Games Design

Games design is one of the most creatively and technically complex disciplines to have emerged in recent decades. It is concerned with how interactive experiences are conceived, structured, and realised: how rules and systems are designed to produce satisfying gameplay, how narrative and world-building give players something to care about, and how visual, audio, and interface design come together to create a coherent experience. The best games designers combine creative vision with analytical rigour, always asking what the player is feeling and why.

At the University of Chester, this four-year, full-time programme includes a year abroad and begins with a built-in option for students who need additional preparation before the main degree. The year abroad is a significant feature, giving you the opportunity to study games design in a different national context, whether in North America, Europe, or Asia Pacific, where vibrant games industries and distinct creative traditions offer fresh perspectives on the discipline. Across the programme you will study game mechanics and system design, level and narrative design, concept art and world-building, interface and user experience design, and the critical and cultural study of games as a medium.

You will work with industry-standard tools including game engines, prototyping software, and digital art packages, developing the technical fluency that professional games development requires. A typical entry tariff of 120 UCAS points reflects the programme's expectations at Chester.

Games design develops a way of thinking that is simultaneously creative and systematic. You will learn to prototype quickly, test ideas with players, interpret feedback rigorously, and iterate with purpose. These habits of mind are valuable well beyond the games industry.

Graduates work as games designers, level designers, narrative designers, user experience researchers, producers, and community managers across the games industry and related digital sectors. Postgraduate study in games design, digital media, or interaction design is a natural further step for those who want to specialise or pursue research.