Course Leader, David King talks through what MA Games Design is at London College of Communication.
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Course Leader, David King talks through what MA Games Design is at London College of Communication.
Course Leader David King talks through how to apply to the course.
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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.
MA Games Design is in Full Time mode which runs for 45 weeks over 15 months. You will be expected to commit 40 hours per week to study.
Each course is divided into units, which are credit-rated. The minimum unit size is 20 credits. The MA course structure involves five units, totalling 180 credits. You will respond to briefs that are set to test your learning, in the units described below.
In Term 1, 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.
In Term 2, students specifically develop games that reflect the critical context set out in Term 1 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 2 specifically contains a cross-College collaborative unit.
In Term 3, 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.
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.
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:
We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and to supporting all of our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.
We welcome applications from people with disabilities. If you have a disability (e.g. mobility difficulties, sensory impairments, medical or mental health conditions or Asperger’s syndrome) we strongly encourage you to contact us on disability@arts.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7514 6156 so that we can plan the right support for you. All enquiries are treated confidentially. To find out more, visit our Disability & Dyslexia webpages.
An applicant will normally be considered for admission if they have achieved an educational level equivalent to an honours degree in either games design, animation, illustration, visual communication or graphic design or closely related subject, and present a portfolio of image-led work and project proposal.
The course aims to appeal to art and design graduates who are interested in expanding their experience by investigating emerging areas of games design practice. However, we will consider applicants who have graduated from other related disciplines, or who have relevant industry experience.
Students applying to this course will be expected to demonstrate a specific interest in this area of study and should have a commitment to engaging with games design.
Entry onto the course requires that you have some experience of coding. This maybe HTML/CSS/JavaScript or others such as actionscript, Java, C++ etc. Your level of experience can be quite low, as we will upskill applicants where needed, but you need to be comfortable with learning code and understand key concepts such as 'for loops' and 'conditional if' statements.
This level of experience would have been gained by studying an undergraduate multimedia course in art and design, pre-university qualifications in computer science, multimedia and/or web authoring or advanced self-taught practice of coding through free services such as codecademy.com.
Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend you let us know your English language test score in your application. If you have booked a test or are awaiting your results, please indicate this in your application. When asked to upload a CV as part of your application, please include any information about your English test score.
For further details regarding international admissions and advice please visit the International Applications page.
Offers will be made based on the following selection criteria, which applicants are expected to demonstrate:
All applications will be considered by the course team who will consider key elements when making a decision on your suitability to join the course:
This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.
Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items and upload documents when completing the online application form:
The online application can be saved as you fill it out, so you don’t need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you press submit.
If you are currently studying at another institution and have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units/modules on your current PG course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Communication, you can apply to transfer.
The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.
Further information about the external student transfer policy can be found on the Office for Students Information page.
Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If English is not your first language it is important that you also include in your CV details of your most recent English language test score.
You will be asked to complete a personal statement describing why you want to study on MA Games Design. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject, and a well-articulated rationale for joining the course.
The personal statement is a very important part of your application and should demonstrate to the course team that you are interested in Games Design and that you have thought very carefully about why you wish to study on the course.
Ensure that your personal statement it is well written, clear and free of any spelling mistakes. It is your chance to impress the course team by showing a strong interest in the subject, demonstrating what you feel you would bring to the course, your appreciation of what the course can offer you and how you feel it might help you in the future.
This can be demonstrated through work experience, previous studies and your personal experience.
You will be expected to outline an idea for your major project in your application. This should describe your area of interest, field of study and the particular focus of your intended project.
Your proposal should also include an overview of how you intend to go about producing the project and the methodology.
It is important to recognise that these ideas will inevitably develop and change across your year of study on the course and only serve to inform your application at this stage.
15 May 2021
We recommend you apply as soon as possible before this date, for equal consideration. We may still be able to accept applications after this date, depending on availability.
Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. We’ll be in touch shortly after you apply with information about next steps. Find out more about what happens after you apply.
All applications will be considered by the course team who will consider key elements when making a decision on your suitability to join the course:
This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.
Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items and upload documents when completing the online application form:
Please note: we will ask you for copies of certain documents (for example, English language qualification/certificate and copies of any previous UK study visas).
For further advice on how to apply please visit the UAL International Application page.
There are two ways international students can apply:
The application form can be saved as you fill it out, so you do not need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you submit the application form.
