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2nd in London and 2nd in UK for Games Design - National Student Survey 2024

Games Design and Creative Writing BA

Key Information

Course code

WW28

Start date

September

Subject area

Creative Writing

Mode of study

3 years full-time

Fees

2024/25

UK £9,250

International £21,260

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Entry requirements

2023/24

AAB - BBC (A-level)

DMM (BTEC)

29 (IB)

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Overview

This course will help you to develop your creative writing skills and focus on how they relate to games design and game play. You’ll learn about the application of traditional story and narrative design and how it applies to games design and gameplay.

Your learning will come through lectures, workshops, seminars, play sessions and tutorials. You’ll also use the online forum to discuss, share and develop your knowledge. You’ll gain confidence in sharing your ideas, giving and receiving feedback and working individually as well as in a multi-disciplinary team.

The teaching team are experts in nurturing games talent and you will benefit from their insight into the industry. You will be introduced to ideas at the forefront of the discipline as well as sharing their knowledge and understanding of professional practice. This will help to keep you up-to-date with industry developments and show you how the skills you learn on this course are applicable to the world of work.

Of course the best teachers of writing are writers and Creative Writing at Brunel is taught by successful, published writers, many of whom have international reputations. You will draw on their experience across a range of genres and you will have the opportunity to study Creative Writing to a high level.  You will develop your knowledge, understanding, and analytical and creative skills through the analysis, interpretation and creation of literary texts.

All games students will have 24-hour access to the games lab, where high spec PCs are available for you to work on and play games. You will also use the Design room, where an impressive collection of board games is available for you to learn and understand the principles of games design. This room also serves as a wonderful, collaborative space where you can play and generate ideas, work, relax and have fun.

You’ll finish this course with a skillset that will allow you to develop a game from scratch and be ready to work and thrive in the games industry.

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Course content

The combination of Games Design and Creative Writing produces ever more exciting games. Studying this course and gaining the skills and knowledge within it will give you the chance to see your narrative come alive in games of your making.

The following types of modules are offered throughout the course:

  • Design modules which will help you to create strategies for generating game design ideas and projects – leading to a practical understanding of creative design
  • Theory modules to help you to understand the cultural and social significance of games and their historical contexts – which will lead you to develop formal design perspectives
  • Application modules which cover the communication tools used in the games industry such as presenting and prototyping skills

The Games Design and Creative Writing BA consists of compulsory and optional modules, a typical selection can be found below. Modules can vary from year to year to keep up-to-date with the games industry, but these offer a good idea of what we teach.

 

Compulsory

  • Games Design 1: Introduction to Game Design Core: Element 2
    This module introduces the basic principles of game design, first through board game design and then through the creation of a concept document. Sessions all feed directly into those assessments.
  • Games Studies 1A: Introduction to Game Studies
    This module aims to introduce students to foundational concepts, themes and theories from within the field of Games Studies. The module will look at games and play using three perspectives: philosophy; media and cultural studies; and socio-cultural studies. The overall goal of the module is to develop the student’s understanding of foundational theories relating to the study of games and develop critical and analytical skills in the application of these theories to specific examples of games.
  • Game Development 1A: Fundamentals of Prototyping
  • Fiction 1: Introduction to Writing Fiction

    This module is designed to introduce students to the core elements and skills necessary for writing fiction. Aided by close reading and discussion of fiction by published writers, students will develop knowledge and understanding of core elements of the craft, such

    as character, setting, plot, dialogue, as well as key skills such as understanding audience, showing rather than telling, and writing to a specified word-count and brief. Students will practice these core competencies and also learn how to workshop their prose, developing skills for the giving and receiving of constructive feedback to enable redrafting of works-in-progress. Students will reflect upon their inspirations, reading and the development of their craft.

  • Poetry 1: Introduction to Writing Poetry

    This module is designed to introduce students to the core elements and skills necessary for writing poetry. Aided by close reading and discussion of poetry by published writers, students will develop knowledge and understanding of core elements of the craft, such as the poetic line, working in form and free verse, sound and voice, as well as key skills such as concision and redrafting. Students will practice these core competencies and also learn how to workshop poems, developing skills for the giving and receiving of constructive feedback to enable redrafting of works-in-progress. Students will reflect upon their inspirations, reading and the development of their craft.

