Games: Associate Degree of Games Development

What You Will Learn

Make the transition from gamer to a game developer with the Associate Degree of Games Development and explore a range of genres for a range of platforms - roleplaying games, platformers, adventure, PC, FPS, mobile, and VR.

Not only are games becoming some of the biggest entertainment properties in the world, but industries are now also using the positive effects of 'gamification' and serious games to encourage behavioural change, particularly in fields of healthcare, training, and safety.

Games have the potential to change the world, and we can give you the skills to help change yours. Our associate degree starts at the base level and builds your expertise in programming and design.

As a student of Games at SAE, we offer small classes and one-on-one mentoring opportunities you may not find in a larger university. You'll develop and apply advanced techniques and strategies to use industry software like Unreal Engine, Unity, Blender and Maya. In addition to this, you could develop for technologies such as Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, Android, and iOS. You'll also learn the core technologies under the hood of game engines with expert mentors guiding you in industry-standard engine languages like C++ and C#.

Your growth and development as a creative practitioner will be assessed through the completion of industry-based projects. This will ultimately help you build up a body of work and a portfolio to share with potential employers or first clients.

In preparation for an industry that commands agility and adaptability, you'll cut your creative teeth on projects in partnership with your course peers. As your skills develop and you work on more dynamic projects, you'll apply your capabilities to cross-discipline projects. By the end of your course, you could be collaborating with fellow students across all SAE disciplines.

With an Associate Degree of Games Development, you'll be ready for cutting-edge industry roles using modern creative business concepts and strategies. Career options include Mobile App Developer, Level Designer, Systems Designer, or UX Designer.

Ultimately, a qualification from SAE in Games will expand your career. As part of your course, you will be provided practical experience and work with others to help build your network. We'll also equip you with employability skills, giving you professional strategies in communication and self-promotion.

The Associate Degree of Games Development has two stages that provide foundational learning and applied skill.

