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how is it to study computing for digital media and games at sussex?

Hi everyone, complete u-turn if youve seen my other post, i have decided to go with my gut and go into an industry i love, which is games and media, over liberal arts.

I visited the university of sussex, and was wondering whether any students who have studied on the digital media and games course have any insight into how creative the course is. I would rather not be stuck doing logistics or equivalent for three years. I want the course i go into to have good games and design facilities, and be one that preferably involves a good amount of 3D work and maybe graphics/digital environments. I am aware that the course modules include computer science and programming, which im completely happy and excited to do. I just don't want it to be a course with a tiny focus on the creative aspects in comparison to the more sciency part of it.
Keeping in mind, although studying additional computer science on the side, I don't do scienc subjects at A level. I have spoken to the professor at the open day, who said it wouldnt be a problem as long as I had at least a 6 in GCSE maths, which im fine with.

Some other courses im applying for: Game design at surrey, digital media at royal holloway, media production at sussex, and interactive media at york.
If any current/previous students could let me know their experience, that would be great, or if you could recommend a better pathway, id really appreciate it!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

aspalax

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

Hey, before I answer I want to preface with: My intention is not to put you off any of the universities you've looked at or discredit university league tables.

I would just like to suggest that these universities are very well known for their academic achievement. When it comes to studying a creative course at university it can be a lot more difficult to judge what a "good university" is, because the metrics used to judge universities in league tables are primarily from their examined subjects and most academic courses. While Uni of Sussex or Royal Holloway might be a great place to go to study STEM or Humanities, you might find Arts universities are more likely to have art-specific facilities, lecturers with previous industry experience, and so on.

Here's some resources for identifying universities that are well respected for their digital media courses. These are accreditations given to specific courses, not universities, recognising a degree of subject-specific teaching.

Unreal Academic Accreditation: https://www.artstation.com/schools?country_names=United%20Kingdom
Rookies top ranked universities: https://www.therookies.co/schools/search?certification=&certified=&country=United+Kingdom&delivery=&dicipline=&page=1&program=&ranking=&search=&sort=
Screenskills Accreditation: https://www.screenskills.com/select-courses/?q=&industries=Games&types=&regions=&subjects=&pageIndex=1
TIGA Accreditation: https://tiga.org/education/tiga-university-accreditation

Best of luck to you, regardless of where you choose to apply

Reply 2

ravioli__

Original post

by aspalax

Hey, before I answer I want to preface with: My intention is not to put you off any of the universities you've looked at or discredit university league tables.
I would just like to suggest that these universities are very well known for their academic achievement. When it comes to studying a creative course at university it can be a lot more difficult to judge what a "good university" is, because the metrics used to judge universities in league tables are primarily from their examined subjects and most academic courses. While Uni of Sussex or Royal Holloway might be a great place to go to study STEM or Humanities, you might find Arts universities are more likely to have art-specific facilities, lecturers with previous industry experience, and so on.
Here's some resources for identifying universities that are well respected for their digital media courses. These are accreditations given to specific courses, not universities, recognising a degree of subject-specific teaching.
Unreal Academic Accreditation: https://www.artstation.com/schools?country_names=United%20Kingdom
Rookies top ranked universities: https://www.therookies.co/schools/search?certification=&certified=&country=United+Kingdom&delivery=&dicipline=&page=1&program=&ranking=&search=&sort=
Screenskills Accreditation: https://www.screenskills.com/select-courses/?q=&industries=Games&types=&regions=&subjects=&pageIndex=1
TIGA Accreditation: https://tiga.org/education/tiga-university-accreditation
Best of luck to you, regardless of where you choose to apply

i actually got an offer from all unis! including york, surprisingly. i honestly was expecting to be rejected from the majority of them because of my a level subjects, but i guess not. Im wondering if you know if interactive media is a competitive degree to get into? im not completely confident in achieving the grades needed...

Reply 3

aspalax

Clearing and Applications Advisor, Universities Forum Helper

Original post

by ravioli__

My experience is with games-specific courses and the gaming industry. I can't speak to interactive media or the larger media industry, but I would imagine that course is more broad and shares focus with neighbouring industries like broader software and web development? Probably useful in terms of career outcomes, as the gaming industry is very narrow. I would still be interested to know if any of the lecturing staff have game development experience.

Often, these kinds of courses are not as competitive as academic courses. They often have higher rates of people that drop out, so sometimes take on more students than they expect to finish the course. This is a generalisation, though. I also found that generally these courses cared more about how you interviewed and your entry portfolio than your grades, but again, I applied and went to games-specific courses so your experiences may vary.

If you have offers from unis that you're interested in going to, take that as a good sign. Focus on doing your best in your exams and if you don't make the requirements for your first choice it isn't a dealbreaker. There are lots of good options for you and your ultimate career success is more likely to come from your independent drive.