Compulsory

  • Games Design 2: Mechanics & Economies
    The main aims of this module are to teach students the key concepts (including, but not limited to concepts of identification, representation, immersion, simulation, etc) and methods of analysis (including, but not limited to semiotics, aesthetics, literature, film, rhetoric, etc) that shape the interdisciplinary field of Game Studies.
  • Games Studies 2: Concepts & Analysis
    The main aims of this module are to teach students the key concepts (including, but not limited to concepts of identification, representation, immersion, simulation, etc) and methods of analysis (including, but not limited to semiotics, aesthetics, literature, film, rhetoric, etc) that shape the interdisciplinary field of Game Studies.
  • Professional Life

    This module aims to help you think about your future and take proactive steps towards realising your aspirations after university. At the heart of this module are four professional development activities, which you will be selecting, completing, and reflecting on. These could range from gaining work experience in a field that interests you, to volunteering, learning a language, completing business or skills development courses, publishing a website or articles on a blog, or gaining editorial or media production experience. You are encouraged to think creatively: providing that each activity is developmental for you and your tutor agrees, the sky is the limit.

Optional

  • Games development 2: Methodologies and Practices
  • Game Genres
    This module aims to teach students to recognise game genres through studying individual components that are genre defining. The module will look at these individual components in two phases. The first phase will look at specific thematic genres (such as horror, fantasy), which are present in film, television and games; and the second phase will focus on game-specific genres (such as role-playing games, sports and racing games).
  • Games Branding & Communications
    This module aims students to specialise in communicating games to audiences, players, and the public by accompanying and following the design and production workflows. Students will also produce a portfolio that demonstrates their communications skills in professions accompanying the design of games and related fields, and will be assessed on both practical and theoretical components.
  • Life Writing I
    This module aims to introduce, define and explore different forms of Life Writing eg Autobiography, Memoir, Personal essay, Narrative non-fiction, to investigate the intersections between fiction and non-fiction (and poetry), to experiment with writing in different forms of Life Writing using a range of literary techniques, and to engage with a range of Life Writing theory, particularly concerning the politics and ethics of writing lives.
  • Ludomusicology
    This module introduces you to the academic study of sound and music for games. You’ll explore a range of key theoretical concepts related to musical aesthetics, semiotics, and appreciation, all with a medium-specific focus. Methods of analysis of game sound and music will also be explored, supporting the development of critical skills and creative practice.
  • Setting and World Design
    You will learn the elements required to create and develop a coherent, structured setting appropriate for gameplay and gain an understanding of the creative process when working within a structured game environment (specifically one you have developed for yourself).
  • Screenwriting I
    Screen Writing concentrates on the knowledge and skills that are needed to achieve at least competence in this area. It therefore aims to be a wholly practical course, which will prepare the student for the demands of this highly-competitive profession. It will make students aware of the current state of this industry and of what precisely is required in terms of craft and attitude to succeed.
  • Fiction II: Writing the Short Story

    The short story is one of the most powerful and satisfying forms of writing to produce. This module focusses on writing and understanding intricate masterpieces in the short story form. We read a wide variety of powerful short stories together—by writers from across the globe, from the mundane and the moving to the strange and experimental— looking closely to help understand what techniques make them so effective, and how we can develop individual approaches to writing our own original stories in response. The exact structure changes each year, but some of the topics covered previously included: subverting and updating traditional fairy-tales; stories with unusual approaches to time; Weird Tales of the impossible and unexplainable; flash fiction; climate change fiction.

  • Poetry II: Writing Contemporary Poetry

    This module is designed to build upon foundational skills and knowledge acquired on the first-year poetry module. You will continue to write in increasingly exciting new ways to

    liberate the poet within. You will also expand your awareness of work that is being produced in the current world of UK poetry, the manner in which new mediums and technologies are being employed, and the manner in which this work might challenge previous conceptualisations and traditions in the field. In conclusion, you will acquire crafting tips while trying out traditional and innovate ways to write. There is no expectation of a house style. Your own approach to poetry based on what you will have learned is all that is required. Be excited by your own work, and I (Daljit) will be excited in turn to read it.

