Games Design and Music – (B.A.)

Contents

Taught by a team who specialise in research into the theoretical analysis of digital games or who are professionals in the games design industry, this new degree will introduce you to ideas and practices at the forefront of game studies and game design. You will have the opportunity to design and analyse digital games, developing over the course of the programme a comprehensive understanding of the factors that shape the games industry and the techniques and principles used in the design of games. Your second subject will also provide ideas and concepts that you can use in your study and design of games.

In each year of your degree, you will study theory modules aimed to develop your analytical understanding of the cultural and social significance of games and their historical contexts. Design modules will aid your ability to produce creative, realisable strategies in relation to set briefs. Application modules will provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of the communication skills currently used in the games industry, including presentation and prototyping skills. You will also study a selection of core and optional modules from your chosen second subject.

Games Design
At each level you take modules in:

* Theory which develops your understanding of methods and approaches used in the analysis of games, their cultural and social significance, and historical contexts.
* Design which will aid your development of creative strategies for generating game design ideas and game design projects. You undertake design projects, developing a practical understanding of creative game design.
* Application (industry relevant skills and contexts) which will provide you with a comprehensive knowledge of the skills used currently in the games industry.

Music
Music study at Brunel is dynamic and diverse with a special focus on 20th century and contemporary music, encompassing western classical, jazz, pop and world music.
Lecturers also offer in-depth study courses in, for example, advanced composition, orchestration and arranging, improvisation, ethnomusicology, conducting and Persian classical music.
There is also a wide range of practical musical activities, which can be credited as part of your course, such as the orchestra, choirs, chamber and 20th century ensembles, jazz big bands and rock bands.

Typical Modules

Level 1

* Theory 1: 'Reading' Games - methods for, and practice of, analysing the formal components of games
* Design 1: Introduction to Game Design - practical exercises, working to set briefs
* Application 1: Methods for, and practice of, communicating design concepts and ideas
* Academic Practice
EITHER
* Music since 1900: Themes and Contexts
OR
* Music and Society

Level 2

* Theory 2: Approaches to analysing games and players
* Design 2: Large game design projects, working to a brief
* Application 2: Prototyping game designs and understanding the Games Industry
Three modules from:
* Music and Perception
* Music Since 1900: Experiment and Tradition
* Contrapuntal Composition
* Improvisation
* Instrumentation and Orchestration
* History of Computer Music
* Composition for Soloist
* Popular Music Practice
* Solo repertoire Development

Level 3

* Theory 3: Socio-Cultural Contexts - Analysing the social and cultural implications of games.
* Major Design Project
OR
* Major Theoretical Project
OR
* Medium Design Project
AND/OR
* Medium Theoretical Project
* Music Special Project
Two modules from:
* Music since 1900: Modernism and Postmodernism
* Music and Critical Theory
* Special Music Topic
* Analysis and Sociology of Popular Music
* Music and the Moving Image

Teaching and LearningLectures, workshops, seminars, play sessions and tutorials will provide you with different ways of engaging with relevant materials. Use will be made of the programme´s online forum to aid in the development of knowledge and to solicit discussion.

AssessmentPractical work is assessed by a range of projects throughout the programme, some of which are done in groups. Throughout the programme, assessed practical exercises and projects require increasingly more complex knowledge of markets, parameters and techniques. Written essays which accompany projects require evaluation of your own work using a range of theoretical and critical tools. The project modules enable a more sustained engagement in which detailed knowledge and understanding is tested.