BSc Computer Games

Bachelor's degree

In Colchester

£ 9,250 + VAT

Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Colchester

  • Duration

    3 Years

About the course
This is a degree in world-making

You craft stories, characters and plot in order to build imaginary worlds that a player can journey through

Our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence; at Essex you master both game design and computer programming, giving you total control over the worlds you want to create


Our course gives you the skills to design and specify complex, non-trivial games through focusing on the following areas:
The mechanics of a game, including gameplay elements and the relationship with story
The concepts and techniques of computer game programming
Real and virtual worlds
Artificial intelligence behaviours for non-player characters
2D and 3D graphic effects and game objects (e

g

weapon systems)
At the end of your course, you will be able to create the outline design specification for a computer game of your own design, and to implement a game using industry-standard techniques


Our School is a community of scholars leading the way in technological research and development

Today’s computer scientists are creative people who are focused and committed, yet restless and experimental

We are home to many of the world’s top scientists, and our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence


We were ranked 8th in the UK in the 2015 Academic Ranking of World Universities, with more than two-thirds of our research rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014)

Facilities

Location

Start date

Colchester (Essex)
See map
Wivenhoe Park, CO4 3SQ

Start date

On request

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Reviews

Subjects

  • Programming
  • Design
  • Systems
  • Project
  • Engineering
  • Industry
  • Artificial Intelligence

Course programme

Example structure
Studying at Essex is about discovering yourself, so your course combines compulsory and optional modules to make sure you gain key knowledge in the discipline, while having as much freedom as possible to explore your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.
For many of our courses you’ll have a wide range of optional modules to choose from – those listed in this example structure are just a selection of those available. The opportunity to take optional modules will depend on the number of core modules within any year of the course. In many instances, the flexibility to take optional modules increases as you progress through the course.
Our Programme Specification gives more detail about the structure available to our current first-year students, including details of all optional modules.
Year 1
Professional Development


Mathematics for Computing


Introduction to Programming


Object-Oriented Programming


Introduction to Databases


Web Development


Network Fundamentals


Fundamentals of Digital Systems


Year 2
Group Project & Industrial Practice


Application Programming


Data Structures and Algorithms


Artificial Intelligence


Computer Game Design


Computer Game Programming


C++ Programming


Robotics (optional)


Operating Systems (optional)


Software Engineering (optional)


Final year
Individual Project


Intelligent Agents


Virtual Worlds


High-Level Games Development


Advanced Programming (optional)


Natural Language Engineering (optional)


Computer Vision (optional)


Large Scale Software Systems and Extreme Programming (optional)


Network Engineering (optional)


Evolutionary Computation and Genetic Programming (optional)


Placement
On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.
Year abroad
On your year abroad, you have the opportunity to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.
Teaching
Courses are taught by a combination of lectures, laboratory work, assignments, and individual and group project activities
Group work
A significant amount of practical lab work will need to be undertaken for written assignments and as part of your learning
Assessment
You are assessed through a combination of written examinations and coursework
All our modules include a significant coursework element
You receive regular feedback on your progress through in-term tests
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Additional information

/p> Both for entertainment and for more serious purposes such as virtual reality training, computer games, gamification and games intelligences are increasingly important in today’s world “I had some of the best years of my life at Essex: a mixed bag full of joy, freedom and hard work Since graduating, I have been running my own business which focuses on web and open source technologies I still look back to some of the modules that I studied which help me in my business operations; studying at Essex changed the way I approach my work ” Dlair Kadhem, BSc Computer Games and Information Technology, 2005 Professional accreditation This degree is accredited by both the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the British Computer Society (BCS) These accreditations are increasingly sought by employers, and provide the first stage towards eventual professional registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng) Study abroad Your education extends beyond the university campus We support you extending your education through providing the option of an additional year at no extra cost The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year studying abroad or employed on a placement, while otherwise remaining identical to the three-year course Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are mature, adaptable, and organised Popular destinations include: The United States Europe Canada Australia New Zealand Latin America The Middle East Hong Kong Japan Placement year Alternatively, you can spend your third year on a placement with an external organisation, as part of one of our placement year degrees The learning outcomes associated with this programme focus on using the specialist technical skills acquired in the first two years of the course and developing communications skills with...

BSc Computer Games

£ 9,250 + VAT