Why study Game Technology at BUas?
- The programme has been developed in collaboration with the international game industry
- International team of lecturers and professionals from across the field of games development
- Year-long graduation, self-directed learning, and individual coaching
Study overview
Master's-level graduates with specialist skills in researching and solving current issues related to the content, creation and culture of video games are in demand in the industry. Do you fancy studying scientific literature, looking for ways to develop practical applications? As it happens, the existing gap between scientific theories and relevant applications offers plenty of opportunities to do so.
This Master in Game Technology is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to gain the very sought-after research skills that the industry is focusing on more and more, while becoming an expert in their chosen field, whether that be art, design, or programming.
- Focus
The Master Game Technology focuses on facilitating your growth in research and development with support from industry partners and expert lecturers from the game industry. Training in research methods allows you to develop deep insights into your chosen area of game development.
- Craftsmanship
Staff of the Master Game Technology consists of industry veterans, trained at master’s or PhD level. This ensures a practical focus, realistic assignments, a large international industry network, and knowledge that is directly applicable to modern game development, along with supervisors that understand academic rigour.
- Guest lectures
Throughout the course, you will be able to attend guest lectures from a variety of experts covering current and future research practices in game studios and academia. This ensures exposure to up-to-date knowledge. It also gives you the opportunity to increase your professional network before you enter the industry.
You will also be able to partake and teach in the bachelor's courses, sharing your knowledge with our bachelor's students and finding a pool of excited participants for your own research.
- Research areas
You can enter the programme with your own research proposal that describes the research area you want to work in and as well your current skills and experience in that field. Research areas our programme shows strong expertise in include: procedural content generation, deep learning, animation, graphics, rendering, development and production pipelines, enhanced board games, player experience and data.
- Examples of papers
Sometimes it can be difficult to visualise how you can do research in your sector. Is research in Art even possible? What kind of data could a Design & Production paper yield? What are some interesting developments in the Programming-related fields?
Here you will find some examples of papers written in the Master Game Technology, divided into our three disciplines.
Visual Arts (VA)
- Polman, H. - Enhancing the Player Experience Using Real-Time Biometric Data to Adapt a Mood in a Virtual Reality Game Environment
- Habekotté, J. - Framing the Value of Concept Art An insight into the applicability and development of concept art in the game industry
Design and Production (DP)
- Pastoors, J. - The Opposite of Love How parasocial interaction with NPCs can be enhanced through intergroup competition
Programming (PR)
- Matthieu Delaere - Caching Shading Information in World Space using Implicit Progressive Low Discrepancy Point Sets
- Luca Quartesan - Neural Bidirectional Texture Function Compression and Rendering
The programme is structured in four blocks, each consisting of ten weeks. At the end of every block you present your work and progress is evaluated. The work involves both a research thesis and the practical development of artefacts which allow you to gather data and prove the application of your research.
Block A: Concept (15 ECTS credits)
During this first block you will be finetuning your topic of choice and phrasing your research question. You will also learn how to tackle your thesis and do your literature review so you know exactly what has been written on your topic.
Block B: Pre-production (15 ECTS credits)
During the second block you will be describing and planning your research and doing your first tests to check your process.
Block C: Production (15 ECTS credits)
In this block you will conduct your research, collect your data, and interpret it. Your thesis is coming together, and you can see how your initial research question can be answered.
Block D: Release (15 ECTS credits)
Finally, it is time to put in the finishing touches on your work and share your knowledge with the world by publishing your paper.
- Year long graduation
You will have a whole year to work on a specific topic based on your own proposal. Of course, we will assist you in finding a research question that allows you to explore that topic in depth, and all of your assessments are related to that research and work delivered.
- Research and development
We offer courses on a variety of fundamental research and development topics. You attend courses covering general research methodologies, game-related research, and also presentation skills and thesis writing. The curriculum has set sessions for critique, discussions and debates in which students present their project progress and examine each other’s decisions and approaches.
- Self-directed learning
We want you to take ownership and responsibility of your own learning. We strongly promote innovation, possibly in new or unfamiliar environments, and often with an actual product or set of prototypes and a proof of concept in mind.
- Individual supervision
You will be assigned an individual supervisor with a connection to your field of research. Further support is available through access to researchers and specialists in any relevant area of game development.
- Industry involvement
We put a strong focus on collaborating with the industry. The industry is involved with reviewing your intake assignment, which can lead to the assignment of an industry supervisor. During the year, the industry is invited to presentations and poster sessions creating valuable moments for feedback.
The Master Game Technology is a one-year, full-time programme. The total study load is 60 ECTS credits. To give you an idea: 1 ECTS credit equals 28 study hours. For this course it is expected you will be putting in 40 hours of work each week.
We offer you a small-scale study environment as the number of students involved in the master's programme is limited. For questions on the content of the programme, lecturers can be easily reached. In addition, the master's coordinator is available to help with day-to-day issues. If you wish to discuss personal problems that may be affecting your life as a student, you can contact the student counsellor.
Being in the game industry is a constant learning process
My role as a Rendering Engineer is to deliver cutting-edge graphics technology that enhances the visuals in upcoming titles, … as well as upgrade artist workflows used during production and support game teams that are shipping their titles.
Being in the game industry is a constant learning process, but the Master Game Technology gave me a head start acting as a great instigator of obtaining critical knowledge required to succeed in the lengthy interview processes.
A great foundation for any job!
I found that the master’s programme changes your perspective on the game industry and hones your skills as well as your critical thinking. … Aside from gaining academic credits that look good on your portfolio, the skills you develop will allow you to produce reliable research and critically assess the work of others, as well as your own. Even if you are not planning to pursue a career in research, what you learn during the master’s will be a great foundation for any job in the industry.
Admission
Students are eligible for the Master Game Technology if they hold a bachelor's degree in any relevant game development area, for example IT, programming, art, animation, design, and production. Pre-existing knowledge in the field you wish to explore is required. This course will not teach you game development skills but the focus is rather on writing and research fundamentals. If you wish to make something to substantiate your research, for example a test scene with different mood settings, you will already need to possess the skills required to make that test scene.
If you are interested in learning how to build games rather than how to do research within the field, please take a look at our excellent bachelor's programme!
Check out the full admission requirements and the options if you do not meet the requirements.
Application
If you meet the admission requirements, you will be invited to apply for this programme. Admission is based on selection. There is a maximum of 28 students, distributed across the three disciplines, that can be admitted to the course. Please check out the application procedure.
Costs
In the academic year 2023-2024 the statutory tuition fee for master's programmes is €2,314. In addition to the tuition fee, you will need to take into account additional costs for the purchase of study materials such as textbooks. Read more about study costs.
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Your career
The Master Game Technology prepares you for future positions such as a specialist in art, programming or design. These positions are no entry-level jobs. A couple of years of work experience within the game industry is essential. With the Master Game Technology, in which you acquire solid academic and applied knowledge, you can achieve these positions faster.
After graduation you are entitled to the degree of Master of Science.
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