The course
This course offers a unique focus on the art and design of video games, with an emphasis on developing your creative and critical skills in story form. You will explore new areas of social and immersive gaming while gaining key business skills to forge successful careers in the creative industries.
This programme is run by the Department of Media Arts as part of our new Centre of Digital Creativity, fusing collaborations between arts and science students. You will have the opportunity to work in a lab environment alongside computer science and electronic engineering students, where you will develop your understanding of how hardware, art, design, software and narrative interact.
From Angry Birds to the Avengers, you will see how games are fused with other creative media disciplines to create franchises and hybrid forms that span multiple platforms and story experiences. You will develop your creative and critical skills beyond games to explore digital media production, including social media, animation, visual effects, interactive and experimental media forms.
You will collaborate with directors, animators, sound designers and interactive artists to bring your game ideas to life and develop skills in interactive art design and story form that enable you to work across games and the wider creative industries.
Course structure
Core Modules
Year 1-
Screen Narrative: Theory and Practice
In this module you will develop an understanding of a variety of narrative strategies and structures in audio-visual media, in particular, film and television. You will look at narrative form, structure and cultural context, and examine the principles of narrative screenwriting. You will analyse a range of primary and secondary audio-visual and written sources, and create your own short original screenplay, applying relevant formal and presentation conventions.
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Introduction to Digital Media 1
In this module you will develop an understanding of interactive digital projects and reflect on them in the context of digital media culture, history and theory. You will develop the ability to work iteratively between coding and critical understanding of digital culture. Lectures and practical sessions will revolve around key concepts and practices to obtain a sound understanding of the basics of digital media culture and technology.
- Interactive Design
- Gameplay: Story, Form, Code
- Digital Creative Industries: Interactive, Immersive, Innovative
- Game Art, Design and Story
- Social and Mobile Games
- Advanced Game Art, Design and Story
- Major Project
- Interactive Product Management
- Creative Entrepreneurship
Optional Modules
Year 1- All modules are core
- All modules are core
- All modules are core
Teaching & assessment
Teaching on this programme is delivered through lectures, workshops, labs and one-to-one supervision.
You will be asked to develop game artwork, storyboards and scripts, prototypes and designs alongside a range of written and oral assessments, including social media, reports and essays.
You will have the opportunity to work in agile development labs with students from electronic engineering and computer science where you will rapidly develop your game ideas to prototype.
You will have access to our newly furnished video games and immersive labs, as well as a range of media production facilities, including motion capture, a TV studio, and editing and post-production suites.
Entry requirements
Required: At least five GCSE passes at grades A* to C or 9-4, including Maths and English.
A Levels: ABB-BBB
Where an applicant is taking the EPQ alongside A - levels, the EPQ will be taken into consideration and result in lower A-level grades being required. Socio - economic factors which may have impacted an applicant's education will be taken into consideration and alternative offers may be made to these applicants. Read more about what we look for here.
Other UK Qualifications
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
We accept the following internationally-recognised English language qualifications:
- IELTS
- Pearson Test of English
- Cambridge ESOL
Your future career
Over 120 gaming companies are located within 30 minutes of Royal Holloway. The games sector employing over 12,000 people in the UK, and this course draws on significant industry leadership and experience that spans the Hollywood of gaming in nearby Guildford and Aldershot. You will develop a number of transferable skills which are highly prized by companies working in the creative-technology industries.
Fees & funding
Home and EU students tuition fee per year*: £9250
International students tuition fee per year**: £16500
Other essential costs***: TBC
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, scholarships and bursaries.
*The tuition fee for UK and EU undergraduates is controlled by Government regulations, and for students starting a degree in the academic year 2018/19 will be £9,250 for that year, and is shown for reference purposes only. The tuition fee for UK and EU undergraduates has not yet been confirmed for students starting a degree in the academic year 2019/20.
**Fees for international students starting a degree at Royal Holloway in the academic year 2019/20 have not yet been set, and those for 2018/19 are shown for reference purposes only. Fees for international students may increase year-on-year in line with the rate of inflation. The policy at Royal Holloway is that any increases in fees will not exceed 5% for continuing students. For further information see fees and funding and our terms and conditions.
***These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree programme at Royal Holloway. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing etc., have not been included.
