Computer Games Design
Do you love video games and want a career building them? Are you a hobbyist games developer looking to develop more skills to improve your employability?
The Level 3 Games Development Course at Varndean College offers a comprehensive, hands-on education in game creation, focusing on end-to-end development skills that reflect real-world industry standards. Our well-established course located in Brighton — a hub for digital media and gaming — provides students with exceptional industry links, including regular studio visits to leading companies such as Hangar 13 and Epic Games. This makes it an ideal choice for anyone looking to build a career in the fast-paced and competitive world of game development.
Key Features
- RSL Creative Digital Media (Game Design) Level 3 Extended Certificate, equivalent in UCAS points to an A-Level
- 3 units per year, with a strong focus on game-specific skills
- Year 1: Game Design, 2D Asset Generation, 3D Modelling
- Year 2: Environment Production, Game Programming, Game UI
- Solo projects in Year 1, Group projects in Year 2
- No exams — Coursework-based assessment
- Brand-new, high-spec Games Development Lab
RSL Qualification
The RSL Creative Digital Media (Game Design) Level 3 Extended Certificate is equivalent to an A-Level in terms of UCAS points, giving you a qualification that is valued by both universities and employers. This vocational qualification is designed to help you build a strong games portfolio and gain practical, industry-relevant skills. Completing this course will put you in a great position to pursue higher education or a career in game design, development or programming.
Key Software Skills
- Construct 3: Learn game design using Construct 3, a beginner-friendly, drag-and-drop game engine. Perfect for newcomers to game development, Construct 3’s intuitive visual programming environment allows you to quickly develop 2D games without needing to write code. This hands-on approach helps you focus on core game design principles, mechanics, and creativity, while also providing a solid foundation in game development.
- Blender: Develop your 3D modelling skills using Blender, an open-source software that has become a go-to tool for game developers worldwide. With powerful features for 3D modelling, texturing, animation and rendering, Blender gives you the ability to create professional-quality assets for your games — without the high costs of proprietary software.
- Unity3D: As one of the most widely used game engines, Unity3D is a critical tool for aspiring game developers. You’ll learn to build, program, and deploy games using Unity, which powers over half of all mobile games and is a key engine for console and VR games. Mastering Unity3D will give you a competitive edge, as it is a preferred choice for developers and studios worldwide.
Additional Advantages
- Strong Industry Links: Our location in Brighton, home to leading gaming and tech companies, offers you direct access to industry professionals, including Hangar 13, who regularly host studio visits and provide valuable insights into the industry.
- Study alongside A-Level subjects, giving you flexibility in your curriculum.
- Coursework-based assessment that reflects industry standards, focusing on employable skills.
- Brand-new, high-spec Games Development Lab equipped with the latest hardware and software.
By the end of the course, you will have developed the technical and creative skills needed to build a strong portfolio and kickstart your career in the games industry. You will also earn a respected qualification that will support your progression to university study. Our students consistently achieve excellent results, with 42% of students in our latest cohort (2022-2024) earning a Distinction or Distinction*.
Whether you’re interested in game design, programming or asset creation, this course provides the tools, experience and industry connections to help you succeed.
I enjoy playing computer games and wanted to learn the process required to produce something myself. I most enjoyed the process required to produce a computer game, from the planning materials needed to the design and how to use multiple game engines to code and create the games.
Elias Lassalle, ex Priory School
Course Essentials
Courses Available
RSL Level 3 Extended Certificate in Creative Digital Media (Game Design) (equivalent to 1 A-Level)
Game, art or programming portfolios are welcomed but not essential.
How The Course is Assessed
100% coursework
Career Pathways
As this course offers a wide range of vocational elements to further pursue, learners usually choose an area of game development to specialise at HE level, such as computer science, 3D or 2D art, animation, or game design generally. Learners also develop skills in STEM more generally and so can pursue fields from web development to physics and engineering.
Transferable Skills
Teamwork; analysis, problem-solving and modelling; industry-standard software skills; quantitative and qualitative skills; time management and organisation.
Other Information
You will have individual access to a computer during lessons. Students will be expected to spend time out of lessons working on their portfolios. Although it is not essential to have a computer with internet connectivity at home, students who do not have this facility must be prepared to make full use of the College's open access facilities.
Enquiries To
Paul Oliver: pol@varndean.ac.uk
Enrichments
Our 3D Modelling Enrichment teaches students core skills in modelling, texturing, rigging, animating, and rendering using Blender, a powerful and industry-standard 3D software. This enrichment is ideal for learners who don’t take the full Games Development course but want to develop their 3D design skills. Students will gain hands-on experience in creating both static models and animated assets, building a strong foundation in 3D production. These skills are highly transferable, enhancing employability in industries like gaming, animation, visual effects, and design
Our Beginner’s Games Development Enrichment is a fantastic opportunity for students who aren’t taking the full Games Development course to dive into the world of game design and production. In this enrichment, learners will get hands-on experience using Construct 3, a beginner-friendly game engine that allows them to create their own 2D games, learning essential skills in game design, mechanics, and production.
Trips and Speakers
At Varndean College, we offer students exceptional industry interaction, providing them with valuable opportunities to connect with professionals from leading companies in the games and digital media sectors. In the 2023/24 academic year, we welcomed Yasmin Curren from Dambuster Studios and Ben Board from Epic Games, who shared their insights and experiences with students, giving them a deeper understanding of the industry. Additionally, our studio visits to Epic Games featured a range of guest speakers, offering students direct access to the latest developments and career pathways in one of the most influential companies in game development. These interactions provide students with real-world perspectives, helping them build industry networks and gain a competitive edge in their future careers.
Varndean College Games students have the exciting opportunity to attend the WASD Live event in Brick Lane, London each year, a key gathering for the gaming industry. At WASD, students can interact directly with a range of game studios and developers, gaining first-hand insights into the latest trends, technologies, and career opportunities in the industry. In addition, our Games students often volunteer at the annual Develop Conference in Brighton, one of the UK’s leading events for game developers. Volunteering at Develop gives students a unique chance to establish themselves in the industry, connect with professionals, and expand their networking opportunities, all while gaining invaluable experience in a real-world industry setting. These experiences provide our students with a strong foundation for their careers, giving them both the knowledge and the connections to succeed.
Alumni Success
Leo Board
Leo was a high-achieving student at Varndean College, producing excellent games and game assets during his studies. He has since worked for Tanglewood Games as a games programmer, and is currently pursuing a degree in Games Development at Staffordshire University.
Staff Profiles
Paul Oliver
Paul Oliver specialises in gameplay programming, 3D modelling and game design. He has 12 years of experience in teaching at all levels of study (primary to HE) and 7 years of experience managing games development programmes at Level 3. Prior to teaching, he ran an indie studio in East Sussex called Team Hyperbeam, releasing the reflex-puzzle hybrid game Tapimals on iOS devices in 2014.
Kelvin Martin
Kelvin Martin specialises in 2D game art, concept art, animation and immersive media. He has over a decade of experience teaching at FE and HE (Levels 3 – 7) in areas of animation and immersive media.
Student Work
Little Nightmares - Student Work (2D)
Plunder the Dungeon - Student Work (3D)
Tides of Fortune - Student Work (3D)
Creative Arts Showcase 2024
Varndean College’s annual Creative Arts Showcase is a dynamic and vibrant celebration of the outstanding creativity and diverse talents of the year’s graduating students. It features live music, dance and drama performances, interactive gaming and film screenings, alongside exhibitions of 3D design, textiles, graphic design, art and photography.