AA4D08 - Games Specialisation 01 Sep 2021 - 31 Aug 2027 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: AA4D08
Module Title: Games Specialisation
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Culture and Animation
Faculty Sub Group: Animation
Module Leader: Richard Hurford
Module Team: Helen Davies, Lloyd Jones, Corrado Morgana, Jackson Rolls-Gray, Emma Marshman
First Intended Intake: SEP 2021 Final Year of Intake: 2026
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 40 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes:
HECOS Code Weighting:

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2021
Valid To 31 Aug 2027

Module Aims

• To allow students to develop a deeper understanding of their area of specialisation.
• To provide students with an opportunity to undertake an extended piece of independent focused research.
• To further develop students’ abilities to produce an extended piece of formal written work.

Content Summary

The dissertation module provides the intellectual space in which students are able to undertake formal research into an area of personal interest/ specialisation related to games.

It offers the opportunity to explore contemporary issues associated with their practice or the wider field of games studies and in so doing develop a more informed understanding of the debates in theoretical, technical, entrepreneurial, critical and historical areas relevant to their specialism.

The dissertation will normally be developed from interests established from previous study or practice.

The outcome should be presented as a reasoned argument, incorporating elements of originality within it. This may include practice-based research has conducted in addition to existing evidence used to sustain the debate.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 4
Tutorial 6
Independent Study 220
Directed Study 170
Total Hours Selected 400

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Undertake and complete a variety of research tasks related to a sustained enquiry appropriate to the area of study.
LO2 Construct and sustain a coherent, literate and well-organised account of the research undertaken and the results achieved using the academic conventions associated with a project of this nature.
LO3 Evaluate, appraise and critique new ideas, models and concepts, and to identify any biases and assumptions inherent in these.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Dissertation / Major Project 1 Major Project: A detailed analysis of a topic, involving some original research undertaken by the candidate who makes use of data and/or primary sources. Involving an element of practice. OR Dissertation: A major written work reporting the results of a substantial research project providing a coherent argument about the topic addressed and aiming to incorporate an element of originality in the argument and /or the evidence used to sustain it. 0 12000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3
Dissertation / Major Project 1

Reading List

Bell, J. (2005) Doing Your Research Project. (4th ed.) OUP.,
Denscombe, M. (2007) The Good Research Guide. (3rd ed.) OUP.
Collins, H. (2019) Creative Research: The theory and practice of research for the creative industries. (2nd ed.), London: Bloomsbury.
Muratovski, G. (2016) Research for Designers: a Guide to Methods and Practice. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Gray, C. & Malins, J. (2016) Visualizing Research: A Guide to the Research Process in Art and Design. New York, NY: Routledge.
Madigan, J. (2015) Getting Gamers: The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People Who Play Them. Rowman & Littlefield.
Ellison, C. (2015) Embed with Games. Edinburgh: Polygon Books.
Webber, J.E. & Griliopoulos, D. (2017) Ten Things Video Games Can Teach Us. London: Robinson.
ACADEMIC JOURNALS
Games and Culture
Games Studies: the International Journal of Computer Game Research
Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds
Journal of Games Criticism
Critical Distance
ONLINE RESOURCES
Game Studies: http://gamestudies.org/
DiGRA Digital Library: http://www.digra.org/digital-library/
GDC Vault https://www.gdcvault.com/
80.lv https://80.lv/
Game Discoverability Newsletter https://gamediscoverability.substack.com/
The Psychology of Video Games http://www.psychologyofgames.com/
Gamasutra https://www.gamasutra.com/
Guardian Games https://www.theguardian.com/games