Video Games Digital Art

Course Summary

Interactive entertainment and video games development are key sectors for contemporary culture, economic growth and employment locally in the Midlands, nationally and globally. The BA Video Game Art undergraduate course responds to this growing and innovative sector by developing skilled, team-orientated, reflexive graduate professionals ready to succeed. This accelerated two-year course gives you a guaranteed video game development placement in our in-house studio, which will take place over the summer term of the course. The workplace simulation approach of our department (NTI Birmingham) has been championed by the influential 2009 Livingstone Next Gen Report, which cited us as a national best practice example for developing new talent for the games industry. What's covered in the course? The course covers both core and technical art skills. It starts with helping you develop your core art skills, so expect to be doing a lot of drawing and studying topics including colour theory, composition, value and tone. Technical and digital art skills will focus on 2D and 3D graphics covering, texturing, user interface design, environment art, character art, animation and art pipelines for interactive products. In your the first year you will be tasked with a specific role within our in-house game development studio over the summer term. This work experience gives you the opportunity to apply the knowledge and professional practices you’ve learnt on the course in a safe and supportive environment. Typically for these projects you’ll be using industry-standard game development tools such as Unity and Unreal. These summer projects have in the past been mentored and supported by major external partners including. Throughout the two years of your course, you will be provided with a structured programme of learning, in line with your chosen specialism of video game art. The course culminates with a project you define yourself which targets a specific subsector of the games industry, such as character art, concept art, environment art or user experience (among others). You have the choice of either proposing your own individual project or collaborating with other students to create another video game project for your portfolio. Teaching takes place in a modern production studio based in Birmingham City Centre where you’ll be provided with studio space to complete projects and a laptop with all the software you’ll need for the duration of the course. You will be taught by staff with significant experience in the video game development industry, having worked with major game developers. So, by the time you graduate, a whole year before most students, you’ll have two years of tangible, games development studio experience under your belt, well placed to launch your dream career in games.

Course Details - Modules

Modules are not listed for this Course.

Course Details – Assessment Method

Assessment Methods are not listed for this Course.

Course Details – Professional Bodies

Professional Bodies are not listed for this Course.

How to Apply

26 January This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application Codes

Course code: W642

Institution code: B25

Campus Name: Parkside Building Campus

Campus code:

Points of Entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

Year 1

Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry (Year 2 and Beyond)

Entry Requirements for Advanced Entry are not listed for this Course.

International applicants

Standard Qualification Requirements

Excluding subjects General Studies & Critical Thinking A maximum of 4 subjects are considered. These can be other A/S Levels (as long in a different subject) A-Levels or Level 3 equivalents.

Please visit: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/student-info/offer-making-strategy for more information about contextual offers.

Achieve a minimum of 120 tariff points achieved in either five Highers or from a combination of two Advanced Highers plus two Highers. Where only Highers have been taken a minimum of grades BBBCC is required. Where a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers have been taken you must achieve grades of CC in two Advanced Highers plus grades of CC in two Highers.