During this module, students will have an opportunity to bring together their specialist skills in the construction of a video games artefact. The focus of this module will be bringing together the skills the students have developed over the course of the academic year and putting those skills into a professional context. Furthermore, students will be taught how to effectively work in a team, including taught sessions on

Resource management
Project planning
Legal, Ethical, Social, and Professional issues in the Games Industry
Conflict Resolution
Prioritisation
Communication
Video Games Evaluation and Testing
Effective Teamwork

During the lecture the students will learn specific group working strategies, such as time management, conflict resolution, communication, and resource planning. The lecture will run in a case-study format, where a real-world situation is used as the context to introduce a specific project management tool (such as risk assessments, Gantt charts etc). The students will then be encouraged to engage in debate and critical analysis to unpack and explore the tool explained – encouraging them to learn how they could adapt and apply these tools in their own work.

During the workshop the students will be placed in small mixed disciplinary teams to develop a small video games prototype. The workshop time will be student-centred, with staff focusing on mentorship and support. Each week the students will be set a target and provided with some practical guidance on how to achieve that goal. They will then be expected to use their workshop time to reach that target. Each week the students will add to an ongoing reflective journal noting the contribution of each team member, and their current progress.

Each group will need to develop and implement a vertical slice video games prototype, with each group member contributing towards a specific component aligned with their subject-specific skills (such as art, design, or programming). It is expected that the student should have a small (self-contained) playable level by the conclusion of the module.

For assessment one, the group will need to present their video games artefact. The group will be expected to demonstrate the game they have implemented and highlight the work that each member of the group has contributed (LO2). They will also be expected to demonstrate how they applied knowledge acquired during their modules, and through self-directed research (LO3).

For assessment two, each member of the group should write a self-reflection on their individual contribution to the project. The student should identify how they engaged in collaboration and group development and highlight strengths and opportunities for further development. They should reflect on the skills and practices they need to acquire during their degree as games developers in training (LO1).

2 Hours Per Week – Lecture

4 Hours Per Week – Group Development

1. Demonstrate an understanding collaborative games development practice.
Communication.

2. Develop domain specific components of a video games artefact.
Application.

3. Combine knowledge from a range of academic and non-academic sources.
Analysis.

Unreal 5 Games Engine
3DS Max
Z Brush

Working in teams (Better Partnership Working), Kim Jelphs, Policy Press, 2016

Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, Robert K. Wysocki, Wiley, 2019

Games, Design and Play: A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design, Colleen Macklin / Sharp, Addison-Wesley, 2016

Video games are interdisciplinary pieces of interactive art that require a range of specialist skills. The majority of the games that you have played will have been developed by a team of individuals. Games Developers rarely work alone. This module will challenge you to capitalise on your skills and individual creativity while working with a mixed disciplinary team of games developers. Beyond developing a video games artefact, you will be exposed to the tools, practices, and transferable skills required to work effectively as part of a group.