1. Critically analyse current and emerging business challenges within the gaming industry and devise innovative, strategic solutions that address immediate needs and anticipate future trends while considering the ethical implications, thereby positioning your artefact as a catalyst for industry transformation.

Problem Solving, Knowledge and Understanding



2. Integrate advanced theoretical insights and cutting-edge research from previous studies into designing and developing a high-quality artefact, ensuring that your project directly responds to and proactively shapes anticipated business needs.

Application

3. Communicate your artefact’s conceptual framework, development process, and strategic impact through professional documentation and presentations, engaging diverse stakeholders and establishing yourself as a forward-thinking leader in the industry.

Communication

Assessment Component 1 - Project Proposal Including Ethics Form - [Learning Outcomes: 1]

Your proposal should critically analyse the current and emerging challenges within the gaming industry, identifying the specific needs your project addresses and justifying your strategic solution. You must demonstrate your ability to react to existing challenges and anticipate future trends while considering ethical implications. Outline how you will integrate advanced theoretical insights and cutting-edge research into your project design, detailing your methodology to translate academic knowledge into a practical approach that meets current or anticipated business needs. Clearly articulate your conceptual framework, development strategy, and the expected impact of your project to engage academic and industry stakeholders effectively and lay a solid foundation for developing your artefact.

Assessment Component 1 - Artefact - [Learning Outcomes: 2,3]

With your artefact, you will demonstrate an innovative solution from your critical analysis of the gaming industry’s challenges, demonstrating how it addresses immediate needs while anticipating future trends. This practical embodiment of your applied knowledge should reflect your proposal’s advanced research and theoretical insights. You must showcase your technical proficiency by transforming these concepts into a high-quality solution that meets business needs. In your showcase you will effectively communicate your solution’s development process, underlying framework, and strategic impact, ensuring your work resonates with industry practitioners and academic audiences.

Building on insights gained from Industry Trends and Innovations, you will undertake another self-managed project focused on future-facing issues. This project must address a current or anticipated business need, ensuring you respond to existing challenges while also shaping the direction of your industry. Whether you are developing a new tool, implementing a strategic initiative, or testing a novel concept, this project will showcase your learning, demonstrating your ability to translate research and industry insights into meaningful, impactful action.

You Will Learn:

How to address both current and future industry challenges by providing innovative solutions that contribute to the evolution of your field.

To analyse and reflect on key decisions, challenges, and innovations throughout your development process.
To effectively articulate your thought processes and design rationale, thereby enhancing your ability to communicate complex ideas professionally.

The Games Development Project module gives you the opportunity to take your research from a previous module and create a high-quality artefact for your portfolio. This module allows you to align your project with a future-facing focus. Your project must address a current or anticipated business need, ensuring that you not only react to existing challenges but also help shape the direction of your industry and your career goals.

Most of your time will be spent in self-managed learning. You will be expected to manage the project by using a suitable project methodology and use this to manage your time and reflect on your progress.

An important part of the learning strategy is the direct one-to-one supervision of your project by a supervisor. Contact hours would typically be 60 minutes per week.

Workshops on specific specialisms on an individual level.

Due to the industry practice focus of the course, online sources are often more applicable; they will be suggested by supervisors during study.

Tan, T.W. (2024) Game Development with Unreal Engine 5 Volume 1: Design Phase. Berkeley, CA: Apress.

Secchi, M. (2023) Multiplayer game development with Unreal Engine 5¿: create compelling multiplayer games with C++, Blueprints, and Unreal Engine’s networking features. First edition. Birmingham, England: Packt Publishing Ltd.

Sharp, J. (2015) Works of Game: On the Aesthetics of Games and Art. 1st edn. Cambridge: The MIT Press.

‘Making Video Games: The Art of Creating Digital Worlds’ (2022) ProtoView. Beaverton: Ringgold, Inc.

Goldman, K. (2024) Essential Human Anatomy for Artists: A Complete Visual Guide to Drawing the Structures of the Living Form. 1st edn. Minneapolis: Quarto Publishing Group USA. ¿

De Nucci, E., & Kramarzewski, A. (2018). Practical game design. Birmingham, England: Packt Publishing.

Reference to the Module welcome page for study guidance.¿¿¿¿

Access to Staffordshire University library¿¿¿¿
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Access to internet sources through Staffordshire University library.¿¿¿¿
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Provision as appropriate of case materials by tutor and / or external organisations.¿¿¿¿
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The Blackboard virtual learning environment will be available to support this module.¿¿¿¿

Details will be supplied on the Module Welcome page.¿¿¿¿

Software

Games Development Software (Autodesk, Creative Suite, Blender, ZBrush, SpeedTree, Substance Suite)

Game Engine Software (Unreal Engine, Unity, etc

Image Editing Software (Photoshop, Krita, etc)