Welcome to Games Development at Norwich

We hope that you are having a good summer and looking forward to beginning your journey at Norwich University of the Arts.

We, the course team, are looking forward to welcoming you onto the course in September and working with you and discovering what drives you creatively. This is your Welcome Pack which tells you a little bit more about how to prepare and what to expect when you are here.

Welcome Week starts on Monday 15 September and this is when we will meet you on campus and introduce you to our buildings and facilities. The course team are keen to meet you and there will be opportunities to start getting to know the other students on your course.

We will be hosting introductory activities designed so you can get to know each other. You will also attend talks about the services and facilities the University offers, and you may even get to know some of the surrounding facilities in the City!

The first taught day of your course is the Monday 22 September. Generally, you will have on-campus sessions on Monday and Tuesday each week and individual timetables will be given the start of the course. In addition to sessions on campus, there will also be digital teaching sessions such as asynchronous task and technical introductions to software.

You will be introduced to all these elements so don’t worry about any of this now. The rest of the week will be independent study time for you to research and develop your projects.

On independent study days and days where digital teaching is scheduled, you will be able to access the campus in person to continue your work as needed (great for encouraging creative discussion about the projects), or you can elect to work remotely.

We will help you plan your time to make the most of your learning experience.

You will see that we’ve included some suggestions of things you might like to read, watch and do before you arrive, and provided suggestions about equipment and materials you are likely to need, paying particular attention to the computer/laptop specification, so please read through the pack carefully.

We look forward to seeing you in September.

Things to watch, read and do before you start

Watch

How to think like a Game Designer

A great introduction to analysing games and why you should do it as a game maker!

Read

Video games are better without characters – Ian Bogost

I wonder if you agree or disagree?
Have a read and see what you think about characters in games

Do

Construct

For those that want to get stuck in, Construct is a great entry point for making quick games. Give it a try!

Test your game knowledge

Test your game knowledge on Gamedle

Have a go at answering the following questions

These will get you warmed up for studying games at Norwich University of the Arts and will help with the introductory activities during Welcome Week:

• Identify your favourite game and consider what makes it so appealing?
• Are there things about that game that inspired you to take this course?
• What are your career aspirations at this point?

Suggested equipment & materials

• PC or Laptop with specs that meet or exceed those listed on the IT Equipment page for 3D Modelling, Animation, and Games Development
• Wacom graphics tablet
• Webcam for Teams meetings