  • Writing Genre: Horror, Sci-fi and Fantasy

    This module focusses on three popular and enduring genres—horror, science fiction, and fantasy— which provide endless fascination for readers and practitioners alike. We will explore these genres via lectures, seminars (including writing workshops) and the study of classic and emerging writers from each genre. At the end, you will have written a body of work in each genre, with a core understanding of their key features. The module has featured discussion of writers such as Stephen King, Chuck Palahniuk, Angela Carter, Gwyneth Jones, William Gibson, Octavia Butler, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Brandon Sanderson, and more. Sub-genres and styles discussed include space opera, Grimdark, urban fantasy, utopian/dystopian fiction, cosmic horror, body horror, and weird fiction.

Compulsory

  • Creative Writing Special Project

    This module is double-weighted and is your chance to pursue your own creative project with support from a supervisor. You’ll meet regularly with your supervisor to plan, draft, and edit your work, and there will also be Zoom sessions to support your learning throughout that focus on planning, researching, carving out time to write and more. Some students write the opening chapters to a novel and submit this along with an industry standard synopsis, having researched potential agents and publishers. Others submit poetry pamphlets, screenplays, collections of short stories, illustrated children’s books, YA novels, interactive fiction projects and more.

  • Games and Creative Writing Joint Project
    This module aims to teach students to apply a comprehensive knowledge of the type of narrative and setting being designed, creating such appropriate to the game. Students will recognise and employ the formal, creative and aesthetic processes involved in the context of a large solo project.
  • Games Studies 3: Theory of Games Design
    The main aims of the module are to provide you with the theoretical underpinnings to the fundamentals of game design. In understanding the principles and theories of games design, you will be able to combine your knowledge of game development and game studies developed over the course of the programme providing you with the conceptual vocabulary, methodological framework and theoretical understanding of the core concepts of design including (but not limited to) theories of fun, engagement, flow, and motivations of play.
  • Major Project – Commercial Games
    In Commercial Games you will undertake their own production cycle putting into practice the skills they have learned on the course to produce a piece of work they can be proud of and potentially use as a portfolio piece. You will have the room to create a project that they take from concept to inception with guidance from tutors but ultimately in a self-managed fashion. This module will give you the support to create a design and prototype for a commercial game. You will have freedom to create a game style they want to focus on.
  • FM3608 Major Project – Experimental Games
    This project will consolidate students’ understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through the planning and execution of a large independent single game design that aims to push at the boundaries of the state of the art either in term of content, context or form, and will allow them to create a piece of work suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
  • Major Project – Game Assets
    This module enables students to further develop the principles covered in Asset and Story Creation 1 and 2, by developing the assets for a game over the course of an academic year. Students will be encouraged to develop a rich and cohesive game world based on a clear concept of setting. In order to meaningfully create game assets, students will need to make a game for them to be used in.
  • Major Project – Team Project
    This project will consolidate students’ understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through the planning and execution of a large game design based on the principal of designing a game for commercial release in a team environment. It will allow students to create a piece of work suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
  • Major Project – Traditional Games
    This project will consolidate students’ understanding of structural game design practise and principals through the planning and execution of an independent single game design for a tabletop, traditional game. It will allow students to create a piece of work suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
  • Major Project – Serious Games
    You will gain and understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through the planning and execution of a large independent single game design that aims to educate or train the player in some way. You will also learn how to apply a comprehensive knowledge of the types of rules and parameters used to structure games and gameplay to judge what is appropriate for your chosen platform and game genre.
  • Major Project – Film and Video Games
    The module provides an opportunity to look at the impact of video games in wider audiovisual media culture, particularly at the relationship between film and video games. As video games increasingly establish a dialogic interplay with the materiality, production, politics and aesthetics of film, the field of game studies expands requiring a theoretical re-evaluation that affects the forms and modes of the moving image. Mirroring the transmedia theoretical investment, the module provides you with the opportunity to conduct a video game analysis producing a video essay as part the assessment.
  • Major Project - Practice-based Research
  • Major Project - Research Dissertation

