BSc (Hons) Games Programming

What you'll study Overview The games industry is competitive for graduates, and one that involves some of the most technically challenging programming problems. This degree is a technical computing degree that will equip you with the rigorous programming skills you need to succeed, together with the experience of applying those skills specifically to games development. As well as a technical industry, it's also a creative industry that requires constant innovation and understanding of art and design skills. Our approach at Goldsmiths emphasises the creative side of programming and how programming relates to the creative aspects of game development. Most importantly of all, from the very beginning, you will be developing games in an environment that mirrors industry working practices as closely as possible. This will give you the experience you need as well as helping you develop a portfolio of work to present to potential employers. The programme has three main elements: programming, technologies and practice. You will build your technical programming skills, learn about graphics, audio and artificial intelligence and current hot platforms such as Mobile Games, HTML5-based web games and social media games. You will also have many opportunities for practical work, making games using professional games engines and with professional working practices, such as design documentation, testing cycles, issue tracking and version control. Year 1 (credit level 4) Module title Credits. Introduction to Programming part 1 Introduction to Programming part 1 15 credits This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of programming and object orientation, including the following basic ideas of programming, including: variables, memory and assignment statements, control through conditional statements, loops, functions and procedures, objects and classes, instance variables and methods, arrays, user interaction interaction between objects, inheritance, and polymorphism. 15 credits. Mathematical Modelling for Problem Solving Mathematical Modelling for Problem Solving 30 credits This module introduces the basic mathematical tools, both discrete and continuous, for supporting computational and algorithmic inquiry. Particular attention is paid to notions of experimentation, reasoning, and generalisation. 30 credits. Introduction to Games Development Practice Introduction to Games Development Practice 30 credits You are introduced to a wide range of industry standard tools for game development including game engines, middleware and editing tools. You will then propose and implement a game project. Projects must be appropriate in scope, and pass an approval stage based on a project proposal submission and oral interview. Once projects are approved, you are expected to deliver the proposed game and document it fully. This documentation takes the form of sound, music, images, video, commented code, binaries, websites, and written evaluation (following the method indicated in your proposals). You are expected to demonstrate the ability to implement and/or develop software appropriately. In addition, your projects must demonstrate coherence and uniformity with respect to the agreed brief, showing awareness of intended audiences, and using media appropriately. 30 credits. Web Development Web Development 15 credits This module is an introduction to the basic concepts essential in the design and implementation of client-side web-based applications; it will cover a basic introduction to the Web, followed by more detailed lectures and labs on current best practice such as HTML5, CSS3 and Javascript. 15 credits. Graphics Graphics 15 credits In this module, you'll cover the technical fundamentals of computing techniques used in digital media with a particular focus on graphics. Amongst the things you'll study are manipulating images for creative contexts, image processing, application of 2D and 3D geometry for animation and interaction, creating simple physics simulations. You'll practice this knowledge through a series of practical and creative exercises that you'll undertake throughout the module. You'll carry these out using appropriate programming environment with graphics capabilities. 15 credits. Generative Drawing Generative Drawing 15 credits This module will allow you to develop an intuitive understanding of the expressive power of computation and reinforce important mathematical and programming concepts through engaging and creative work. You will be introduced to a variety of generative techniques through analysing the work of other artists and studying code examples. Possible techniques you will use include phase modulation, uses of the sine function, additive synthesis, stochasticism, perlin noise, and extensive variation through parametrisation. 15 credits. Year 2 (credit level 5) Module title Credits. Principles and Applications of Programming Principles and Applications of Programming 30 credits This module covers: Program development on a primary (Java) and secondary platform (Android). Fundamental data structures and algorithms. Computational complexity, run-time efficiency. OO design and implementation. General features of programming languages eg type, abstract data types, the memory model, virtual machines, scope. Libraries. Specific language features: primitive and reference types, class and instance variables, overloading, string manipulation, input and output streams, serialisation, internet connectivity, error handling, generics, threads, memory management. Advanced software techniques: concurrency, internet programming, GUI and event driven programming. Android application development. 30 credits. Perception and Multimedia Programming Perception and Multimedia Programming 30 credits This module aims both to build on the skills and competences developed in the technical modules in the Creative Computing Programme at level 4, and on the critical and creative awareness fostered in the Introduction to Creative Practice module; and to provide knowledge and skills to be used in exploratory fashion in the Intermediate Creative Practice and in your own creative practice in general. It will provide you with a detailed appreciation of human visual and audio perception, allowing you to explain for yourselves the limitations of your own sensory gamut, and to be able to exploit similarities and differences between observers’ perceptual systems. You'll learn the fundamentals of signal processing and systems, including a programming language suited to the signal processing domain, and how they are applied in typical multimedia applications; you will then be shown how to combine these signal processing techniques with an understanding of perception to produce multimedia information retrieval systems. 30 credits. Games Development Group Project Games Development Group Project 30 credits This module gives you the opportunity to work in a group on a substantial games development project, including technical, professional and creative aspects of that project. This module will take you through the entire games development process, from user centred design, to proposal development and implementation. This module will have a particular focus on user-centered design. This will re-enforce abilities in project management, planning, critical awareness and design you'll need to develop in order to create better games. 