MA Games Design

Content

MA Games Design critically examines the concept of play in relation to the practice of games design. You will produce playable prototype gaming experiences and use games design as a means to test critical ideas from broader culture.

The course is particularly interested in how games design principles are being used more generally and how these ideas impact upon our increasingly digital culture. MA Games Design will enable you to understand and articulate the unique value of game experience to an increasingly interested design industry and allow you to understand the value of your game experience prototypes.

Building on LCC's resources, in digital, time-based and interactive media, alongside printmaking, graphic design and visual communication, the course encourages experimental and reflective practice that echoes the cross media nature of the design, communication and media industries.

The course also supports progression to research at MPhil/PhD level as well as to advanced self-directed experimental practice.

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24 September 2018

Course units

Each course is divided into units, which are credit-rated. The minimum unit size is 20 credits. The MA course structure involves six units, totalling 180 credits.

You will respond to briefs that are set to test your learning, in the units described below:

Units summary:

• Design and Prototyping (40 credits)
• Understanding Gaming Experience (20 credits)

In Term One, students explore a range of both technical and conceptual approaches to games design and development and work with a range of technologies by producing playable prototypes.

Students will engage in critical study that significantly expands their understanding of what gaming experience is and how it operates at both the level of the individual and society. This phase is the technical and conceptual basis for the subsequent phases of the course.

Units summary:

• Critical Play and Experimental Development (40 credits)
• Collaborative Unit (20 credits)

In Term Two, students specifically develop games that reflect the critical context set out in Term One and test these issues through the design and production of critical games.

This practice is underpinned by a programme that gives students the technical skills to be able to experiment widely with various games design technologies and platforms when prototyping their critical games. Term Two specifically contains a cross-College collaborative unit.

Units summary:

• Critical Play and Experimental Development (continued)
• Final Major Project and Thesis (60 credits)

In Term Three, students synthesise the knowledge, skills and experience from the first two terms of the course in the production of a self-directed project and associated thesis.

Units summary:

• Final Major Project and Thesis (continued)

If you are unable to continue or decide to exit the course, there are two possible exit awards. A Postgraduate Certificate will be awarded on successful completion of the first 60 credits and a Postgraduate Diploma will be awarded on successful completion of the first 120 credits.

MA Games Design Programme Specification 2017/18 (PDF - 351KB)

Staff Course Leader

Dr. David King

Alan Zucconi

Teaching on the course is also complemented by a range of visiting practitioners from the games and wider design industries. Previous and regular visiting lecturers have included:

• Marie Foulston & Kristian Volsing – Games curators for the V&A
• Mark Brown – Games journalist
• Henry Hoffman – Games designer
• Minkette – Games designer
• Holly Gramazio & Sophie Sampson – Games designers for Matheson Marcault
• Grant Howitt – Games designer
• Dr. Hannah Nicklin – Artist, writer, games designer and academic
• Dr. Kim Foale – Sound researcher and developer
• Jeremiah Ambrose – Digital arts researcher
• Berni Good – Cyber psychologist
• Rosa Carbo-Mascarell – Games designer and 3D modeller