BA (Honours) Game Design and Development

Year of Entry 2025/26
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BA (Honours)

Game Design and Development

Full-time Digital media

Study a course with a distinctive, practice-based approach to games design – gaining a diverse skill set and useful experience within the field.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    What is the fee?

    Home: See fees section below
    International/EU: £17,155 per year (£1,200 for placement year)

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    3 / 4 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    City Campus

  • Bookmark

    What are the entry requirements?

    112-120 UCAS points

  • Checkmark

    What is the UCAS code?

    A112

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2025

  • Avatar

    Placement year available?

    Yes


Course summary

  • Learn the key techniques and skills required to create a wide variety of games.
  • Attain a deep understanding of game play.
  • Create prototypes and game concept pitches for external clients and experts.
  • Collaborate with students from other gaming disciplines to understand game production in a team context.
  • Gain the visual communication and creative problem-solving skills industry employers are looking for.

On this course, you'll explore the artistry and industry of games design. You’ll complete real game development projects and develop your own creative approach, with access to cutting-edge facilities and resources supported by the likes of Sony Playstation. Upon graduation, you'll have the portfolio, experience and qualifications you need to land an exciting position.


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How you learn

At Sheffield Hallam, all our courses are designed to engage you with the world and challenge you to think in new ways. You’ll get to collaborate with others, and you’ll be taught in a supportive environment where you can thrive.

This course employs a creative, practice-based approach set within the context of group project activity. This emulates the collaborative nature of professional practice within the creative industries, and is underpinned by analysis, iteration of ideas and concepts, and reflection on creative processes.

As you progress through the course you will be able to choose your own focus and develop your understanding of specific roles within game development and game design.

You will design and create prototypes, organise playtesting sessions with potential audience members, work as a member in an agile game development team and produce and maintain a professional portfolio of own game design work.

You learn through:

  • lectures and tutorials
  • supervision sessions
  • design workshops
  • group projects
  • self-directed study
  • field trips

Course leaders and tutors

Tom Battey
Tom Battey
Games Designer in Residence

Game Designer in Residence Tom Battey is a narrative designer whose work spans prose, interactive fiction and games design

Applied learning

Live projects

The course includes a range of professional development and work-based learning opportunities, including producing game concept and prototype pitches for commercial and other external clients, guest lectures from industry professionals and networking events. You will get opportunities to develop your own future strategy as a game professional whether that be freelancing, working as an independent game developer or working in a specific sector in the game or interactive media industries.

Field trips

Industry visits, field trips, game jams, and live projects will be a key aspect of your preparation for employment, facilitate contextual knowledge and understanding and provide opportunities for networking and cementing relationships with industry and fellow aspiring game designers, artists, and programmers.

Networking opportunities

At every level of the course, through the networks of the course staff, you will have the opportunity to engage with specialist visiting lecturers from the industry to show your work. A wide range of professional development and networking opportunities are supported by the Media Arts and Communications Department, such as the yearly Pathways event. We always seek to support and enable any student who obtains a placement to be able to take such opportunities.

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Watch students talk about placements on our BA (Hons) Game Design and Development course at Sheffield Hallam University.
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Future careers

This course prepares you for a career as a:

  • game designer
  • game artist
  • game producer

Previous graduates of previous courses like this have gone on to work for:

  • Sumo Digital
  • Rebelliion

Where will I study?

You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.

City Campus

City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.

City Campus map | City Campus tour 


City Campus map
Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

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Learn more about your department

Media, Arts and Communications Facilities Tour

Take a look around the media, arts and communication facilities at Sheffield Hallam University with lecturer Saskia Wilson.

Department page

Equipment and facilities

On this course you work with:

  • games engines such as Unity 3D and Unreal
  • 3D modelling software
  • emerging game technologies such as VR headsets
  • Playstation development kits

Media Gallery

Entry requirements

All students

UCAS points

  • 112-120

This must include at least 32 points from two A Levels or equivalent BTEC qualifications. For example:

  • BBC-BBB at A Level
  • DDM in BTEC Extended Diploma.
  • Merit overall from a T level Qualification
  • A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels, EPQ and general studies

GCSE

  • English Language at grade C or 4

You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.

• Access - an Access to HE Diploma with at least 45 credits at level 3 and 15 credits at level 2. At least 18 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above, in a media-related programme, from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.

If English is not your first language you will need an IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each skill, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.5 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre- sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score. As part of our selection process, we may request a portfolio or other evidence of your ability.

 

Additional information for EU/International students

If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.

For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.


Modules

Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

Year 1

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Digital Prototyping 1
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Game Design Practice
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Game Design Theory
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Game Project
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Advanced Game Design Theory
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Digital Prototyping 2
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Interactive Realities
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Specialist Pathways 1
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Study Abroad - Creative Industries
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 3

Optional modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Placement Year
Credits -
Assessment
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Alternate Realities
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Final Game Project
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Research And Development Proposal
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Fees and funding

Home students

Our tuition fees for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2025/26 are regulated by the UK government and are yet to be confirmed. For an indication, our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.

International students

Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2025/26 is £17,155 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.

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Financial support for home/EU students

How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.

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Additional course costs

The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.

General course additional costs

Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 153.7KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

 

How do I apply?

Apply now via UCAS

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Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

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Accommodation

We guarantee to find you an affordable place to live that’s close to campus and comes with all bills included

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Employment

95% of our UK graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (2021/22 Graduate Outcomes Survey)

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