BA (Hons) Games Art Part-time

University of Bolton

Bachelor's degree

In Bolton

Price on request

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Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Bolton

  • Duration

    6 Years

There are over 2250 active games companies in the UK, with over 95 in the Manchester area alone*. Our Games Art degree was designed after consultation with industry experts from a number of these companies and aims to prepare you for a career creating interactive worlds and charismatic characters for the games industry.

Taking an intensely practical approach that is designed to mimic the working environment found in the games industry, we’ll work to develop your understanding of the creative and technical possibilities of games art. Our studio-based course will guide you from the basics of digital art, through character and environment modelling, texturing, lighting, level design and concept art, to the latest technologies in traditional and handheld game art.

We share your passion for games and offer a supportive atmosphere where you can show your work and respond to critiques, which may come from staff, your peers or guest experts from industry. These sessions help you learn to develop your ideas and improve your presentation and communication skills ready for a career in this ever-growing industry.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Bolton (Greater Manchester)
See map
Deane Road, BL3 5AB

Start date

On request

About this course

As a Games Art graduate you’ll be able to demonstrate skills in creativity, teamwork, and communication, problem-solving and project management. You’ll also be able to work independently, develop concepts and respond to briefs.

The key to gaining employment in the games industry is the quality of your portfolio, and developing this, is an integral part of the course. Students will develop a personal portfolio of knowledge and experiences that reflect industry needs.

What Can I Do With This Qualification?
Games Art graduates can secure employment in a variety of careers including game art design, art direction, video production, animation, visual effects, level design and modelling, and arts management.

Alternative Career Options
Film
Television production
Advertising
Marketing
Web design
Broadcast media
Teaching
Digital media

Your Level 3 subjects must include a at least one creative subject that includes some art and design; for instance, A-level Art and Design or BTEC Extended Diploma in Interactive Media.

You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English.

If you don’t meet the standard entry requirements you may be accepted on the basis of a satisfactory portfolio and interview performance.

University of Bolton games graduates have been enjoying careers in the games industry for longer than most – we were one of the first UK universities to offer games courses.
Our dedicated games tutors have a vast range of industry experience and an extensive network of contacts in the games industry. Members of our team have worked in AAA studios, run their own studios, authored books and are actively conducting research.
Team working and collaboration are essential for games industry success, so we encourage you to work on games projects in interdisciplinary teams with students from our other games courses.
We organise studio visits and field trips to games development companies, and will encourage and support you to undertake work experience and industrial placements with relevant studios.
Industry experts from the leading games studios in the UK, along with Bolton graduates now successful in the sector, are regularly invited to give guest lectures on aspects of games development.
We’ll help and support you to develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates your skills in readiness to impress potential employers.

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Subjects

  • Design
  • Art
  • Industry
  • Part Time
  • Communication Training
  • Optional
  • Fundamentals
  • Environment
  • Advanced
  • Sculpting

Course programme

Modules

Modules listed below are a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules as part of the course.
  • Art Fundamentals
  • Digital Sculpting
  • Level Design
  • Fundamentals of 3D
  • Environment Art
  • Advanced Digital Sculpting
  • Advanced Environment Art
  • Technical Art
  • Hard Surface Modelling
  • Major Project
  • Group Portfolio Project
Teaching, Learning And Assessment

We use a variety of teaching and learning methods to help you achieve your potential, including lectures, demonstrations, practical lab sessions, critique sessions (peer and assessed), reflective learning through journals and logs for various activities, as well as online sessions and support. Creating your portfolio is a vital part of the course, allowing you to demonstrate your creativity and skills in the construction of concept art and 2D and 3D assets such as characters, environments and vehicles.

The course is very practical in nature, offering opportunities for you to develop high-level of visual creativity and softer skills such as team working, problem solving, organisation and communication that are highly valued in the games and interactive entertainment industry. Guided independent study and self-directed learning are also essential to your success; for instance, library research and background reading, preparing for practical activities and working on projects.

In terms of formal assessment, you can expect written examinations and reports, assignments, projects, case study analyses, in-class tests, demonstrations, presentations, and others. These contribute to your final module mark and allow you to demonstrate that you have met the learning outcomes. We also use other forms of assessment to help you learn, especially critique sessions. These provide you with feedback and inform your development, though these do not count towards your final module mark.

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up to date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

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BA (Hons) Games Art Part-time

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