30 credits. The department will choose whether students in a given year will study Algorithms and Data Structures (30 credits) or Data, Networks and the Web (30 credits): Module title Credits. Algorithms and Data Structures Algorithms and Data Structures 30 credits This module aims to expose you to standard data structures and algorithms for manipulating them. In particular, it will give you the chance to learn to choose appropriate data structures for representing problems and to convert algorithms expressed non-programmatically (ie. informally or mathematically) into efficient programs which solve the problem at hand. You will then develop a deeper understanding of these topics through a number of challenging creative exercises using a suitable programming environment. 30 credits. Data, Networks and the Web Data, Networks and the Web 30 credits In this module, you will focus on the technology underpinning modern web, internet and client-server applications. This includes relational database systems, mainly from a development perspective, emphasising issues related to data modelling and database implementation in SQL. 30 credits. Optional placement year Our degrees include an optional industrial placement year between the second and final year of study. You will be responsible for securing a placement, but we can support you through this process. Although we encourage you to take the opportunity of a placement year, you can also complete your degree in a straight three years. Final year (credit level 6) Study at Level 6 consists of option modules to the value of 60 credits. In addition to a final year project worth 60 credits, you can choose options from an annually approved list including: Module title Credits. Game AI Programming Game AI Programming 15 credits 15 credits. Pervasive Gaming and Immersive Theatre Pervasive Gaming and Immersive Theatre 15 credits Pervasive gaming and immersive theatre are two related fields that have enjoyed significant interest and growth over recent years. This module provides students with an opportunity to create embodied experiences, ranging from pervasive games, to escape rooms and theatrical installations. As well as consolidating skills learnt in other modules, students are taught a range of technical and soft skills necessary for producing large interdisciplinary projects. 15 credits. Interaction Design Interaction Design 15 credits This module provides you with advanced skills in designing interactive systems and an in-depth understanding of emerging practico-theoretical developments in interaction design. The module is delivered as a series of workshops, lectures and seminars where you're introduced to a range of key technical skills for making interactive platforms, and develop an understanding of the role of prototyping though the embedding of technical work in the pursuit of a series of design briefs. You'll be able to then use these technologies in your projects, and develop an understanding of the roles of software and hardware development. 15 credits. Advanced Audio-visual Processing Advanced Audio-visual Processing 15 credits This course extends the principles of creative engineering for use in arts, games, and more general interaction scenarios so that students can develop their own projects through the use of computational approaches to audiovisual processing. The lessons will be taught using Javascript or C++. It is recommended that students have some experience with using Processing and some background in digital audio and/or digital image manipulation before taking this course. We will spend the first few sessions exploring Digital Audio Signal Processing. This will cover synthesis, sequencing, filtering, sample loading and playback, panning and rudimentary analysis. Following this we’ll be looking at audiovisual interaction using video and 3D graphics. 15 credits. Machine Learning Machine Learning 15 credits This course provides a broad introduction to machine learning and statistical pattern recognition. The very general topics will include supervised learning (generative/discriminative learning, parametric/non-parametric learning), unsupervised learning (clustering, dimensionality reduction), and learning theory (bias/variance tradeoffs). The course will also discuss recent applications of machine learning (e.g., in computer vision, or other applications relevant to the research orientation of the department of computing). Tutor: Dr Mihalis Nicolaou 15 credits. Physical Computing Physical Computing 15 credits Physical Computing is of increasing interest to artists, musicians, choreographers and other creative practitioners for the creation of novel artworks and also for forms of computational interaction between these objects and people. There are many other applications of Physical Computing, for example in museums, ubiquitous and embedded computing, robotics, engineering control systems and Human Computer Interaction. A physical environment may be sonic, tangible, tactile, visually dynamic, olfactory or any combination of these. In this module, you will learn how the environment, which is essentially continuous, can be monitored by analogue electrical and mechanical sensors. Computers, however, are digital machines programmed by software. One element which you will focus on, therefore, is the interface between the digital and the analogue. This study will encompass basic physics, electronics, programming and software engineering. The practical objective of this module is the development of the skills you will need for designing and building interactive physical devices. 15 credits. Teaching style This programme is taught through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, workshops and laboratory sessions. You’ll also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. This includes carrying out required and additional reading, preparing topics for discussion, and producing essays or project work. The following information gives an indication of the typical proportions of learning and teaching for each year of this programme*: Year 1 - 29% scheduled learning, 71% independent learning. Year 2 - 25% scheduled learning, 75% independent learning. Year 3 - 14% scheduled learning, 86% independent learning. How you’ll be assessed You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, examinations, group work and projects. If you opt for an industrial placement year, your placement tutor will assess your work. If you complete the placement year successfully, you earn the endorsement 'with work experience' on your degree certificate. The following information gives an indication of how you can typically expect to be assessed on each year of this programme*: Year 1 - 70% coursework, 30% written exam. Year 2 - 57% coursework, 43% written exam. Year 3 - 80% coursework, 20% written exam. *Please note that these are averages are based on enrolments for 2016/17. Each student’s time in teaching, learning and assessment activities will differ based on individual module choices. Credits and levels of learning An undergraduate honours degree is made up of 360 credits – 120 at Level 4, 120 at Level 5 and 120 at Level 6. If you are a full-time student, you will usually take Level 4 modules in the first year, Level 5 in the second, and Level 6 modules in your final year. A standard module is worth 30 credits. Some programmes also contain 15-credit half modules or can be made up of higher-value parts, such as a dissertation or a Major Project. Download the programme specification , for the 2018-19 intake. If you would like an earlier version of the programme specification, please contact the Quality Office. Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.