DCX101 DESIGN CONTEXTS

Design Context is a foundational subject that introduces students to the designed world and their place within it. Students are encouraged to explore the interconnected nature of design and its capacity to inspire change, drive progress and navigate complex challenges. Through observation, research and iterative approach students will develop a series of creative responses that demonstrate an awareness of the value of design and its ability to create meaningful interactions for people, communities and their environments.

DSO102 DESIGN STUDIO 1

This subject explores the relationship between materials and storytelling. It introduces students to the attributes of materiality and encourages them to re-imagine the possibilities of creating through making. Students will explore the art of paper folding, developing skills and taking creative risks. These results will be captured digitally and altered using the appropriate software.

Individual tasks allow students to develop an understanding and appreciation of materials, their many varied uses, properties, and the sustainable manufacturing processes related to them. Students will progress towards determining suitable materials in which to construct their final model with its form and function contextualised and supported by a documented process journal.

Their final submission will be a model that reminds us that stories which fill our lives are not only spoken and written but sometimes are best told through craft.

ACR101 2D ASSET CREATION

2D Visual Asset Generation utilises traditional art foundation theories and contextualises these practices for the digital domain. Students will create artefacts in digital formats for a variety of uses including concept art, pixel art, in-game assets, colour keys, user interface flow diagrams and more. Practical applications of art specifically for games will also be covered such as the basics of 2D digital animation. Students will receive critique from lecturers and learn to evaluate their own artwork with a critical eye.

GDP102 GAME DESIGN PRINCIPLES

Game Design Principles introduces students to game design foundations, techniques and paradigms through a series of lecture led and student-led activities. Students will explore game design principles through the analysis of existing game artefacts, applying those findings to the development of their own games. Students are introduced to a variety of analysis, development and presentation techniques encouraging discussion, creation and dissemination of their design choices through prototyping and documentation.

ACR103 3D ASSET CREATION

3D Asset Creation expands on the knowledge gained in the 2D Asset Creation (ACR101) and allows the students to utilise industry standard 3D modelling tools and techniques to communicate complex ideas and emotions. Students will critique artefacts which utilise the concepts or form, function, and silhouette learned through the underpinning knowledge gained in the previous components.

GPF104 GAME PRODUCTION FOUNDATION

Game Production Foundation combines art assets and basic scripting, enabling students to recognise how user experience is affected through art, design, and code. Utilising game development techniques and tools, students will create their own games, which requires a multifaceted approach including the following: project management, art and design theory, user interaction, menu systems, audio integration, scripting, game design and release. These trans-disciplinary artefacts scaffold the student’s knowledge for when they will interact with other disciplines in a professional development environment.

PBL202 PROBLEM BASED LEARNING STUDIO

Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical approach that enables students to learn while engaging actively with meaningful problems. Students are given the opportunities to problem-solve in a collaborative setting, create mental models for learning, and form self-directed learning habits through practice and reflection. The underpinning philosophy of PBL is that learning can be considered a “constructive, self-directed, collaborative and contextual” activity. The principle of construct positions students as active knowledge seekers and co-creators who organise new relevant experiences into personal mental representations with the help of prior knowledge. This is further reinforced by social theories of learning that advance the merits of social interaction in cognitive development. The aim of this subject is to trigger student learning with a problem which needs resolution. Students make connections to the challenge by activating their individual and collective prior knowledge and finding resources to make sense of the phenomenon; they also engage in peer learning through small-group discussions and consolidate their learning through reflective writing. Beyond enabling students to make sense of the concepts and subject matter, this learning experience will also help students develop an understanding of themselves and their contexts, and the ways and situations in which they learn effectively.

DDD203 DISCOVER, DEFINE, DEVELOP, DELIVER

The myth of innovation is that brilliant ideas leap fully resolved from the minds of geniuses. The reality is that most innovation comes from a process of rigorous examination through which great ideas are identified and developed before being realised as new offerings and capabilities. This subject introduces Problem Based Learning (PBL), mapped out as the 'Double Diamond’, the collaborative process by which the designer’s sensibilities and methods are employed to integrate the needs of people, the possibility of technology and the requirement for business success. In short, Double Diamond approach converts need into demand. It’s a human-centred approach to problem-solving that focuses thinking about meanings instead of features, searching for radical changes instead of improvements and proposing visions instead of satisfying existing needs.

Today, designers across many disciplines share some similar approaches to the creative process. Every design specialist has a different approach and way of working, but there are some commonalities in their creative process. Divided into four distinct phases – Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver – the Double Diamond is a simple visual map which illustrates the PBL approach. In this subject, students examine a range of possible ideas – divergent thinking; before refining and narrowing down to the best idea – convergent thinking. To discover which ideas are best, the creative process is iterative. Ideas are developed, tested and refined many times, with weak ideas dropped in the process. This cycle is an essential part of a good design strategy. Students are introduced to practical design methods – like user journeys, empathy mapping, character profiles – and how they can be used to move a project through the four phases of the Double Diamond.

Discover – The first quarter of the Double Diamond model covers the start of the project. Students look at the world from a fresh perspective; notice new things and gather insights.

Define – The second quarter represents the definition stage, in which students analyse and synthesise all of the possibilities identified in the Discover phase. Which matters most? Which should we act upon first? What is feasible? The goal here is to develop a clear creative brief that frames the fundamental design challenge.

Develop – The third quarter marks a period of development where solutions or concepts are created, prototyped, tested and iterated. This process of trial and error helps students to improve and refine their ideas.

