Coventry University recently cemented its status as a champion of the gaming industry by welcoming the first students onto its Games Studio Development master’s degree course.
Co-developed and co-delivered by the Utopian Game Labs Academy (UGLA), the course has been designed to develop talent from a wide range of areas.
These include design, engineering, writing, art, business and marketing, all of which can seamlessly be applied to different sectors within gaming.
This development will not only benefit the overarching gaming sector, but also associated sub-divisions such as the lucrative iGaming industry.
Operators such as Betway Casino have forged strong relationships with game development companies to ensure their platforms boast the latest innovations.
Coventry University is ideally positioned to drive this new educational initiative as it is located in one of the most vibrant areas for gaming in the United Kingdom.
The course will provide students with the necessary skills and experience they need to forge a successful career within the gaming industry.
Luke Richards, the lead designer of UGLA, said:
“Aspiring developers face a big hurdle in the intricacies of production.
“It’s easy to misstep at various stages of a long, iterative process in ways that make a game a nightmare to complete.
“We in the industry have done a disservice in not sharing our knowledge to help aspiring developers accomplish their goals.
“We are proud to contribute to positive change for the benefit of industry and aspirants alike. We look forward to working with every student on the course and fulfilling the industry’s needs together.”
The launch of the new course enhances Coventry University’s reputation as a leader of innovation within the gaming industry.
Their Serious Games Institute (SGI) and Disruptive Media Learning Lab (DMLL) are renowned for their cutting-edge research which has made a real difference in gaming.
The SGI focuses its efforts on serious applied digital games for various sectors including education, environment and health.
It has partnered with over 200 companies and organisations including universities, schools, businesses, government entities and more.
The SGI notably secured ERASMUS funding and two European Union Commission Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Action (H2020) grants looking at pervasive gaming and learning.
The DMLL has a broader remit, focusing on innovating in teaching and learning across the university and other external educational bodies.
It concentrates on ‘the application and investigations of play learning, game-based learning, serious games, gamification and game thinking techniques and technologies in teaching and learning’.
The DMLL has also received nine-figure funding to support its research initiatives, each of which are influencing education through gamification.
Associate Professor and Curriculum Lead, Dr Bianca Wright, believes the new master’s degree course will further enhance the university’s already impressive contributions to the gaming universe.
“We are excited to work with UGLA on this innovative approach to developing talent for the games industry,” Dr Wright said.
“Not only has this course been co-developed with them but we will be working together to deliver the course to our students.
“Because of its location near Leamington Spa, which is a hub of activity for the industry, Coventry University is well-positioned to work with the games industry.
“With this collaboration our students will benefit from real-world industry engagement and collaboration from the get-go.”
By Michael Cage
