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BA in Game Design

Design is all around us. It shapes our experience with everything we use, interact with or play. What makes those interactions fun, useful or engaging? How can we design systems to allow users to get the most fun, the most enjoyment, the greatest payoff? How do we provide the best value for the user’s investment of time and energy?

The Bachelor of Arts in Game Design helps you create compelling interactive systems ― from sophisticated user interfaces to polished games and applications. In addition to extensive design coursework, you’ll delve deep into psychology, communications and user experience with an eye for crafting powerful experiences.

Topics Covered

Academic Roadmap

Career Outlook

Topics Covered

Students in the BA in Game Design programme will focus on the following subjects:

Software design and development, including game mechanics and history, design for training and simulations, future design, design documentation, scripting and programming, 2D and 3D level design, character design, playtesting, user interface and user experience design, product management and team game project implementation.
The humanities and arts, including writing, psychology, film, audio, architecture, drawing, 2D and 3D art with the option to study advanced topics in these areas.
Foundational math and science courses, including the fundamentals of scripting languages, mathematics and physics

Academic Roadmap

Similar to a video game skill tree, the BA in Game Design lets you specialize in the areas that best match your unique strengths and interests. Design curriculum is centered on the following six specialization tracks:

Systems design
Level design
User Experience (UX) design
Narrative design
Technical design
User research

In the first two years, you’ll take introductory courses in all six aspects of design. By the start of your junior year, having learned about each track, you’ll select two specialization tracks in which to pursue your advanced design studies. Throughout the programme, you’ll also take coursework in cognitive psychology, scripting languages, economics and communications, as well as a sampling of courses involving math, art, music and basic computer science as they relate to the work of professional designers. On top of this, you’ll collaborate with your peers ― and across disciplines ― on a series of semester and year-long game projects.

Career Outlook

As a graduate of the BA in Game Design programme, you will be well versed in both interactive design and game design theory, including user interface design, user experience design, usability, spatial design, system design and behaviour design. You will have the skills and collaborative experience to pursue any number of professional design roles across software, games and other digital companies. This vast skillset also allows you to act as the bridge between designers and people from other disciplines such as programming, art and content creation.

Game Developer
Game Design Engineer
Game Designer
Game Scripter
Technical Designer
System Designer
Level Designer
Content Designer
Encounter Designer
User Interface Designer

User Experience Designer
Quest Designer
Lead Designer
Creative Director
Director
Producer
Program Manager
Writer
Technical Writer
Editor
Artist
Technical Artist

VR / AR Developer

A VR / AR developer will work on the design of products which use mediums such as virtual reality mixed reality and augmented reality in the fields of training, simulations, architecture visualization, games and education. The VR / AR developer will both design and use knowledge of programming languages to build rapid prototypes which go from high-concept implementation to fully functional products across several industries. They will also need to work on user experience design when it comes to camera, controls and user orientation.

UX Designer

The work of the user experience (UX) designer can be seen across many industries, from games to business to museums and more. A UX designer seeks to make a product or experience more satisfactory and accessible for the end user, whether the end result is an intuitive mobile phone app or a more streamlined in-store checkout system. To get there, the designer will rely on a large set of tools and responsibilities, including user research, paper prototyping, wireframing and usability testing.

Game Designer

Game design is a broad term that can encompass many unique job types. In general, a game designer works to create and refine the interrelated systems that make up a game-playing experience, from the mechanics of combat in a fighting game to the complex menu navigation in an online RPG. They often work closely with engineers and people from other disciplines to implement and fine-tune their design concepts.

Entry Requirements

BA IN GAME DESIGN

Pass Sijil Tinggi Persekolahan Malaysia (STPM) or equivalent with a minimum Grade C (GP2.0) in two (2) subjects; OR
Pass Sijil Tinggi Agama Malaysia (STAM) with a minimum grade of Jayyid; OR
Pass Matriculation or Foundation Studies or equivalent with a minimum CGPA of 2.0; OR
Pass Diploma (Level 4, MQF) or equivalent with a minimum CGPA of 2.0; OR
Pass DKM/DLKM/DVM in related field; AND

Pass an interview or an assessment of a portfolio conducted by The One Academy.

Note: Exemptions for interview or portfolio review requirements may be granted to candidates with valid academic qualifications in the relevant field.