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game design 

Game Design short course

Apply (14 Weeks)Apply (21 Weeks)

Course Details

Location

London campus or live online

Start date

24th February 2025

22nd September 2025

Duration

14 or 21 weeks

Contact time

2.5 days per week

Entry requirements

  • Be over 18

  • Have a good understanding of written and spoken English

  • Feel comfortable using a computer

Fees

14 weeks - London campus: £7,845

14 weeks - Live online: £6,100

21 weeks - London campus: £11,080

21 weeks - Live online: £8,590

Apply now

February 2025:

September 2025:

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Course overview

Our short courses give you the opportunity to study the first 14 or 21 weeks of our MSc Game Design degree. This option is suited to students who want intensive training without academic qualifications. You’ll complete the first 2-3 modules of the programme and develop specialist skills in Paper and Digital Prototyping and 'the three Cs' - Characters, Controls and Cameras.

Our highly focused Game Design courses encompass not only theory but technical and artistic approaches. From core design practice through to game engines, UI and UX, as well as narrative and development pipelines.

Why choose this course

  • Designed with industry - this course has been created with professionals from Creative Assembly, Framestore and Sony London Studio.

  • Learn from expert Tutor, Glyn Fairweather who has over 10 years of industry experience, including working Runescape and most recently Design Director at Fundamentally Games.

  • Get to grips with the software used in industry, including Unreal Engine, Houdini, Maya, ZBrush.

  • Receive feedback from industry professionals - an opportunity to level-up your work and build connections, ready to embark on your creative career.

  • Benefit from our AfterCare package - we'll help you polish your showreel and find the right job, with access to our studios and showreel clinics for 12 months.

Meet your tutor, Glyn Fairweather

Glyn kicked off his professional journey at Jagex in 2011, diving in just as the company was overhauling its live operations and monetization strategies. He quickly became a key player in an innovative team that broke the mould in Runescape, crafting fresh free-to-play mechanics and systems.

For the past four years, Glyn has been shaping game design as the Design Director at Fundamentally Games. Here, he provided design support and actionable insights to studios and indie developers at various stages of development, helping them refine their games and achieve their creative visions.

Please note tutors are subject to change.

Course modules

These modules are common with the first 14-21 weeks of our MSc Game Design.

Prototyping and testing utilising 2D and Realtime approaches

  • Idea Generation

  • Paper Prototyping

  • MVP & Milestones

  • Playtesting

  • Introduction to Unreal Engine

  • Unreal Blueprint scripting

Project - Create a 2D puzzle game

Foundations in Game Design utilising 2D and Realtime approaches.

  • Game Design fundamentals

  • Mechanics, Dynamics & Aesthetics

  • Game Loops

  • Balance, Pacing & Flow

  • Game Feel

  • Unreal Blueprint scripting

Project - Create a Strategy Game

A deep exploration of Character control, interface and narrative.

  • User Experience

  • Level Design

  • Character Avatars

  • User Perspectives

  • Controls & Interface

  • Narrative Design

  • Unreal Blueprint scripting

Project - Create a RPG (Role Playing Game)

More Information

Minimum requirements

We welcome and encourage applications from students with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.

To study this short course, you must:

  • Be over 18

  • Have a good understanding of written and spoken English

  • Feel comfortable using a computer.

If you’d like to discuss your circumstances before applying, contact us!

Non-UK students

We accept international students for our short courses, with no difference in course fees or administration costs. 

The Standard Visitor visa allows students to come to the UK to study for a course of up to six months at an accredited institution. Depending on your nationality, you may need to apply for a standard visitor visa prior to departure from your home country. For more information visit:  

Contact us on admissions@escapestudios.ac.uk or +44 (0) 204 570 5091 for any questions.

We can provide remote access to our workstations during teaching time. Due to availability restrictions, we highly advise you to have your own set up at home to study in your own time.

More things you’ll need:

  • A strong internet connection

  • Cloud storage or external hard drive to back up your work, 1TB+ recommended

  • A three-button mouse or graphics tablet. Please note, the Wacom Intuos Pro range of tablets have the best support for our remote desktop software and provide the best experience.

  • A computer microphone (and optionally a webcam)

  • Note-taking materials.

If you have any questions about learning online or if you need help with what to buy, get in touch at hello@escapestudios.ac.uk.

To apply, complete the relevant online application form linked below.

February 2025:

September 2025:

Our Admissions Team will get in touch to take you through the next steps.

If you have any questions about your application or our entry requirements, get in touch!

As part of the application process, you will need to agree to our terms and conditions for your place on the course to be secured.

Fees 

14 weeks - London campus: £7,845

14 weeks - Live online: £6,100

21 weeks - London campus: £11,080

21 weeks - Live online: £8,590

Payment plans

We offer payment plan options for all courses. Following an initial deposit at registration stage, your chosen payment plan will break down your remaining fees into up to three instalments, to be paid before the end of the course.

Visit our admissions page for any questions about fees, funding and payment plans.

  • Unreal Engine,

  • Houdini,

  • Maya,

  • ZBrush.

This course was created to meet industry demand for new creative talent and is dedicated to enhancing your skills with a particular focus on the science and psychology of game design, as well as the efficient and elegant technical implementation of systems and mechanics.

Upon completion of this course, you'll have developed the transferable skills to enable you to contribute to teams in technical and/or design roles across various real-time and interactive production environments.

You’ll leave with an Escape Studios Certificate of Completion, along with strong creative and technical skills and some great pieces of work for your portfolio, which you can add to with help from our Aftercare programme. Ready to apply for jobs in the industry!

Why Escape Studios?

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