Computer games have become mainstream media, with nett earnings even surpassing that of the film industry. There is a need for people who are trained and competent in the workflow of game development with very specialized fields of studies. The games industry spans even to other areas like serious games, casual games, mobile games, simulations and virtual reality. It comes as no surprise then that more companies are now outsourcing their work to countries like Malaysia due to lower costs and a competitive standard of quality.
The BA (Hons) in Games Design is a programme specially developed with a comprehensive approach to developing the right mindsets in games industry, specifically in the area of games design. The games design graduate will take away with them the right skill-set to design, project-manage and produce world-class games on top of attaining valueable skills as a project manager for a team of artists and programmers. The programme is designed to be highly practical and industry-oriented. Students will have better industry-understanding through involvement in the semester long internship, improving their potential for eventual employment upon graduation.
The outline of the programme concentrates on all stages of the production process similar to the workflow practiced by professionals from related industries. Students will undergo a series of hands-on professional training to develop their skills in an industry-based learning system.
At the end of the programme, students will be able to:
- Comprehend moral, cultural and ethical issues and responsibilities and related inter-cultural communication within a global environment.
- To be able to practice and conform to positive work attitudes and to develop the work ethics as important requirements in the digital content creation and creative industries
- To be able to confidently deliver a theoretical and technical information in an appropriate form for a specific audience. To be able to work with others who possesses various attitude, knowledge and skills to achieve a common goal.
- To be able to demonstrate the ability to plan, implement and manage a game development project and to analyze situations and recognize the opportunity and potential for business.
- To be able to functionally work in a variety of situations and role and to learn and adopt critical knowledge of the development processes and concepts related to game development and other content creation industries.
- To be able to learn independently and to identify problems and provide creative and innovative solutions to design problems.
Entry Requirements
- Pass STPM / A Levels with minimum 2 principals; OR
- Pass Foundation / Pre-University / Matriculation programme in related field; OR
- Pass Diploma in related field; OR
- Diploma in related field or
- Any other equivalent qualifications recognized by the Malaysian Government
Students with a recognised Diploma in related field will be given advanced standing into the Degree programme.
International Students
For non-Malaysian citizens, please refer to the Malaysian Qualification Agency’s (MQA) List of Overseas Qualifications & its equivalency with Malaysian Education System (PDF) to see if you qualify for this course.
Programme Structure
| Year 1 | |
|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Semester 2 |
| Fundamentals of Games Design 1 | Fundamentals of Games Design 2 |
| Fundamentals of Games Art 1 | Fundamentals of Games Art 2 |
| Fundamentals of Games Technology 1 | Fundamentals of Games Technology 2 |
| Games System and Architecture | Games Design Project 1 |
| Casual Games Studies | Game World Creation |
| Game Genre Studies 1 | |
| Select One: | Select One: |
| Malaysian Studies | Moral Studies |
| Co-Curriculum 1 | Islamic Studies |
| Co-curriculum 2 | |
| Year 2 | |
|---|---|
| Semester 3 | Semester 4 |
| 2D Games Project 1 | 2D Games Project 2 |
| Games Design Project 2 | Games Genre Studies 3 |
| Games Level Design | Games Assets Development |
| Games Genre Studies 2 | Story Telling in Games |
| Database Design for Games | Games Platform Studies |
| Research Methodology | |
| Global Classroom | |
| Select One: | |
| Bahasa Kebangsaan A/B | |
| Co-Curriculum 3 | |
| Year 3 | |
|---|---|
| Semester 5 | Semester 6 |
| Dissertation for Games | Final Project |
| Social Networks in Games | Games Project Management |
| Games Business Knowledge | Games Quality Control and Testing |
| Multiplayer Games Design | Games Localization |
| Games Design Project 3 | Games Design Project 4 |
| Directed Elective (Steam based) | |
| Internship | |
Career Opportunities
Graduates will be able to work in the Games Development Industry as Game Designers, Level Designers, Production Managers, Project Managers and Game Testers in either the local Games Industry, which comprises International Games Developers such as Codemasters and Ubisoft, or in local games companies such as e-One Studios. Their options are limitless with many of the US and UK-based games companies setting up production studios in South-East Asia.
