your problem solving skills through industry-inspired exercises, as this module provides crucial analytical foundations that are transferrable to programming roles - where mathematical fluency intersects with code to create dynamic interactive experiences.

Core modules

In this module, you’ll work with others to explore game ideas from concept to execution. Learn how to do market research, business strategy, marketing planning, and pitching with lecturers’ guidance. Work on team projects and presentations to assess the usefulness of game concepts and plan for their commercial success.

By the end, you’ll have the entrepreneurial mindset, collaboration skills, and industry knowledge to set up your own studio or prosper in one.

You’ll evaluate communication strategies and lead discussions that align desired outcomes with audience needs.

By analysing management styles and work-life philosophies, you’ll devise balanced, ethical frameworks to enrich sustainable practices. With critical reflection, you’ll be equipped to champion inclusive spaces where all voices are valued - driving innovation through unity.

Optional modules

You’ll research, design, and develop a character and environment following an industry-standard brief. Create model sheets and mood boards to guide your 3D workflow and visualise your concepts as you take your asset from concept to finish. Finally, you will use professional real-time techniques to create a demo reel that shows your technical excellence.

This module will equip you with practical experience and key skills in creating triple-A game assets, VR/AR content, and other real-time 3D applications.

You’ll get to spend a semester at one of our global partner universities, giving you a unique international spin on your learning. This experience is perfect for building professional skills and a global outlook, preparing you for work anywhere in the world. You’ll also get the chance to study and work on your own in a new setting, which will boost your personal growth and relate to your degree.

When you come back, you’ll be full of fresh ideas to energise your work.

This module gives you the chance to explore different approaches and build international networks in creative technologies.

You'll gain familiarity with common code patterns and mechanisms for implementing interactivity, guided by code analysis and experimentation.

Through programming challenges, you'll apply your skills to build small-scale yet engaging gameplay prototypes.

This module provides the core technical knowledge to start realising your visions as playable game experiences.

By evaluating different programming approaches, you'll develop the implementation skills to advance your game projects from concept to playable prototype.

Join a team of creative students and do a project together. Try new things and see how they can help you.

You’ll also grasp how to use your skills with others. Sometimes you’ll be a leader, sometimes a helper. Talk about your ideas and learn from them. You’ll make something to show what you learned and share it with others.

This module helps you gain new skills and understand other fields. You’ll be a smart and creative person, ready to solve real-world problems.

By evaluating concepts from algebra to trigonometry, you’ll grasp their integration and solve technical challenges to elevate product capabilities and optimise performance.

You’ll develop your problem solving skills through industry-inspired exercises, as this module provides crucial analytical foundations that are transferrable to programming roles - where mathematical fluency intersects with code to create dynamic interactive experiences.

You’ll choose learning tasks that add up to 60 hours, like internships, volunteering, research, or remote study that match your career plans. Workshops will help you make meaningful goals and think about what you’ve accomplished. Through this, you’ll grow the knowledge, skills, and qualities you need to thrive in the workplace.

By looking at your growth through active participation and reading, you’ll become a perceptive, eager job-seeker who stands out.

You'll learn standard console hardware, software, and workflows. Create optimized software under console restrictions and use profiling tools for smooth gameplay. Develop pro-grade games with console dev kits, APIs, and documentation. This module upgrades console development skills for success in the games industry.

Core modules

Demonstrating project management and problem-solving skills, through critical analysis and experimentation, you'll produce a body of work that advances knowledge in your discipline.

Communicating scholarly outcomes with impact, you'll demonstrate your knowledge and abilities, drawing together your learning into a compelling self-directed showcase.

This is the culmination of your degree journey - proving your readiness for professional and academic challenges ahead.

Optional modules

As part of your games industry training, you will work on a project that aligns with your career aspirations. This could involve creating 3D characters and worlds, designing original artwork or animating game levels. You will have the freedom to unleash your creativity and showcase your skills by incorporating real-world elements into your game designs.

In addition, you will learn to make informed design decisions through independent study and proactive feedback, rather than relying solely on classroom instruction. By analysing professional works, you will be able to evaluate your own creations and ensure they meet industry standards.

By the end of this module, you will have built a portfolio that demonstrates your readiness to embark on a career in game development, with projects that reflect your ambitions.

More information for this module will be available soon.

Through lectures and discussions, you’ll explore academic perspectives, covering analytical, cultural, and design approaches. You’ll think critically about old and new ideas, using theories such as Huizinga’s ‘magic circle’ to examine game structures, content, and players. You’ll also focus on how to research games, using various methods to understand them in context.

By the end, you’ll be able to study games academically. This knowledge is great for your final-year projects, further study, or jobs in game production, journalism, user testing, and research and development.

