1. Demonstrate advanced and systematic understanding of contemporary industry practices, workflows, constraints and professional expectations relevant to your specialist discipline. Personal Development & Entrepreneurship

2. Apply advanced creative, technical or design skills to develop evidence-based solutions to a live or simulated industry brief, using appropriate tools, production methods and professional standards. Application & Problem-Solving Digital Literacy

3. Communicate ideas, solutions and project outcomes effectively to specialist and non-specialist audiences, demonstrating professional communication, teamwork and client-facing presentation skills. Communication

4. Critically evaluate project outcomes, production processes and personal practice with reference to industry benchmarks, ethical considerations and relevant academic or professional literature. Reflection

Assessment 1: Project Artefact in Answer to a Brief [Learning outcomes 1, 2] Weighting: 70%

Description
Students will create a substantial practical artefact responding to an industry-aligned or simulated professional brief within their specialist discipline. Depending on the pathway, this may include:
• a game prototype or playable system
• a design solution or documentation set
• a technical tool or pipeline system
• a visual development package
• another approved discipline-relevant artefact

The artefact must demonstrate advanced understanding of industry workflows, professional standards and specialist practice. Students must provide supporting material that evidences:
• rationale and decision-making
• technical or creative problem-solving
• use of appropriate tools, pipelines or methods
• alignment with the brief and industry expectations

Assessment 2: Development Logbook and Presentations [Learning outcomes 3, 4] Weighting: 30%
Description
Students will maintain an individual development logbook that records:
iterative progress
research activity and synthesis
experimentation and refinement
critical evaluation of decisions
ethical considerations
engagement with industry benchmarks
reflection on personal role, professional development and team interactions

The logbook must show continuous intellectual engagement and reflective depth appropriate to Level 7. Students will also deliver a short professional presentation demonstrating their ability to communicate and articulate their project experience as applied professional practice, including project intentions and aims:
project intentions and aims
development processes
evidence-based strategic decisions
final outcomes and professional relevance
application of professional practice appropriate to advanced or specialist industry roles

The presentation must be appropriate for both specialist and non-specialist audiences and demonstrate clarity, structure and professional communication standards.

Understanding Industry Contexts and Professional Standards
-Contemporary workflows across game design, art, programming and concepts
-Industry expectations for communication, documentation, pipelines and deliverables
-Professional ethics, accessibility, inclusivity and responsible development
-Sector insights: AAA, AA, indie, outsourcing, freelance and emerging practices

Interpreting and Responding to Industry Briefs
-Analysing the requirements, constraints and goals of a professional brief
-Benchmarking against industry examples and case studies
-Translating client expectations into practical, creative or technical outputs
-Planning scope, milestones and deliverables appropriate to a postgraduate project

Discipline-Specific Specialist Practice
-Games Design: systems design, prototyping, UX, documentation
-Games Computing: tools, pipelines, technical features, optimisation
-Games Art: asset workflows, art direction, pipelines, presentation
-Concept Art: visual development, composition, style, narrative framing

Multidisciplinary Skills and Cross-Disciplinary Awareness
-Understanding workflows in neighbouring disciplines
-Communicating across design, art and technical roles
-Negotiating creative and technical constraints
-Integrating discipline-specific outputs into coherent project results

Production Methods and Professional Workflows
-Agile and milestone-driven production
-Iterative development, feedback integration and refinement
-Time management, workload distribution and pipeline planning
-Use of industry-standard tools for project management

Professional Communication and Client-Facing Practice
-Presenting work to specialist and non-specialist audiences
-Writing professional documentation and progress updates
-Managing feedback, critique and revisions
-Portfolio preparation aligned to industry expectations

Reflective and Evaluative Practice
-Evaluating final project outcomes against brief requirements
-Identifying strengths, weaknesses and areas for development
-Reflecting on workflow choices, ethical considerations and industry alignment
-Linking project experience to professional identity and career goals

In this module, you’ll work on an industry-aligned brief tailored to your specialist discipline, developing practical work that reflects professional standards and current sector expectations. You’ll take part in multidisciplinary lectures on contemporary industry practice and attend focused lectures that support your technical, creative or design development. Through responding to a live-style brief, presenting your ideas and reflecting on your process, you’ll strengthen the professional skills, communication abilities and industry awareness needed for careers across the games sector.

Students will engage in a variety of learning strategies, including tutor-led presentations, multidisciplinary lectures, discipline-specific workshops and self-directed project development. Formal sessions introduce industry expectations, workflows and good practice for responding to professional briefs.

Workshop sessions provide focused technical, creative or design support relevant to each discipline, with staff offering guidance on interpreting briefs, applying appropriate methods and refining project outputs. Students are expected to undertake independent research and development between taught sessions, documenting progress and integrating feedback to meet the requirements of the industry-aligned brief.

Ashtiani, R., 2022. The Art of Direction: A Guide for Creative Leaders in Games, Film & TV. London: CRC Press.

Fullerton, T., 2023. Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games. 4th ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Foley, J.D., van Dam, A., Feiner, S.K. and Hughes, J.F., 2013. Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice. 3rd ed. Boston: Addison-Wesley.

Schell, J., 2019. The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. 3rd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Walliman, N., 2022. Research Methods: The Basics. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.

Study guidance through scheduled studio sessions and group supervision with academic staff acting as Game Directors.

Access to the University of Staffordshire Library with compiled reading, case studies, postmortems and industry-influential materials relevant to professional game development and studio production.

Blackboard VLE for accessing module materials, production documentation, formative feedback and development resources.

Relevant software to support industry-standard studio workflows, including (but not limited to): Unreal Engine, Unity, Trello, Adobe Creative Cloud, Blender, Substance Suite, Visual Studio and version-control systems such as Git.

Relevant hardware and facilities supporting studio-based development, experimentation and testing, including: High-performance PCs, VR/AR equipment, motion capture facilities, console development kits, 3D printers and scanning equipment where appropriate to the project brief.