5B092E - Prototype to Polish 01 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2033 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 5B092E
Module Title: Prototype to Polish
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: 5
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

  • To develop students’ ability to refine a selected prototype into a coherent, playable and polished game. 

  • To develop students’ understanding of scope control, iteration, game feel, usability, presentation and player experience. 

  • To develop students’ ability to use playtesting, critique and reflection to make informed decisions about refinement, simplification and improvement. 

Content Summary

This module focuses on taking a selected prototype and developing it into a more polished, coherent and complete playable game. Building on ideas explored in the previous module, students respond to a focused production challenge by refining a chosen concept, controlling scope, improving clarity, strengthening the core loop and developing the overall player experience. 

Students focus on the detailed craft of game refinement, including game feel, feedback, usability, pacing, onboarding, readability, visual and audio presentation, interface design, bug fixing, playtesting and iteration. Emphasis is placed on making a small game feel complete, satisfying and well-presented, rather than expanding beyond a realistic scope. 

Through studio development, critique and structured testing, students make informed decisions about what to improve, what to simplify and what to remove. By the end of the module, students will have developed a refined playable game that demonstrates stronger design intent, clearer player experience and a higher level of polish.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
LECTURE 4
SEMINAR 6
Practical classes, workshops and supervised studio learning 40
Formative assessment (scheduled) 6
Guided learning 12
Groupwork (unscheduled) 20
Formative assessment and feedback (unscheduled) 10
Independent / self-directed study 162
Summative assessment (unscheduled) 60
Total Hours Selected 320

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Apply iterative design methods to refine an existing prototype into a polished and playable game, demonstrating effective scope control and improvement of player experience.
LO2 Explain and analyse design, game feel, usability, presentation and refinement decisions through appropriate development evidence, playtesting and reflection.

Module Requisites

Code Title Requisite Type
MOD014383 Worlds, Rules and Systems pre-requisite
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Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio The assessment requires students to take a selected prototype and develop it into a more coherent, polished and playable game. A single integrated portfolio is appropriate because design refinement, production planning, testing, bug fixing, usability, game feel and presentation are closely connected within the development process. The assessment benefits learners by shifting the focus from generating additional features towards evaluating what the project needs in order to become a stronger player experience. 0 9000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Portfolio ✔ ✔

Reading List

Indicative Reading List  

  • Fullerton, T. (2019) Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games. 4th edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press.  

  • Salen, K. and Zimmerman, E. (2004) Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  

  • Schell, J. (2019) The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses. 3rd edn. Boca Raton: CRC Press.  

  • Swink, S. (2009) Game Feel: A Game Designer’s Guide to Virtual Sensation. Burlington: Morgan Kaufmann.  

  • Zubek, R. (2020) Elements of Game Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  

  • Bogost, I. (2011) How to Do Things with Videogames. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.  

  • Costikyan, G. (2013) Uncertainty in Games. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  

  • Juul, J. (2005) Half-Real: Video Games between Real Rules and Fictional Worlds. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.  

  • Macklin, C. and Sharp, J. (2016) Games, Design and Play: A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design. Boston: Addison-Wesley.  

  • Anthropy, A. and Clark, N. (2014) A Game Design Vocabulary: Exploring the Foundational Principles Behind Good Game Design. Upper Saddle River: Addison-Wesley.  

  • Zimmerman, E. (2003) ‘Play as Research: The Iterative Design Process’, in Laurel, B. (ed.) Design Research: Methods and Perspectives. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Macklin, C., & Sharp, J. (2016). Games, Design and Play: A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design. Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley. 

  • Fullerton, T., Swain, C., & Hoffman, S. (2004). Game Design Workshop: Designing, Prototyping, and Playtesting Games. San Francisco, CA: CMP Books. 

  • De Koven, B., & Gramazio, H. (2020). The Infinite Playground: A Player’s Guide to Imagination. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 

  • Zubek, R. (2020). Elements of Game Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 

  • Isbister, K. (2017). How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. 

  • Taylor, S., & Lowthorpe, C. (2017). Punk Playthings: Provocations for 21st Century Game Makers. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. 

  • Kaitila, C. (2012). The Game Jam Survival Guide. Birmingham: Packt Publishing. 

  • Knapp, J. (2016). Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days. London: Transworld Publishers. 

  • Reynolds, G. (2012). Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: New Riders. 

  • Parkin, S. (2015). Death by Video Game. London: Serpent’s Tail. 

  • Recommended Newer Additions (2020–2025) 

  • Kultima, A. (2021). Game Design Praxiology. Tampere University Press. 

  • Anthropy, A. (2023). The State of Play: Creators and Critics on Video Game Culture. Seven Stories Press. 

  • Sharp, J. (2022). Works of Game: On the Aesthetics of Games and Art. MIT Press.