Indie Games Development BA (Hons)

Course overview

Independent games developers and studios now make up a high percentage of the UK games industry, most producing games that are quick and easy to pick up and play and aimed at a wide audience. This indie games development course equips you with the practical, theoretical and business skills needed in order to succeed in this rapidly growing industry. This course includes an optional work placement year, at no extra cost.

Independent developers require a mix of technical, creative and entrepreneurial skills to design, develop and market their games. This course teaches you to develop compelling games with exciting mechanics and strong gameplay, both as individuals and as part of a team. While the main focus is on the development of smaller independent games, the skills taught are also applicable to design and, production roles within large mainstream development studios.

Teesside has been at the forefront of computer games education for many years. This course has been designed to support the shift in the UK games industry and to prepare you for the many opportunities this shift presents.

Alongside the optional work placement year, you can gain valuable experience and engagement with the sector through our shorter work placements, internships and work experience opportunities.

Career opportunities

This course provides you with a range of technical and design skills, making you the perfect candidate for a career as an independent games developer.

Entrepreneurial support from University-based Launchpad can help you to start your career as an independent developer or small company. Many small studios now take advantage of Kickstarter funding to generate the funds to develop their games. As a graduate of this course, you have the skills to put forward a polished proof of concept to attract funding.

As the course provides a range of transferable skills in real-time environments such as Unity and Unreal, you are also well suited for careers in VR or real-time visualization and interactive experiences.