Our BSc Computer Games (including Foundation Year) could be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entry requirements for a three-year version of our computer science, electronic engineering and mathematics courses and you want a programme that improves your skills to support your academic performance.

Open to UK and EU applicants, this four-year course includes a Foundation Year (known as Year Zero) which is delivered by our Essex Pathways Department followed by a further three years of study in our School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering.

During Year Zero you will study on our Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics Pathway which will cover topics such as statistical analysis and modelling, and computer programming. At the end of Year Zero all students who pass the Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics Pathway will have a choice of which course to progress with. As well as BSc Computer Games students on the Computer Science, Electronic Engineering and Mathematics Pathway could also study BSc Computer Science, BSc Mathematics or BEng Electronic Engineering.

This is a degree in world-making. You craft stories, characters and plot in order to build imaginary worlds that a player can journey through. Our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence at Essex you master both game design and computer programming, giving you total control over the worlds you want to create.

From Year One of BSc Computer Games you will gain the skills to design and specify complex, non-trivial games by focusing on the following areas:

The mechanics of a game, including gameplay elements and the relationship with story

The concepts and techniques of computer game programming

Real and virtual worlds

Artificial intelligence behaviours for non-player characters

2D and 3D graphic effects and game objects (eg weapon systems)

At the end of your course, you will be able to create the outline design specification for a computer game of your own design, and to implement a game using industry-standard techniques. Both for entertainment and for more serious purposes such as virtual reality training, computer games, gamification and games intelligences are increasingly important in today's world.

Our School is a community of scholars leading the way in technological research and development. Today's computer scientists are creative people who are focused and committed, yet restless and experimental. We are home to many of the world's top scientists, and our work is driven by creativity and imagination as well as technical excellence.

Programming at Essex

Teaching someone to programme is about opening a door. In Year 1 at Essex you will study a module that introduces you to programming using Python. We assess your ability to think in a programmatic way in the very first week of term and if you require additional support, we offer classes which will boost your skills and confidence with programming.