BA (Hons) Computer Games Art Bachelor's degree at the University of Portsmouth

What will I learn? In this module, you’ll study the core techniques that shape early‑stage game development, from prototyping and iterative design to fundamental programming logic and 2D and 3D asset creation. You’ll explore how games draw on historical and cultural influences, looking at everything from early arcade design to contemporary indie movements to understand how creative practices evolve. Along the way, you’ll engage with current debates around ethics, professionalism, and representation, examining how these issues influence player experience and responsible design. You’ll also look at industry-standard working practices that are underpinned by Agile development, Object-Oriented P

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.

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 on understanding the requirements involved in releasing games on distribution platforms and consequently finishing and launching a small-scale, feature-complete, polished game project.

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.

Through a study exchange overseas, you'll manage tasks and projects relevant to your course, working independently or collaboratively as part of a team. The experience enables you to showcase your talents on a global stage while reflecting on your personal growth. With enhanced employability prospects, you return home with a new perspective to inform your practice.

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.

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.

You'll prototype concepts while negotiating roles and self-managing workflows. You'll evaluate and bring ideas to life using professional project management approaches. This module empowers you to translate concepts into tangible prototypes, and put technical and artistic skills into practice, preparing you for the creative challenges of real-world production.

Collaborating in a group, you'll refine and optimise a real-time interactive experience based on the brief from an external client. Through analysis and critical reflection, you'll assess the processes undertaken and trade-offs made between project stages. The module cements both technical and teamwork skills. You'll gain hands-on practice applying project management methodologies in a professional manner. Completing this module will provide experience negotiating the realities and demands of commercial production, allowing you to emerge industry-ready.

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 portfoli

You will use creative applications in game development software and Adobe Creative Suite, learn to design user experiences (UX) and user interfaces (UI), discovering the principles of interaction design. You'll explore the ethical considerations you need to craft Creative Technology projects, and create a product to apply and demonstrate your understanding in this hands on module that puts the user first.

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 m

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 p

You’ll look at basic psychology ideas, like how people think, feel, and act, and how they relate to player experiences. Delve into perception, memory, rewards, and social interactions, and how to use them to make fun gameplay and powerful stories. By testing theories and principles, you'll get better at analysing how game elements impact psychology. Most of all, you’ll find out how human psychology affects player engagement and enjoyment. This knowledge will help you make design choices based on scientific theory. In the end, this module gives you a psychological toolkit to create amazing, unforgettable player experiences.

This module helps you apply your academic learning in practical settings, strengthening your professional development and future career prospects. Throughout the year, you'll reflect on your progress, build networks, and evaluate your experiences critically. you'll complete a placement assessment that includes a reflective portfolio and employer feedback, with ongoing support from careers and employability staff. By the end, you'll develop key graduate attributes like adaptability, independence, and self-awareness, preparing you to succeed in diverse environments.

Complete relevant tasks demonstrating your specialised skills and independence. Gain global perspective, reflect deeply on personal growth, and build valued transferable abilities for professional life after university. Return home with experiences that inspire your practice and understanding of art’s global connectivity.

Evaluating international contexts, you'll critically relate on-site activities to your disciplinary knowledge, gaining global insights. Working independently overseas, you'll complete relevant assignments, refining skills transferable to future creative studies and practice. Upon returning, thoughtful reflection will reveal your personal growth as you process new worldviews and cross-cultural competencies. This invaluable opportunity provides a chance to broaden your creative knowledge while developing adaptability as a global citizen.