If you are currently studying at another institution and have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units/modules on your current PG course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Communication, you can apply to transfer.
The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.
Further information about the external student transfer policy can be found on the Office for Students Information page.
Whether you are applying through a UAL representative or direct application you will need to complete an Immigration History check. If you do not complete the Immigration History Check we will not be able to proceed with your application.
Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If English is not your first language it is important that you also include in your CV details of your most recent English language test score.
You will be asked to complete a personal statement describing why you want to study on MA Games Design. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject, and a well-articulated rationale for joining the course.
The personal statement is a very important part of your application and should demonstrate to the course team that you are interested in Games Design and that you have thought very carefully about why you wish to study on the course.
Ensure that your personal statement it is well written, clear and free of any spelling mistakes. It is your chance to impress the course team by showing a strong interest in the subject, demonstrating what you feel you would bring to the course, your appreciation of what the course can offer you and how you feel it might help you in the future.
This can be demonstrated through work experience, previous studies and your personal experience.
You will be expected to outline an idea for your major project in your application. This should describe your area of interest, field of study and the particular focus of your intended project.
Your proposal should also include an overview of how you intend to go about producing the project and the methodology.
It is important to recognise that these ideas will inevitably develop and change across your year of study on the course and only serve to inform your application at this stage.
15 March 2021
We recommend you apply as soon as possible before this date, for equal consideration. We may still be able to accept applications after this date, depending on availability.
This course receives a high volume of applications. We need to make sure that we give all applications equal consideration, so the course team will review them all after the application deadline date. This means you won’t hear from us about any next steps until after this date. Find out more about what happens after you apply.
After you have successfully submitted your application online, you will receive an email confirming your application and providing your login details for the UAL Applicant Portal. Please add @arts.ac.uk to your contacts to ensure that you do not miss any important updates re: your application to UAL.
Please log into the portal, as this is where we will send you important updates and requests, and you can contact us with any questions you may have about your application.
All applicants will be expected to submit an electronic portfolio as part of their application.
Your portfolio must include (5-10 images):
We are specifically looking to see strong evidence of design, interaction, coding or other relevant skills for games design. Please include, images, videos and ideally links to interactive and playable content. Where the content is not games related, please provide additional context for why you believe that it is relevant.
Not all applicants to this course come from a traditional ‘design’ background and therefore you may not have a developed portfolio of images. If this is the case, please submit any images that you feel demonstrate your creative ability. These could be concepts for games, game artefacts, illustrations or any other visually indicative content that you have produced.
Applicants are usually interviewed by the course team before a place can be offered. Interviews will be held online, and details will be sent via the UAL Portal.
You will receive the outcome of your application through the UAL Applicant Portal.
This course receives a high number of applications, and we can’t provide feedback to everyone who is unsuccessful. We can only provide feedback after you’ve had an interview.
If you would like to request feedback – please email lcc.ukeu@arts.ac.uk if you are a Home or EU applicant, or lcc.international@arts.ac.uk if International. We are only able to provide feedback to you directly, or to someone you have told us in writing can receive it on your behalf.
£11,220 per year
This fee is correct for 2021/22 entry and is subject to change for 2022/23 entry. Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
Home fees are currently charged to UK resident nationals. However, the rules are complex and you can find out more on our tuition fees pages.
From 2021/22 entry, most EU students will be charged the International tuition fee rate, although this may depend on your individual circumstances. If you started your course in October 2020 or earlier, you’ll continue to pay Home (UK) fees for the duration of your course. Read more advice for EU students on our Brexit information webpage
£22,920 per year
This fee is correct for 2021/22 entry and is subject to change for 2022/23 entry. Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
International fees are currently charged to students from countries outside of the UK. However, the rules are complex and more information can be found on our tuition fees pages.
From 2021/22 entry, most EU students will be charged the International tuition fee rate, although this may depend on your individual circumstances. If you started your course in October 2020 or earlier, you’ll continue to pay Home (UK) fees for the duration of your course. Read more advice for EU students on our Brexit information webpage
Graduates of the course will be equipped to work in an increasingly technologically informed and interdisciplinary design world, with in-depth skills in the following areas: game design and production both 3D and 2D visual communication for games, narrative and sequential image making and time-based design as well as having a portfolio of personal work to enable you to seek work across the games sector.
A significant proportion of graduates of MA Games Design may also want to practice as commercial games designers.