unis for game art

i’d like to study game art or similar at uni next september. i’m 22 so technically a mature student doing an access art and design course and i live in east midlands. i’m ok to travel just nothing crazy far like scotland… as i can’t drive or get a lift. i’m not too focused on getting into the “best uni” i just want to go to somewhere with ideally a nice campus and somewhere i could start a good social life. i live basically in the middle of nowhere so a cool city or town would be good for me, that’s basically all i’m looking for.

any ideas? i’ve found a couple that i like the sound of but i’d like to keep my options open

Reply 1

aspalax

Hey, I went to DMU in Leicester and now work in industry. The course was good & has good history. It's one of the longer-running Game Art courses, it has had grads since '08 or so. The best collection of DMU Game Art student work: https://www.artstation.com/gameartdmu - this also lets you look through the profiles of people who made these student projects... so you can check out who's now in industry

I'm not sure I'd describe Leicester as a "cool city", but the campus was well equipped and has a good selection of societies and things. I felt like DMU did a pretty good job at equipping me with the skills to make a good portfolio.

Other options in the midlands.... Staffordshire Game Art are very good, I've continually heard good things about them.
Hertfordshire is good, but that might be further out. Norwich possibly an option, again depends - might be a bit far.

Interested in the ones you've found too. Happy to help if I can.

Reply 2

PinkMobilePhone

Buckinghamshire New University might not be your first choice, but my husband is an associate lecturer on their BA Hons 3D Game Art course. It's a nice course, the lecturers are friendly (I'm not biased, I've met his colleagues!) and the town is small but nice with all necessary amenities, and it's only 20 minutes on the train from London.
My daughter is going there to start that course herself next year after her gap year.

Reply 3

Kingston Reps

Official Rep

Original post by caznari

i’d like to study game art or similar at uni next september. i’m 22 so technically a mature student doing an access art and design course and i live in east midlands. i’m ok to travel just nothing crazy far like scotland… as i can’t drive or get a lift. i’m not too focused on getting into the “best uni” i just want to go to somewhere with ideally a nice campus and somewhere i could start a good social life. i live basically in the middle of nowhere so a cool city or town would be good for me, that’s basically all i’m looking for.
any ideas? i’ve found a couple that i like the sound of but i’d like to keep my options open

Hi @caznari

One of the reasons I chose Kingston was for it's ideal location. We are based just a short train journey from central London, so there is lots going on, lots of opportunities and just a creative place to explore. As Kingston is just outside central London it is a little quieter and so not as overwhelming, which I think creates a nice balance as you can experience both. The campus' are lovely and integrated into Kingston, it has a nice student feel, plus there is lots of nature with parks, rivers and the Thames which has lots of pubs and restaurants along it.

When it comes to social life there are lots of clubs and societies you can join, here is a link to the Student Union page that shows you what we have Home (kingstonstudents.net) . There are also lots of places to go out and events run that help you meet people and build a good social network.

If you want to pursue game art here at Kingston I feel there are two courses that may suit you. Firstly Game Development and then Illustration Animation.

From both of these courses students have gone on to work for brands like Sony, Netflix and Google. On the Game Development course Kingston is an educational partner of Sony through PlayStation First and you will be able to develop games for the PlayStation 5.

Another thing that is great about these courses is the equipment and facilities. There are lots of labs and studios that I would really recommend you coming and seeing for yourself, if you can, at an open day. Our next open day is Saturday 19th October, and there are more throughout the year just keep an eye on the website.

Here are the links to the website pages for the two courses:
Game Development BSc (Hons) - Undergraduate degree course - Kingston University London
Illustration Animation BA (Hons) - Undergraduate degree course - Kingston University London

I hope this helps and feel free to ask any questions :smile:

-Grace (Kingston Rep)

Reply 4

TulipStars

Original post by caznari

Arts University Plymouth
Leeds Arts
Escape Studios
Solent
Teeside
Met Studios Brighton
Falmouth

Just to name a few :biggrin:

Reply 5

StaffsRep Jodie

Official Rep

Original post by caznari

i’d like to study game art or similar at uni next september. i’m 22 so technically a mature student doing an access art and design course and i live in east midlands. i’m ok to travel just nothing crazy far like scotland… as i can’t drive or get a lift. i’m not too focused on getting into the “best uni” i just want to go to somewhere with ideally a nice campus and somewhere i could start a good social life. i live basically in the middle of nowhere so a cool city or town would be good for me, that’s basically all i’m looking for.
any ideas? i’ve found a couple that i like the sound of but i’d like to keep my options open

Hello @caznari - I'm Jodie and I'm a third year student here at University of Staffordshire and I study Game Art here! Thought I might jump in and just tell you a little about the course and the campus / social life here and hopefully it will help you!

Starting with the course, I've done almost all 3 years. I graduate this summer so that means I've seen and done the majority of the content this course has to offer. The course is heavy on the 3D modelling, sculpting, texturing and presenting. In the first year you get to dabble a bit in both character art and environment art and then as the years progress you get to choose an area that you would like to specialise in. For me, I went down the environment art route but I have friends who took a more character approach and even some who chose to do weapons and vehicles - the choice is yours! Most, if not all, of the staff have past industry experience too so teaching / getting help with assignments is always valuable and really helps. You also get support in the third year with the "employability module" and other careers fairs that happen over the course of each academic year here so getting a job after graduation seems a bit less daunting too :smile:

As for campus / student life, the campus is a decent size! Not too big to the point you get lost but not too small that it feels too cramped. We have a student union bar that holds regular events such as karaoke night, the LRV which stands for "Leek Road Venue" that holds even bigger events and then there's also clubs and places to explore in and around Stoke on Trent such as Alton Towers! Not only that, but the train station is directly outside campus so if you wanted to branch out and visit places like Manchester or Birmingham, both are around a 1 hour trip away on a train so it's easy to get around.

Hope this was helpful and if you have anymore questions don't hesitate to reach out I would love to help! All the best and good luck with wherever you decide to go study!!

Jodie - Games Artist and Student Content Creator

Reply 6

Norwich Uni Arts

Official Rep

Original post by caznari

i’d like to study game art or similar at uni next september. i’m 22 so technically a mature student doing an access art and design course and i live in east midlands. i’m ok to travel just nothing crazy far like scotland… as i can’t drive or get a lift. i’m not too focused on getting into the “best uni” i just want to go to somewhere with ideally a nice campus and somewhere i could start a good social life. i live basically in the middle of nowhere so a cool city or town would be good for me, that’s basically all i’m looking for.
any ideas? i’ve found a couple that i like the sound of but i’d like to keep my options open

Hi! I'm Charlotte, a year 2 Graphic Design Student from Norwich Uni of Arts. That's great to hear that you're thinking of taking a creative course at uni! Have you considered us?

You can request one of our prospectuses for free here: Norwich Uni Arts prospectus or find a list of our open days on our website.

Likewise, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Good luck on choosing a uni!
Charlotte, Student Ambassador 🙂