You’ll end up with a firm grasp of games as a cultural form, preparing you for an industry or academic career in games.

You’ll learn to use game data like player input, physics, and game states to design reactive soundscapes that adapt as you play. Explore how to create non-linear music and sounds that can be generated on the fly. Pick up industry skills in audio middleware to build systems that can mix and switch sounds dynamically.

Make and produce your own music and sound effects that work well with interactive elements. Use coding to create your own audio plugins. Show off your technical and artistic skills with an interactive audio project in a game engine.

This intense training in a specialised area will give you expertise that game studios really want.

The module also gives you valuable experience in managing projects as you turn your sound ideas into reality. Challenge what’s possible in game audio and let your creativity soar.

You will dive into essential AI concepts, from academia to industry, and practice making AI alone or in a group. You will get to use methods like pathfinding, decision trees, and machine learning to create more engaging games. Additionally, you will explore various strategies for AI challenges in games and learn how to create realistic characters through advanced knowledge and reasoning.

By completing this module, you'll gain genuine experience in enhancing AI for more engaging games. Your skills will be in high demand for jobs in AI and game creation.

Core modules

Putting methodologies into practice, this module develops adaptable leadership and communication abilities — empowering you to set direction and motivate groups to achieve shared goals.

You'll get essential experience for coordinating projects involving creative programmers and artists. You'll oversee schedules, resources and workflow, emerging as a collaborative producer ready for industry challenges.

Building on prior project experience, you'll evaluate approaches to optimise outcomes for stakeholders. You'll cement your ability to strategically manage creative undertakings.

Analysing wider leadership models to hone your own style and strengths, you'll reflect on successes and areas to grow.

Optional modules

Delve into the latest algorithms, rendering, and development tools that drive interactive media. Use real-life examples and exercises to examine the technologies shaping the future of games, animation, and more. Get tips from leading graphics researchers and develop the advanced skills you need to be innovative — whether in business or academic work.

Once you finish, you’ll be set to use the latest graphic techniques to make your own virtual worlds. This module will motivate you to keep pushing the envelope.

In this fascinating module, you’ll delve into this enthralling next-gen realm. Explore the latest techniques for digitally capturing human motion and seamlessly applying it to 3D character animation.

Join us in our futuristic mocap studio and master the entire process — from capturing data to animating it using industry software. Experts will guide you as you critically assess different technologies and develop skills to preserve the authenticity and nuance of performances.

By the end, you’ll have firsthand experience with this powerful storytelling tool, widely used to create captivating virtual characters in films, games, and beyond. Your creativity will soar as you explore the boundless possibilities of bringing digital worlds to life.

More information for this module will be available soon. 

By producing platform-specific demos, you’ll use suitable languages and asset optimisation techniques to critically assess hardware capabilities and audience priorities.

You’ll gain insight into commercial programming challenges, and this will enable strategic consideration of economic factors when proposing content across emerging channels.


Changes to course content

We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.

Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.

Placement student Tyler

I started exploring how I could combine my passion for video games and Esports with my future development and stumbled across the ... Computer Games Enterprise course. [It] looked like the perfect combination of technical development and creativity.

Tyler Truett-Bond, BSc (Hons) Computer Games Enterprise alumnus

How you're assessed

You’ll be assessed through:

  • practical projects
  • work portfolios
  • academic and evaluative essays
  • multiple choice tests
  • oral presentations
  • examinations
  • case studies

You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.

You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.

Teaching

Teaching methods on this course include:

  • lectures
  • seminars
  • tutorials
  • digital lab sessions
  • online lessons
  • project work

We work with game developers and professional bodies such as The Independent Game Developers Association (TIGA) to make sure the course content stays up-to-date with industry trends and developments. So your skills will be up to date when you finish the course.

How you'll spend your time

One of the main differences between school or college and university is how much control you have over your learning.

We use a blended learning approach to teaching, which means you’ll take part in both face-to-face and online activities during your studies.  As well as attending your timetabled classes you'll study independently in your free time, supported by staff and our virtual learning environment, Moodle.

Term dates

The academic year runs from September to June. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter.

See term dates

Supporting you

The amount of timetabled teaching you'll get on your degree might be less than what you're used to at school or college, but you'll also get support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:

Types of support

Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.

You'll have regular contact with your personal tutor in learning activities or scheduled meetings. You can also make an appointment with them if you need extra support.

In addition to the support you get from your personal tutor, you’ll also have access to a Faculty student support advisor. They can give you confidential, impartial advice on anything to do with your studies and personal wellbeing and refer you to specialist support services.

You'll have help from a team of faculty academic skills tutors. They can help you improve and develop your academic skills and support you in any area of your study.

