Game Design

Structure of studies

The Degree Programme in Game Design consists of six core competence modules, including practical training and a thesis, as well as complementary competences, including optional studies. Your knowledge as a game designer increases and the content of studies follows certain themes:

• In the first year, you become familiar with the principles of game design, tools and software as well as project-based work.
• In the second year, you further develop skills in pre-production, character and environment design, game development as well as game production. You will be developing your first proper game as part of a team.
• In the third year, you adopt knowledge and enhance your game design skills, and form an understanding of game business and development practices through a development project.
• In the fourth year, you develop personal competitiveness through practical training and thesis.

The core competence of the degree programme covers 105 ECTS credits through the following modules:

• Common studies: you develop your skills in studying, communication and languages as well as in acquiring employment.
• Design fundamentals: you become familiar with the basic principles
  and methodologies in art and design. You develop and fine-tune your digital portfolio.
• Game design: you learn the basic methods, tools and software required to make games as well as extend your skills in narrative, level as well as user interface design.
• Games art: you learn the foundations of how to create 2D and 3D game assets as well as how to animate them.
• Games development: you learn how to develop games through project based work.
• Games production and business: you learn how to work as part of a team and manage your production pipeline. You advance your knowledge of game business.
• Thesis: you further your knowledge and knowhow of a specific area of game design through an independent research and development project. 
  
  
  
   

The supplementary competence of the degree programme covers 75 ECTS credits that you build based on your own learning goals. Example modules:

• 3D Environment design: you learn different aspects of environment design from concept art and level design to 3D modeling through developing your own game environment.
• VFX in games: you learn procedural game development, shading, lighting and rendering.
• Advanced 3D: you advance your knowledge in 3D through hard surface modelling and 3D sculpting.
• 3D Character design: you advance your skills in character design, animation and 3D modeling skills.
• Xamk Game Studio: you work in multidisciplinary team from pre-production to launch.

Practical training 30 ECTS credits

The objective is to promote professional growth by increasing the students’ awareness of the field-specific work tasks and by supporting the students to work as members of a work community.

Optional studies 10 ECTS credits

Optional studies provide the opportunity to develop your own entrepreneurship, specific areas of game design or deepen your understanding of other fields: you can study courses from other degree programmes to meet your own objectives or focus.

Career opportunities

Studies in Game Design enable students from different cultural backgrounds to build an international career.

The degree gives you competence through research and development assignments to become an expert in specific areas of game design, supporting your own career plans.

During your studies, you devise your own game projects with the aim of building your own design portfolio that helps you with your employment in the future.

As a Bachelor of Culture and Arts in Game Design you can become: 

• game designer
• 3D modeler
• level designer
• user interface and/or user experience designer
• entrepreneur in game design