Games Art

About the course

The University of Bolton was one of the first to offer games based courses and our provision is amongst the most popular in the United Kingdom. As a student on the BA (Hons) Games Art programme, you will work in a large community of students who share your passion for games. You will have dedicated teachers who are knowledgeable about games and who are employed solely to deliver the games courses. You will work in state-of-the-art labs and studios using the software that is used by the professionals in industry. You will also benefit from studying at a university which treats games art, games design and games development as serious subjects and provides excellent resources for your work.

What you will learn

The themes of the course are: 2D and 3D art; games art appreciation; the nature of aesthetics, visual invention and creativity; rendering and lighting; texturing; modelling and animation. Students will acquire advanced practical skills and the conception of games art as an aesthetic enterprise. Our course is studio-based and the emphasis is on you to show your work and to respond to critiques, which may come from members of staff or from your peers. We aim to provide an environment where you can develop your skills and your creativity in a supportive community.

Special features

• Every summer, final year students put on a Degree Show to exhibit their work to friends, family and prospective employers. Outstanding students from Levels 1 and 2 may also be invited to contribute to the Show.

• For our strongest students there is the opportunity to work with games industry partners on various games projects.

Careers and professional development

This course prepares you for a career in the exciting and dynamic games industry. This industry is booming and the UK is seen as a creative hub. The University benefits from very close links with games development companies through the USERlab, which is a facility for evaluating the playability of video games.

The key to getting employment in the games industry is the quality of your portfolio. The development of your portfolio is integrated into our course at all levels and you will have time every week to work on it, to show it to your peers and to get feedback and advice.

Mode of attendance: Full-time