HND Creative Media Production (Games Design)

About the Course

Higher Nationals are level 4 and 5 qualifications – equivalent to a foundation degree or the first two years of a full university degree. They are vocational courses with an emphasis on ‘learning by doing’; focusing on the skills and knowledge for the games industry.

Throughout this HND Games Design course you will combine theoretical and practical assignments to create your own game designs and animation artefacts. You will learn the processes involved in creating games as well as studying how the games design industry works, by looking at key players in this exciting industry, through both AAA games companies and emerging indie games developers. You will get the chance to pitch your own ideas and create your own artefacts as portfolio pieces to use as a strong foundation for entry onto BA/BSc (Hons) in Game Design/Development or further career opportunities through your learnt transferable skills into employment within the games industry or creative industry sectors.

This qualification is achieved over two years where you will need to complete this first year at HNC Level (L4) to progress onto the second year at HND (L5).

Units below are subject to change depending on industry requirements.

Year 1 HNC

• Individual Project
• Creative Media Industry
• Professional Practice
• Games Development Practices
• Games in Context
• Game Design
• Principles of Animation
• Principles of User Experience & User Interface Design

Year 2 HND

• Collaborative Project
• Personal Professional Development
• Advanced Game Development
• Advanced Rendering & Visualisation
• Emerging Technologies
• Narrative
• Environment & Level Design

The course uses a range of software including Unity 3D, Unreal Engine, Maya, Blender, Substance and Photoshop.

Entry requirements

GCSE English and Maths, 9 - 4 (A* - C) Alternative equivalency testing may be undertaken plus one of the following:

A Levels - At least 2, grades BB

Vocational - BTEC Level 3, grades MMP

Access Diploma - in Art and Design

Ideally, a qualification in a relevant subject such as Games Design, Art or Illustration & Media or Film Studies. Some experience of Games Design will also be required through a portfolio of your work.

For mature students over 18, suitable work experience may be taken into consideration instead of formal academic studies.

Where next?

On successful completion of the HND, depending on your grade, you may be able to complete a second or third ‘top-up’ year of a suitable degree. This course is designed to meet the needs of students wishing to pursue a Games Design or Games Development career across a range of industries. The skills learnt on this course are transferable into any of the traditional Games Industries, VFX, film and TV industries where you could be working for an agency, private organisation, freelancer or as an Indie Games Developer from your own workspace.

Example job roles:

• Assistant Games Producer
• Marketing Executive in Games
• Gameplay Designer
• Level Designer
• User Experience (UX) Designer
• Games Writer
• 3D Modelling Artist
• Environment Artist for Games
• Texturing Artist
• Animator for Games
• Visual Effects (VFX) artist
• Generalist Games Programmer

Contact

For queries about the course, please contact rupert.holdship@newcollege.ac.uk