4B073E - Playable Worlds 01 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2033 | Version 0
Associated Module Information
| Module Code: | 4B073E | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Module Title: | Playable Worlds | ||
| Faculty: | Faculty of Business and Creative Industries | ||
| Faculty Group: | Games and Design | ||
| Faculty Sub Group: | Games and Design | ||
| Module Leader: | |||
| Module Team: | Dann Rees, Jackson Rolls-Gray, Corrado Morgana | ||
| First Intended Intake: | SEP 2027 | Final Year of Intake: | 2032 |
| Date Closed: | |||
| Credit Value: | 30 | Credit Level: | 4 |
| Language: | English | ||
| Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: | 0 | ||
| Equivalent Module: | |||
| HECOS codes: | 101268 - computer games design | ||
| HECOS Code Weighting: | 100 | ||
Document Version Information
| Version | 0 |
|---|---|
| Valid From | 01 Sep 2027 |
| Valid To | 31 Aug 2033 |
Module Aims
The main aims of the module are:
To develop students’ ability to integrate and refine game systems into cohesive and playable game experiences.
To develop students’ understanding of how mechanics, systems, and structure support and communicate world, story, and player experience.
To develop students’ ability to evaluate and improve game experiences through iteration, playtesting, and critical reflection.
Content Summary
This module focuses on the integration of world, story and mechanics into cohesive and engaging game experiences. Building on prior work, students respond to a defined production challenge by refining and combining systems, mechanics and world concepts to produce a complete, playable digital game.
Students explore how design decisions influence structure, progression and player experience, developing their ability to organise and balance interconnected systems. Emphasis is placed on how mechanics work together to support and communicate world and narrative through play.
Through structured studio projects, students engage in iterative design, playtesting and refinement. Previously developed systems and documentation are extended and integrated, supported by lectures and workshops that reinforce the relationship between theory and implementation.
Learning and Teaching Methods
| Activity Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| LECTURE | 6 |
| SEMINAR | 6 |
| Practical classes, workshops and supervised studio learning | 40 |
| Formative assessment (scheduled) | 4 |
| Guided learning | 12 |
| Groupwork (unscheduled) | 20 |
| Independent / self-directed study | 152 |
| Summative assessment (unscheduled) | 60 |
| Total Hours Selected | 300 |
Learning Outcomes
| # | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| LO1 | Produce a playable game prototype that combines worldbuilding, mechanics and systems to create a coherent player experience. |
| LO2 | Describe how mechanics, systems and structure work together to support world, story and player experience. |
Module Requisites
N/A
Assessment Criteria
| Assessment Category | Assessment Type | Description | Duration | Word Count | Weight (%) | Best of? | Pass Mark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asynchronous Assessment | Portfolio | The assessment strategy uses a single individual portfolio to assess each student’s evidenced contribution to a collaboratively developed playable game. A portfolio is appropriate because the module brings together world-building, mechanics, systems, production, playtesting and critical evaluation as one connected process rather than as separate activities. The assessment benefits learners by allowing them to demonstrate both what they produced and how their work developed through research, planning, testing, feedback and iteration | 0 | 9000 | 100 | No | 40 |
Assessment Matrix
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| LO1 | LO2 | ||
| Portfolio | ✔ | ✔ | |