• Stage 1
  • Core Units
  • Credit points: 10 Beyond technical and craft skills, expert practitioners also have an understanding of the historical, scholarly and cultural context of games. Through developing your ability to identify scholarly and authoritative resources, your skills in research, and your capacity to argue, present and write academically, you will become a more literate creative. You'll be able to apply these skills in industry to build better outcomes for your project and company with strong links to both the past and future of Games. Potential projects: Working in a team, you'll develop a paper and digital presentation in the style of a Games Developer's Conference.
  • Credit points: 10 Game scripting is a common method of controlling the behaviour and sequencing of events and interactions within a game or scenario. Scripting can be thought of as a discrete language that uses principles of mathematics, combined with rules of syntax and patterns, to provide instructions for a computer to follow. In this unit, you will implement a range of basic game functionality by utilising data manipulation, formulas, object creation, defining of behaviours, and working with event systems. You will also build an awareness of how to use these elements within common game scripting languages and environments. Potential projects: Build a simple game from scratch using an existing game engine such as Unity with C#.
  • Credit points: 10 GAD178 will introduce you to 2D Development and is designed to equip you with foundational knowledge and skills necessary for creating 2D games. The course is structured to guide students through the process of planning and developing 2D game assets, laying the groundwork for the creation of a fully realised 2D game concept. By the end of this unit you will have created the necessary 2D assets required to convey the mood and tone of your own game. With these assets, you will have several fully realised scenes, built in a game engine that depict your vision and demonstrate your understanding of the 2D asset production pipeline.
  • Credit points: 10 In order to design and create games we need to be able to understand game systems and how they generate player experience. Games are complex, sitting at the intersection of art, technology, and psychology. To be able to become an effective game developer, it's important to start at a point where you can experiment and see the immediate outcomes of your decisions upon a product. It's for this reason that most game developers start off with small, rapidly developed games or modifications to check their thinking. In this module you will learn how to analyse existing games to identify and describe their core elements and interactions. You will apply this understanding to manipulate existing games in addition to designing new ones, and then check the effectiveness of your work through playtesting and player feedback.
  • Credit points: 10 This unit explores the concepts of entrepreneurship, innovation and project design. You will develop approaches to identify promising opportunities and actionable strategies to transform them into tangible successes. Through exposure to developing new ideas, processes and ways of working - both individually and in entrepreneurial teams - you will hone skills to put creative ideas into practice and achieve real-world impact. As Alan Kay explained, "The best way to predict the future is to create it", so let's get at it!
  • Credit points: 10 Game systems increase in importance and complexity in proportion to the size of a project. This relationship requires modular and reusable systems within game development pipelines, which can be applied to other projects. In this unit, you will extend basic scripting principles by implementing event-systems and applied mathematics in the form of modular game systems. This will involve reviewing good code design by developing or modifying fundamental game systems driven by geometry, vectors, and physics, such as input systems and character controllers, as well as researching, designing, and developing a complex game system, such as a 2D boss battle system, RPG dialogue system, or action-adventure inventory system.
  • Credit points: 10 3D Asset Production introduces students to the planning, design and construction of 3D models using industry standard software and techniques. This unit introduces students to concepts of workflows and pipelines in order to develop 3D assets for a number of purposes for games, animation, VFX and real-time applications. Students will develop their understanding of theoretical concepts and the practical application of 3D modelling through a hands-on approach. By planning and creating a number of 3D assets, students will develop their skills in using industry standard 3D modelling software including Maya in addition to being introduced to Substance Painter.
  • Credit points: 10 In order to create games, we must be able to manage the complexity of the game development process. To do this successfully, we need to be able to manage group communication and collaboration. This requires common languages and structures that support the variety of disciplines involved. We must also build familiarity with toolsets and existing industry practices, and be able to formulate and execute clear plans for delivering high-quality game assets and features on time. It is also essential to articulate the lessons you learn during development through reflection in a "post mortem" after a project is complete. In this unit, you will learn about project management techniques and work in a group to pitch, design, plan, and deliver a game in response to project briefs. This will include learning and applying a range of group work and organisational skills, as well as applying iteration processes to your game design. Managing projects in this way will help you expand your existing skills in design and scripting to craft a broader range of gameplay systems and features.
• Stage 2
  • In Stage 2 of the Associate Degree of Games Development you have five 5 core units and four electives from different streams - Games Design OR Games Programming.
  • Credits points: 10 In this unit, you will collaborate on interdisciplinary projects that blend creativity and technology across fields such as film, audio, music, gaming, design, and computer science. Through project-based learning, you'll explore how different disciplines contribute to innovative outcomes-like immersive installations or interactive experiences. The unit focuses on strengthening communication, problem-solving, and teamwork across creative and technical areas. You'll be challenged to apply your existing skills while embracing new perspectives and ways of working, developing a holistic understanding of contemporary media production and preparing you to deliver complex, boundary-pushing creative solutions.
  • Credit points: 10 Game development is a long and complicated process. But how do game developers know what ideas to pursue and which ones to give up? This is why we develop rapid prototypes: to test a theory or idea before we lose months or years of time to a concept that is simply too challenging to develop to the standard we desire. These prototypes are created purely to test a concept or tool. They are developed, analysed, and disposed of once we have learned what we can from them.
  • Credit points: 10 Creatives have always contributed to real-world problem solving, whether through innovative inventions, creative calls for action, public awareness building, or art and science collaborations. In this unit you will use your interdisciplinary collaboration skills to address a real-world problem. Using different theoretical frameworks within a 'hackathon' style studio environment you will produce a prototype that can be presented within SAE, as well as to external stakeholders.
  • Credit points: 10 Are you ready to take your game design skills to the next level? This unit delves into the power of games for more than just entertainment. We will explore the invigorating world of Applied Game Design, with a subcontext of meaningful application, where you will learn how to craft engaging experiences that not only entertain but also achieve specific goals for players, such as education, training, or social impact.