Quick facts
| Qualification type |
Level 3 Extended Diploma |
| Duration | 2 years |
| Study times |
You will be expected to be in college for a minimum of 3 days per week, from 9:15 to 4:00. Your timetable will be confirmed at induction. |
| Entry requirements |
4 x GCSEs at Grade 4 or above. At least one of these should be Maths or English. Entry is via an interview where your commitment, enthusiasm and motivation should shine through. |
| Campus |
Edmund House, West Suffolk College Sixth Form campus, Bury St Edmunds |
| Work placements | Work related experience |
Is it for me?
If you're excited about the opportunity to develop your own games and are looking for the perfect start to your career in the games industry, this course is for you!
From the very first moment you power on a PC, you will be building games. And we mean this, by the end of day 1 you will have made a working game. It's important to us that a Games course is about games, developing hands on skills, using games engines, and become masters of industry level software packages to build games.
Everything you will do will be to an industry level and used to produce your very own games, ready for platforms such as Steam or Itch.io. The Computer Games Design and Development course has a proven track record of producing outstanding games designers and artists, with amazing successes at the FXP games festival winning 5 years in a row and gaining industry recognition from companies such as Jagex (Runescape) and Talewind games, not to mention outstanding achievement at the world-renowned BAFTA YGD awards.
What you'll learn
Creative and Technical skills:
- 2D design and asset creation skills
- 3D modelling and animation skills
- Coding and scripting with world leading games engines
- Digital; various software - including Unreal Engine, Adobe CC (Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere Pro) and Autodesk Maya
- Audio for games
- Idea generation
- Play testing and feedback of new games
- Exploration and experimentation of media and processes
- Independent development of studio work into own unique outcomes
Professional Skills:
- Working on 'live' assignments
- Meeting deadlines
- Working with focus and independence
- Communication
- Presentation of outcomes
- Online professional social media profile
Work experience placements
Work related experience is encouraged as part of this course, this practical experience is invaluable for your creative journey and future career prospects. By actively engaging in hands-on work, you will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills you acquire in the classroom to real-life situations.
Assessment
This course is assessed by deadline-driven coursework with no exams. All coursework is assessed at Pass, Merit, Distinction levels against the qualification unit criteria. We are proud to be a University of the Arts London (UAL) accredited college, the largest creative awarding body in Europe.
Further study
Example careers
- Games designer
- Senior Games Designer
- Software Developer
- Computer Games Tester
Days & times
Starting September 2025