Optional

  • Major Project - Commercial Games
  • FM3608 Major Project – Experimental Games
    This project will consolidate students’ understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through the planning and execution of a large independent single game design that aims to push at the boundaries of the state of the art either in term of content, context or form, and will allow them to create a piece of work suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
  • Major Project – Serious Games
    You will gain and understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through the planning and execution of a large independent single game design that aims to educate or train the player in some way. You will also learn how to apply a comprehensive knowledge of the types of rules and parameters used to structure games and gameplay to judge what is appropriate for your chosen platform and game genre.
  • Major Project – Team Project
    This project will consolidate students’ understanding of conceptual game design practice and principles through the planning and execution of a large game design based on the principal of designing a game for commercial release in a team environment. It will allow students to create a piece of work suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
  • Major Project – Traditional Games
    This project will consolidate students’ understanding of structural game design practise and principals through the planning and execution of an independent single game design for a tabletop, traditional game. It will allow students to create a piece of work suitable for inclusion in a professional portfolio.
  • Major Project – Film and Video Games
    The module provides an opportunity to look at the impact of video games in wider audiovisual media culture, particularly at the relationship between film and video games. As video games increasingly establish a dialogic interplay with the materiality, production, politics and aesthetics of film, the field of game studies expands requiring a theoretical re-evaluation that affects the forms and modes of the moving image. Mirroring the transmedia theoretical investment, the module provides you with the opportunity to conduct a video game analysis producing a video essay as part the assessment.
  • Games and Creative Writing Joint Project
    This module aims to teach students to apply a comprehensive knowledge of the type of narrative and setting being designed, creating such appropriate to the game. Students will recognise and employ the formal, creative and aesthetic processes involved in the context of a large solo project.
  • Major Project - Practice-based Research
  • Major Project - Research Dissertation
  • Fiction III: Writing Modern Fiction

    This module aims to expand your understanding of all aspects of contemporary fiction. It will give you a solid grounding for your longer future creative writing projects, and also give you a chance to read and discuss a variety of fiction genres. You will analyse a range of fiction from a craft perspective which will deepen your understanding of how novels are constructed, and you can then apply this knowledge to your own fiction writing practice. Topics under discussion will also include the specific techniques involved in making your own writing more compelling such as story structure, characterisation, point of view, setting, and dialogue.

  • Poetry III
  • Life Writing II: Journeying the Self through Psychology and Expressive Arts

    This module gives an introduction to the field of psychology, exploring the basics of human behaviour and mental processes, important contributions to the field of psychology and the different approaches and goals of the various therapeutic orientations. Additionally, the module will introduce students to the field of creative writing for therapeutic purposes, including personal practice while studying examples of writing that illustrate the links between creativity and therapeutic outcomes. Some dramatherapy and art therapy techniques will be used during the workshop, although the primary focus is creative writing.

  • Screenwriting II: Film and Television

    This module enables students to explore and develop the theory and professional practice of contemporary screenwriting. By the end of the module, students who participate in weekly assignments will produce a marketable pitch deck/series bible for a film or TV project, along with the first 15-20 pages of the script. The module is substantially practice-based and requires students to analyse screen works and scripts (including their own and peers’) from a screenwriting perspective.

  • Creative Careers

    This module is focused on your professional development. It will enable you to understand the creative economy and the ways in which people develop careers within it. You will be able to plan your own career after graduation, to identify your goals and write the documents you will need to achieve them. Members of the Creative Writing department at Brunel along with visiting speakers will help you to become familiar with the creative industries through which writers reach their audience. By exploring all areas of your professional development, we will enable you to make a career plan for the next five years, to identify the opportunities and skills you will need and to research the choices you will make in the immediate future.


This course can be studied undefined undefined, starting in undefined.

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Careers and your future

The games design industry is booming and it offers an excellent career path with plenty of opportunities for development and innovation. You will learn how to design and prototype your own games, write games design documents, pitch games and develop skills in digital asset creation, image manipulation and 3D modelling relevant to design roles.

The skills you’ll gain from this degree - effective communication, leadership, self-management, initiative and personal responsibility, as well as design methodology and systems - are all applicable to other sectors too. You could pursue a career in a variety of sectors, including project management, marketing and web design.

Previous students have also found roles in a variety of games studios and organisations including Rovio, Rockstar and Ubisoft. They work as junior game designers,animators, games artists and operations executives.

