MSc Video Game Enterprise Production and Design (Professional Placement)

at Birmingham City University

COURSE IN DEPTH

Modules

In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following CORE modules (totalling 180 credits):

Small Scale Video Game Research and Planning
20 credits

The purpose of this module is to engage students in the concept phase of development of features for a discrete small-scale video game, ensuring students can follow the process of design to ask questions at the start of the concept phase of product development, to follow onto the research stage, before applying ideas within a synthesis stage before refining and finally applying their ideas.. Students will work in teams to produce concepts for small-scale games, which they must present using effective communication skills.

Small Scale Video Game Development
40 credits

The purpose of this module is to bring together art, code, production and design students together into a game development team and give them the opportunity to work collaboratively to produce a releasable small-scale video game. Typically this is the type of title commonly described as an ‘indie game’ which is made in a short time frame with a small agile development team. If the completed game is at an appropriate standard the game can be submitted to relevant game stores and act as a published title on a student CV.

Large Scale Video Game Research and Enterprise
20 credits

The purpose of this module is ensure that students can experience the challenge of completing the research and concept phase of a co-ordinated yet adaptive video game project whilst simultaneously generating ideas to become a business plan which will be presented / pitched to high level stakeholders at the end of the module.

Large Scale Video Game Prototype
40 credits

The purpose of this module is to bring together art, code, production and design students together into a game development team and give them the opportunity to work collaboratively to produce a prototype for a large-scale game on either console, PC or connected devices.

Major Project
60 credits

The purpose of the module is to enable you to undertake a sustained, in-depth and theoretically informed research project exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. It is important that we can support you appropriately, so you will be guided towards choosing a research topic which is relevant to your discipline and in which your lecturers have expertise. The outcome may take the form of a written dissertation or a practical outcome with accompanying reflective, critical and contextual material. The main consideration when choosing your topic is that it must be relevant to your programme and you should consider the relevance of this topic to your future academic or professional development.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.

Award: MSc Starting: Sep 2022
Full Time 18 Months (Professional Placement) £17,930 in 2022/23

Employment Opportunities

The Gamer Camp Biz course directly answers the industry call for “T-skilled” workers in thecreative media industry, (Skillset. Strategic Skills Assessment for the Creative Media Industry, London. 2009: 20). Here professional employability is defined by proficiency across disciplines and specialist expertise within them. 

The course seeks to develop students into T-Shaped art professionals complete with a keenly practiced ability who can work with others in a creative and technology constrained development team. This is the type of adaptive, reflective and capable professional the industry requires.

“There is a shortage of new people in the industry equipped with ‘T-skills’ - highly specialised in one core field, but with broad skills and knowledge to utilise their specialism across teams and platforms” - Skillset, December 2009 Strategic Skills Assessment for the Creative Media Industry. London: Skillset

Broad Attributes and Knowledge developed may include but is not limited to

•          Team work and communication
•          Project management and delivery
•          Agile project delivery and Scrum
•          Estimating
•          Critical analysis and evaluation
•          Reflection and adaptation
•          Client handling
•          Global appreciation

With this skill-set, the programme’s graduates have a huge advantage and are often employed by industry soon after finishing the course.

Typically, Gamer Camp: Bizgraduates go on to deliver professional game content in either AAA or indie game development studios.Here they continue their specialist professional development within Game Design, Production or Business & Enterprise within career-focused positions such as: Mission Scripter/Technical Designer, Publishing and more.

PLACEMENTS

There are opportunities every year for students to work in game development studios.  Working with our industry partners, we are able to offer a short placement* over the Easter break to selected individuals.  During the final phase of your course, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a three-month placement* as part of your Master’s by Practice.

Previous students have worked at  Codemasters, Sony, Exient and Jagex, with the majority having been offered full-time positions on finishing the course.

*Please note, placements are not guaranteed and are subject to the requirements of our industry partners.