Games Development

Games development with a specialism in art sits at the point where visual creativity and interactive media meet, asking you to develop the skills needed to create the characters, environments, props, and visual effects that bring games to life. The art side of games development is technically demanding as well as creatively challenging: game artists must understand 3D modelling pipelines, UV mapping, texturing and shading, rigging and animation, and the constraints imposed by real-time rendering in game engines, as well as developing a strong visual and aesthetic sensibility. The games industry employs large numbers of specialist artists, and the roles are genuinely distinct from illustration or general digital art.

The University of Huddersfield's three-year full-time Games Development (Art) programme develops both the artistic and the technical skills needed to work in this field. You will work with industry-standard software for 3D modelling, character design, environment creation, and animation, learning how assets are created and optimised for integration within real game engines. You will also develop your visual design thinking, learning to create work that is both aesthetically coherent and functionally effective within the interactive environments it inhabits.

The programme includes a sandwich year and a work placement, giving you extended professional experience within a games studio or related creative organisation, which is invaluable for understanding how professional production pipelines work and for building the portfolio and network that games employers look for.

A typical entry tariff of 152 points reflects the programme's expectation of both artistic ability and commitment to developing technical skills.

Graduates pursue careers as concept artists, character artists, environment artists, texture artists, technical artists, and animators within games studios, as well as in adjacent industries including film visual effects, animation, and augmented and virtual reality. Postgraduate study in games art, animation, or visual effects is also an option for those seeking advanced specialisation.