UK entry requirements

2024/25 entry

  • GCE A-level AAB-BBC.
  • BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DMM in any subject.
  • BTEC Level 3 Diploma DM in any subject, with an A-level at grade C.
  • BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma M in any subject, with A-levels grade BB.
  • International Baccalaureate Diploma 29 points.
  • Obtain a minimum of 112 UCAS tariff points in the Access to HE Diploma with 45 credits at Level 3.
  • T levels : Merit overall

A minimum of five GCSEs are required, including GCSE Mathematics grade C or grade 4 and GCSE English Language grade C or grade 4 or GCSE English Literature grade B or grade 5.

Brunel University London is committed to raising the aspirations of our applicants and students. We will fully review your UCAS application and, where we’re able to offer a place, this will be personalised to you based on your application and education journey.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

EU and International entry requirements

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 (min 5.5 in all areas)
  • Pearson: 59 (59 in all subscores)
  • BrunELT: 63% (min 55% in all areas)
  • TOEFL: 90 (min R18, L17, S20, W17)  

You can find out more about the qualifications we accept on our English Language Requirements page.

Should you wish to take a pre-sessional English course to improve your English prior to starting your degree course, you must sit the test at an approved SELT provider for the same reason. We offer our own BrunELT English test and have pre-sessional English language courses for students who do not meet requirements or who wish to improve their English. You can find out more information on English courses and test options through our Brunel Language Centre.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants. This information is for guidance only and each application is assessed on a case-by-case basis. Entry requirements are subject to review, and may change.

Fees and funding

2024/25 entry

UK

£9,250 full-time

International

£21,260 full-time

Fees quoted are per year and may be subject to an annual increase. Home undergraduate student fees are regulated and are currently capped at £9,250 per year; any changes will be subject to changes in government policy. International fees will increase annually, by no more than 5% or RPI (Retail Price Index), whichever is the greater.

More information on any additional course-related costs.

See our fees and funding page for full details of undergraduate scholarships available to Brunel applicants.

Please refer to the scholarships pages to view discounts available to eligible EU undergraduate applicants.

Teaching and learning

Module teaching across the programme (lectures/seminars/tutorials) will take place in person on campus, and will be supported by the provision of asynchronous materials (e.g. lecture recordings etc.).

Other activities, including dissertation drop-ins, personal tutor meetings, assessment workshops, guest speaker events, and one-to-one tutorials may take place in person or online, as appropriate. We'll endeavour to take into account student preferences when arranging these activities, as well as other practical considerations, with an eye firmly on providing an excellent student experience at all times. 

Students are strongly advised to purchase core texts from module reading lists, although copies are also available via Brunel Library.

Access to a laptop or desktop PC is required for joining online activities, completing coursework and digital exams, and a minimum specification can be found here.

We have computers available across campus for your use and laptop loan schemes to support you through your studies. You can find out more here.

This course will help you to develop your creative writing skills and focus on how they relate to games design and game play. You’ll learn about the application of traditional story and narrative design and how it applies to games design and gameplay.

Your learning will come through lectures, workshops, seminars, play sessions and tutorials. You’ll also use the online forum to discuss, share and develop your knowledge. You’ll gain confidence in sharing your ideas, giving and receiving feedback and working individually as well as in a multi-disciplinary team.

The teaching team are experts in nurturing games talent and you'll benefit from their insight into the industry. You'll be introduced to ideas at the forefront of the discipline as well as sharing their knowledge and understanding of professional practice. This will help to keep you up-to-date with industry developments and show you how the skills you learn on this course are applicable to the world of work.

Of course the best teachers of writing are writers and Creative Writing at Brunel is taught by successful, published writers, many of whom have international reputations. You'll draw on their experience across a range of genres and you'll have the opportunity to study Creative Writing to a high level. You'll develop your knowledge, understanding, and analytical and creative skills through the analysis, interpretation and creation of literary texts.

All games students will have 24-hour access to the games lab, where high spec PCs are available for you to work on and play games. You'll also use the Design room, where an impressive collection of board games is available for you to learn and understand the principles of games design. This room also serves as a wonderful, collaborative space where you can play and generate ideas, work, relax and have fun.

You’ll finish this course with a skillset that will allow you to develop a game from scratch and be ready to work and thrive in the games industry.

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Assessment and feedback

Assessment is through practical and theoretical, group and individual, project coursework.

This way of working and assessment will give you a firm foundation and preparation for your entry into the creative industries.