Student Testimonials
Tom Bolton
Tom graduated from the MA Digital Games: Theory & Design with a distinction in 2008. His dissertation was sponsored by Curve Studios. Since, he has gone on to work as a games designer for Ubisoft Blue Byte.
Jeremy Linares
Jeremy Graduated from the MA Digital Games: Theory and Design in 2009. He is currently employed as a Game Designer at Supermassive Games.
"Studying the MA in Digital Games: Theory and Design really gave me a chance to explore videogames in new ways, equipping me with the tools to do so throughout the course. The mix of disciplines was probably the most useful aspect; being taught about design, theory and the game industry in equal parts means that each third of the course informs the other two, preparing you no matter what course you choose to take in the future."Dominique Starr
Dom graduated from the MA Digital Games: Theory & Design in 2008. He is currently a Game Designer at The Creative Assembly.
"As a game designer at The Creative Assembly, I am currently designing, researching and proposing content for the upcoming entries in the Total War series.
Dedicated tutors and the chance to work with coursemates who are passionate about game design made my time on the MA both informative and inspiring. Practical industry knowledge and insight from the mouths of veterans, combined with an understanding of the elements that are key to one's involvement with and appreciation of gameplay experiences, allowed me to develop my own approaches to and theories on game design while giving me the chance to apply what I learned to speculative yet conceivable game concepts.
As well as developing personal design, presentation and documentation skills, the course also prepared me for the experience of working as part of a design team, the benefits of being able to develop a concept with the input of others as well as the ability to deal with any conflicts of ideas and methods. It was a combination of these skills that allowed myself and a few of my colleagues to participate in the Dare to be Digital 2008 game development contest, an experience which granted me a small-scale taste of a real-world game development process and which helped emphasise my desire and dedication to finding work in the industry to prospective employers.
Fun times, good people and highly enlightening - a recommended course for anyone committed to working in the industry or just itching to broaden their practical knowledge of game design.Estee Chan
Estee graduated from the MA Digital Games: Theory & Design in 2008. She now works for Square Enix.
"This course fills the gap between developers designing games and gamers playing games. I thought it was a marvellous idea and something that would help consolidate, inspire and develop my existing knowledge and skills about games design. This MA enabled me to broaden what I had already learnt, and put my skills into more ‘meaningful’ game designs. This course allowed me to explore and experiment with my ideas and not be hindered by aspects such as keeping within known genres and ‘sellable’ design structures.
In helping me achieve my own ideas, I was able to share and learn from a lovely and eclectic group of students – all from different interesting backgrounds. The most surprising thing was to find a near equal balance of both genders in the first lesson! The teaching and learning structure of the course was flexible and balanced in that there was time for the theoretical work, as well as time for the practical work. We had the chance to work in groups as well as individually, which means we were able to explore collaborative ideas as well as work on our own original designs. I also liked that there was not much of a rigid hierarchy between staff and students, as everyone was able to communicate easily and comfortably - informing each other with their own expertise and knowledge."
Tariq Adaci
Tariq graduated from the MA Digital Games: Theory & Design in 2010. He now works for Microsoft.
"The course at Brunel was great for various ways. First and foremost, it served as a good bridge between playing games just for fun, and working on games. During the MA, we had numerous seminar sessions that allowed us to talk about videogames and think about them in different ways than before.
Dedicated lecturers and strong connections to the industry really gave the course a constant appeal, as I knew I was learning from people who had actually gone out and done these things. One important thing the course helped me with is through the guest lecturers – who came from different branches of the games industry and offered insight on the various routes you could take to begin your career.
The course was an absolute pleasure to be a part of, and the students and staff bonded together in and out of lectures to socialize, play games together and help each other with work. The great atmosphere was very inspiring and boosted everyone’s enthusiasm as we learned about games together."Ross Darvill
Ross graduated from the MA Digital Games: Theory & Design in 2010. He now works for Lionhead Studios as a Game Designer
“I would not hesitate to recommend the course to anyone with a serious interest in becoming a game designer. It is the only degree I found with a focus solely on design; not simply shoehorning it into another curriculum as an afterthought as many others do.
Design is 10% ideas and 90% implementation and the MA understands this. Practical work is well supported and tutors understand the need to show working, playable demos along with supporting documentation. This practical work is further reinforced by presentations, group work and peer review which serve to develop the communicative skills that design requires. It’s the stuff I now do day to day!
One thing that particularly impressed me was the encouragement I received to produce theoretical assignments with a strong practical application. It gave me the opportunity to identify and evaluate design issues that I felt passionate about.
No course will magically make you a designer. It takes skill, unwavering passion and a little bit of luck to make your way into the industry, however the Brunel MA provides you with an unrivalled platform to develop and present your abilities. As Edge would say..10".