They can help with:

  • improving your academic writing (for example, essays, reports, dissertations)
  • delivering presentations (including observing and filming presentations)
  • understanding and using assignment feedback
  • managing your time and workload
  • revision and exam techniques

If you need support with software and equipment or you want to learn additional skills (including skills not covered on your course), our creative skills tutors provide free workshops, activities and one-on-one tutorials. Skills you can learn include life drawing, film camera operation and video production.

Computing support staff are always available to give technical support in the Faculty's computer suites during normal working hours. There's also some support available from 5.00pm to midnight at busy times of the year.

As well as support from faculty staff and your personal tutor, you can use the University’s Academic Skills Unit (ASK).

ASK provides one-to-one support in areas such as:

  • academic writing
  • note taking
  • time management
  • critical thinking
  • presentation skills
  • referencing
  • working in groups
  • revision, memory and exam techniques

If you have a disability or need extra support, the Additional Support and Disability Centre (ASDAC) will give you help, support and advice.

Our online Learning Well mini-course will help you plan for managing the challenges of learning and student life, so you can fulfil your potential and have a great student experience.

You can get personal, emotional and mental health support from our Student Wellbeing Service, in person and online. This includes 1–2–1 support as well as courses and workshops that help you better manage stress, anxiety or depression.

If you require extra support because of a disability or additional learning need our specialist team can help you.

They'll help you to

  • discuss and agree on reasonable adjustments
  • liaise with other University services and facilities, such as the library
  • access specialist study skills and strategies tutors, and assistive technology tutors, on a 1-to-1 basis or in groups
  • liaise with external services

Library staff are available in person or by email, phone, or online chat to help you make the most of the University’s library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from a librarian who specialises in your subject area.

The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.

If English isn't your first language, you can do one of our English language courses to improve your written and spoken English language skills before starting your degree. Once you're here, you can take part in our free In-Sessional English (ISE) programme to improve your English further.

Course costs and funding

Tuition fees

Full-time

  • UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £9,250 per year (may be subject to annual increase)
  • EU students – £9,250 per year (including Transition Scholarship – may be subject to annual increase)
  • International (non-EU) students – £17,900 per year (subject to annual increase)

Part-time

  • UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £3,080 per year (may be subject to annual increase)
  • EU students – £3,080 per year (including Transition Scholarship – may be subject to annual increase)
  • International (non-EU) students – £8,930 per year (subject to annual increase)

Funding your studies

Find out how to fund your studies, including the scholarships and bursaries you could get. You can also find more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.

Applying from outside the UK? Find out about funding options for international students.

Additional course costs

These course-related costs aren’t included in the tuition fees. So you’ll need to budget for them when you plan your spending.

Costs breakdown

Our accommodation section shows your accommodation options and highlights how much it costs to live in Portsmouth.

You’ll study up to 6 modules a year. You may have to read several recommended books or textbooks for each module.

You can borrow most of these from the Library. If you buy these, they may cost up to £60 each.

We recommend that you budget £75 a year for photocopying, memory sticks, DVDs and CDs, printing charges, binding and specialist printing.

If your final year includes a major project, there could be cost for transport or accommodation related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.

You may need to spend £20 - £75 per annum on drawing and modelling materials, printing, memory sticks or CDs, and DVDs. (Depending upon option modules selected).

If you take the Student Enterprise Module, you’ll need to pay an additional cost of approximately £20.

You may need to contribute up to £20 towards occasional coach trips.

If you take a placement year or study abroad year, tuition fees for that year are as follows:

  • UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,385 a year (may be subject to annual increase)
  • EU students – £1,385 a year, including Transition Scholarship (may be subject to annual increase)
  • International students – £2,875  a year (subject to annual increase)

Apply

How to apply

To start this course in 2024, apply through UCAS. You'll need:

  • the UCAS course code – I601
  • our institution code – P80

 Apply now through UCAS

 

If you'd prefer to apply directly, use our online application form.

You can also sign up to an Open Day to:

  • Tour our campus, facilities and halls of residence
  • Speak with lecturers and chat with our students 
  • Get information about where to live, how to fund your studies and which clubs and societies to join

If you're new to the application process, read our guide on applying for an undergraduate course.

Apply for this part-time course using our online application form. Our courses fill up quickly, so submit your application as soon as you decide which course you want to study.

Not quite ready to apply?

You can  sign up to an Open Day to:

  • Tour our campus, facilities and halls of residence
  • Speak with lecturers and chat with our students 
  • Get information about where to live, how to fund your studies and which clubs and societies to join

If you're new to the application process, read our guide on applying for an undergraduate course.

Applying from outside the UK

As an international student you'll apply using the same process as UK students, but you’ll need to consider a few extra things. 

You can get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region.

Find out what additional information you need in our international students section

If you don't meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

Admissions terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.