Creative Media and Game Technologies

In our learning community you will be trained in creative, technological, and commercial skills. Game careers require you to have both a broad knowledge of game development and deep skills in your chosen area of expertise, such as 3D visual arts, high-end video game development, animation, audio, gameplay, level design, production, or programming. 

In our education we apply role-based learning. This is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills in their chosen roles by investigating and responding to a complex issue over an extended period of time. The focus is on facilitating students to become self-driven learners who are able to analyse a problem and use all the resources around them to find solutions. 

During your studies, you will work on various game development projects in a simulation studio. Most of your time will be spent working on projects either individually or in groups and attending workshops. 

Year 1

The first year consists of four blocks. The first three cover fundamental skills that build towards tightly defined projects to enhance your knowledge, all supported by lectures and seminars. The fourth block continues this, while you also work in cross-disciplinary teams to develop a game, practising your skills in a real project and learning how to work in a small development team.

Year 2

Year 2 consists of four blocks. You spend two blocks further developing your advanced skills in your chosen role. In the other two blocks, you work in small multidisciplinary teams building game projects, supported by lectures and seminars. You also have the possibility to go on exchange for one semester

Year 3

This year you specialise in your chosen role either working in a multidisciplinary team on a year-long game project or in a smaller specialist team supporting the game project. You also have the possibility to go on exchange for one semester.

Year 4

In the graduation year you work on two projects that may include:

• completing a portfolio project individually or in a group (always assessed individually);
• working at a company (with a project deliverable);
• developing a business plan and designing a product (to start your own company, supported by our entrepreneurship start-up specialists);
• taking part in a one-semester exchange programme at one of our partner universities.

Or combine the two projects and work on a year-long project, or go on a year-long internship.

We also encourage our students to go abroad during their studies. In year 4, students participate in projects at companies around the world.

 

Pre-master's

BUas offers its own pre-master's programme Strategic Business Management and Marketing (SBM). If your academic results are good, you will be offered the opportunity of attending this pre-master’s programme in your fourth year. Successful completion of this track will give you direct access, after Breda University of Applied Sciences, to various Master of Science programmes in business-related studies in management and marketing at several partner universities. A few examples are the universities of Maastricht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In this way, it will be possible for you to earn an academic master's degree within five years' time or, after having completed an accelerated three-year track, even within four years' time.

After your fourth year, you can also opt for a pre-master’s programme of a Dutch research university to gain direct access to their master’s programmes.  

Study load

Games is a varied, challenging programme: 

• You will be working in teams for many hours per week – it is definitely a full-time course of study;
• You will be backed up by industry knowledge and theory; 
• You will build a portfolio, and then step straight into games industry studios or start your own company. 

We have high standards. We are looking for people who:  

• Understand the roles that they are asking to study; 
• Are engaged with the games industry from a developer’s viewpoint, not only as a player; 
• Are already showing their determination by starting to learn in their own time. 

When you first enter the programme, you will choose one of the study paths. During the second year you can switch paths to become a ‘general developer’ with mixed skills, or you can stay in your specialisation for the remaining projects.

In the first year you can opt for the following pathways: 

3D Visual Arts

3D Visual Arts delivers 3D modellers, animators, character artists and environment artists for the games and film industries. This study path teaches 3D modelling, texturing, rendering, drawing, animation and world building. 3D Visual Art is popular with students who have artistic skills and a passion for visual arts in a gaming context as well as a drive to understand the technical skills required to make assets that work smoothly in a game engine. 

Overview of study years 

• Year 1: Modelling, texturing, rendering, animation, art fundamentals (drawing skills), technical art  
• Year 2: Characters, animation, environments, procedural modelling, technical art 
• Year 3: Advanced visual arts workshops 
• Year 4: Work placement, preparation for employment, graduation project 

Programming

Programming delivers hardware and software engineers for the gaming industries, including console, PC, and mobile platforms. This study path teaches mathematics, C++, hardware technology, game programming, graphics programming, and mobile and social network technologies. Programming is popular with students who have technological skills and a passion for game development. 

Overview of study years 

• Year 1: Programming design patterns, games programming, and game mathematics 
• Year 2: Gameplay, engine, graphic, further AI programming 
• Year 3: Advanced programming workshops 
• Year 4: Work placement, preparation for employment, graduation project. 

Design & Production

Design & Production delivers game designers, level designers, narrative designers, and producers for the gaming industries, including console, mobile, PC, and board games. This study path teaches you concept development, game design, game production, business management, interactive storytelling, and basic programming and computer graphics. Design & Production is very popular with students who have leadership and conceptual aspirations for the games industry and who have strong communication skills. 

Overview of study years 

• Year 1: Physical prototyping, team management, the essentials of gameplay design 
• Year 2: Level design, puzzle design, narrative design, business management 
• Year 3: Campaign, multiplayer, casual, and experimental design, entrepreneurship training 
• Year 4: Work placement, preparation for employment, graduation project. 

If you already have a vwo-diploma, a ‘Hochschulreifezeugnis’ (Abitur) or a comparable pre-education, Creative Media and Game Technologies may be able to offer you the opportunity of completing the programme in just three years. 

All other international applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis to ensure that the standard of the diploma will be appropriate for the fast track. 
List of appropriate educational qualifications 

Three-year track: how does it work? 

The selection procedure for the fast track is the same as that for the regular programme. 

• In the first year, you will be required to complete your propaedeutic phase of the variant for which you have been selected (Visual Arts / Programming or Design & Production). 
• The second year follows the same structure as the regular course. 
• In the third year, a number of options are open to you. These include placements, individual projects, or taking part in group projects together with fellow students. 

Interested?

Should you be interested in the fast track and if you have questions that are related to the content and set-up of the study programme, please contact Steve Morris.
 

Through a four- to five-month exchange with one of our many global partner universities, you can have an international experience while maintaining your academic achievement level. We encourage you to go abroad since this will enhance your employability internationally after graduation. Other advantages are increasing your international network, learning other languages and increasing your understanding of cross-cultural differences (and, of course, also similarities). We can guarantee that your perspectives will shift to a global view!