Delivery – The final quarter of the Double Diamond model is the delivery stage, where the resulting project (a product, service or environment, for example) is finalised, produced and launched.

Thinking like a designer can transform the way you develop products, services, processes – and even strategy.

GST201 GAME STUDIES

Game Studies introduces students to the study of video games as texts situated within wider cultural and theoretical settings. Students will explore histories of video games as creative technologies and as cultural artefacts. These ideas will be framed through critical analysis of specific case studies, informed by a wider reading of contemporary games scholarship.

Through a series of lecture and seminar-based talks, discussions, and play sessions, students are encouraged to critically analyse the wider context of the game industry in relation to the economic, social, & cultural determinants surrounding the production & consumption of games & game technology.

This look into society develops scholarly skills by encouraging students to research and debate contemporary issues surrounding the production, dissemination, and consumption of interactive media.

AAC202 ADVANCED 3D ASSET CREATION

This subject builds and expands upon the 3D asset creation techniques explored and practiced in ACR103. Students will explore more advanced methodologies used in professional practice and integrate them into their existing workflows. This includes the areas of modelling, sculpting, texturing, shading and other 3D processes. With these principles and techniques, students will be able to achieve even greater artistic results with better efficiency.

ANI203 ANIMATION

This subject provides students with foundational and core skills in rigging and animating characters and 3D elements in industry pipelines. The principles in animation, kinematics, rigging mechanics, animation direction and performance are explored, to inform the processes involved. Students will investigate industry techniques and practices and apply these in common scenarios in the field of game development and interaction.

3RGP204 RAPID GAME PROTOTYPE

The goal of this subject is to provide the students with an opportunity to collaborate on a series of projects, and enhance collaborative skills working within a team of people across multiple disciplines. Additionally, the assignments in this subject will challenge the student in finding creative solutions to project management and small scale rapid game creation. In teams, students will be asked to create and present various game prototypes over the duration of the subject.

GDP204 Game Development PlayStation

Students specialise in developing games for the Sony PlayStation® platform utilising available game engines for input, graphics, sound and physics. Topics covered include the theory of PlayStation® architecture including SDK installation and network neighbourhood. Students will also learn how to port a project to the platform.

WIL302 WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING

This subject is designed to provide students with professional experience in an area related to their field of study or the career they are working towards. The aim of providing industry-specific opportunities is to enable students to develop skills that will enhance their prospects of gaining meaningful employment and building their career for the future. Much of the benefit of work integrated learning comes from observation, practicing under supervision and reflection. Work Integrated Learning is an excellent way to broaden the students learning environment while they are studying. It allows them to see first-hand how what they are learning in their degree translates into practice, as well as how ‘real world’ practice relates to what they are learning at University. This subject will develop work ready skills and boost students’ employability while they are studying. There are two work integrated learning options available to students:

Option 1: Internship

Students are offered the opportunity to work within a professional design environment for an extended period of time. It encourages students to build long-term relationships with the design industry and exposes them to the rigour of applied design practice while building their confidence in adapting to new environments. It also provides a context in which to enhance their communication skills and work collaboratively in a professional arena. Students will undertake a series of research tasks, conducting interviews and gathering data in order to understand the key concepts in managing a professional design practice with emphasis placed on the operation of the professional design environment.

Option 2: Industry Live Brief

This subject requires students to respond to criteria set within the context of an Industry Live Project. An understanding of research methodologies appropriate to professional practice and the documentation of personal creative investigation will be explored. Students will also further investigate and examine entrepreneurial and commercial opportunities through collaborative work practice. The subject is delivered from a cross discipline perspective and draws on both discipline specific and common design practices. Students are required to work both independently or as part of a collaborative team in order to conduct research, analyse and define project parameters and deliver innovative solutions that expand the notion of an industry live brief.

SEN301 SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

Social Enterprise is an exciting theoretically-based subject that is driven by the desire to create positive change through entrepreneurial activities. These activities harness design thinking and problem-solving processes in the realisation of pragmatic, viable project proposals from initiation to client presentation. By providing students with a framework to understand business model generation and the skills to source, evaluate, and measure opportunities through systematic research and competitor analysis, Social Enterprise empowers students to conceptualise, develop and propose new ventures and products that focus primarily upon social change for good. In addition, this subject will help students understand and address the practical challenges of working within this environment; to analyse different entrepreneurial business strategies, to explore diverse funding strategies, as well as incorporate theoretical discussions on major trends and issues in the social economy. Social Enterprise enables students to appreciate the power of creativity in problem-solving and the importance of the designer’s role in making a difference and precipitating change.

PPR301 PRE-PRODUCTION CAPSTONE 1

Students develop game project documentation to be used in the development of a game, enhancing their skills in the areas of industry procedures and game design principles. Students draw on learning from previous materials to debate and justify the contents of their design. Teams need to communicate the project, ideas and scope through presentation, documentation, and playable prototypes. During this preproduction period, the environment is studio based, helping students prepare for industry realities.

PRO302 PRODUCTION CAPSTONE 2

This subject focusses on developing and producing an industry-ready creative technology project. In the pre-requisite subject (PPR301 Pre-Production Capstone 1), students addressed the pre-production components of a digital game. During this subject, students move from pre-production planning, to product development.
Students will work collaboratively to manage the processes surrounding production, design and development of their projects. They will formulate strategies that can be used to solve problems and adapt to changes and modifications so that the final product aligns with agreed outcomes.
Additionally, students will be required to explore developing technologies that can be incorporated into a digital project, and to reflect on, communicate and document their experiences.