Games Design

Games design is the discipline that sits at the intersection of creative storytelling, interactive systems thinking, and technical craft. A games designer is responsible not just for how a game looks but for how it feels to play: the rules, the feedback loops, the pacing of challenge and reward, the way a player's choices create a sense of agency and consequence. As the games industry has grown into one of the largest creative sectors globally, the demand for designers who can think rigorously about player experience while also executing technically has grown with it.

At Manchester Metropolitan University this three-year full-time programme puts practical making at the centre from the very first year. You will be designing and coding games early in the course, building a portfolio of work that demonstrates your abilities rather than simply talking about them. The curriculum covers game mechanics and systems design, narrative and level design, programming, visual design, and the business and production realities of the industry.

The programme includes a sandwich year in industry and incorporates work placement, both of which give you direct experience in a professional games environment and the connections that can be decisive when you are looking for your first role after graduation.

Manchester is a significant creative and tech city, and the university has strong links with the games, digital media, and interactive content industries in the North West and beyond. You will learn using industry-standard tools and workflows, building familiarity with the production environment before you leave university.

Graduates go on to work as games designers, level designers, systems designers, producers, and quality assurance specialists, as well as in adjacent roles in interactive media, virtual and augmented reality, simulation, and digital content production. Postgraduate study in games, human-computer interaction, or related fields is also an option.