MA Games Enterprise

The MA Games Enterprise course will push students to develop their practice as games developers - analytical, artistic, conceptual, design, entrepreneurial, reflective, and technical areas are explored. The use of a wide range of software tools for development and project management is encouraged, which will also facilitate the capturing of developmental evidence for research and development journals and reflection.
Selection of modules include:

• Games Innovation Gauntlet
• Creative Entrepreneurship
• Exploration & Innovation
• Games Specialisation
• End Game

The MA Games Enterprise course will be taught through a variety of seminars, discussions, and presentations. With a focus on active and practice-based learning, using live projects and collaboration.

You will study through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials, and project supervision. Guest speakers from within the industry will enhance your experience these might be from within the areas of design, programming, development or enterprise.

Towards the end of the course you will produce a final game with accompanying documentation that exemplifies the design process, play testing and evaluation, promotion and enterprise and, in addition, may have opportunities to showcase your work towards publishing your final game.

Enthusiasm for the industry is essential at every stage and throughout the course; professional industry practice will need to be mirrored in attitude and production.

All staff are active in research, consultancy, or employed within the games industry.

To ensure you have the skills to cope in the industry, we assess you through presentations, development journals, reflective, writing project outputs, reports and research projects, providing regular feedback as you progress through the course.

An Honours degree in a related field and/or substantial professional experience in a related field.

You will be expected to have some experience of design, development and production processes, such as asset production, level design, programming or enterprise/production activity. You will be interviewed and expected to bring along a portfolio of work.

Equivalent accredited international qualifications are acceptable. International students need to supply a CD or DVD of their work, or a link to their personal website, to evidence their ability. Commitment to study will be considered. Where possible, video-conferencing, Skype or other communication will be used to contact you.

English requirements

The course welcomes international applicants and requires an English level of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component or equivalent.

However, if you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, but please visit the country specific page on our international website for exact details. 

International Students will be expected to have English to IELTS 6.0 or equivalent. For students not at this level, a range of intensive English courses recognised by UKBA are available at USW. These must be completed prior to entry on the Award.

More information on our intensive English courses.

Successful graduates will be in a position to apply for roles within games development and also have the skills and knowledge to be able to set up their own start-up companies.

Our graduates have gone on to work for companies Activision, Ubisoft, Rockstar North, Codemasters, TT Games, Cloud Imperium, Tiny Rebel Games, Fictioneers, Kwalee, Supermassive Games, Auroch Digital, Run Wild Entertainment, Bonsai Collective, SEGA Amusements, Party Llama Games, Breach VR, Thud Media, Cloth Cat Animation, and Painting Practice

Some have started up their own companies like Mochi Mode, Ironsmith Studios, Big Brain Games and others have gone on to work as freelancers or in games education.

Our students have also had success in graduate completions like Tranzfuser and obtaining IDGA scholarships.

Graduates can also progress to a PhD or research degree.

Our Careers and Employability Service

As a USW student, you will have access to advice from the Careers and Employability Service throughout your studies and after you graduate.

This includes: one-to-one appointments from faculty based Career Advisers, in person, over the phone or even on Skype and through email via the "Ask a Question" service. We also have extensive online resources for help with considering your career options and presenting yourself well to employers. Resources include psychometric tests, career assessments, a CV builder, interview simulator and application help. Our employer database has over 2,000 registered employers targeting USW students, you can receive weekly email alerts for jobs.

Our Careers service has dedicated teams: A central work experience team to help you find relevant placements; an employability development team which includes an employability programme called Grad Edge; and an Enterprise team focused on new business ideas and entrepreneurship.