6D003E - Launch Studio 01 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2033 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 6D003E
Module Title: Launch Studio
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: 60 Credit Level: 6
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 enable students to produce, refine and complete a substantial final-year game project as a graduate showcase and portfolio centrepiece. 

  • To develop students’ ability to evaluate scope, quality, feedback and production decisions in relation to audience, release-readiness and professional expectations. 

  • To support students in presenting their work, skills and career aspirations through professional portfolio material, public-facing communication and graduate career planning. 

Content Summary

This module challenges students to take the substantial game project developed in The Pitch through production, refinement and public-facing presentation. Students will plan, manage and complete a significant body of practical work, continually evaluating the scale, scope and quality of the project in response to testing, feedback, production constraints, audience expectations and professional standards. 

The final-year game should act as the student’s graduate showcase: a portfolio centrepiece that demonstrates their design identity, production capability, specialist skills and professional readiness. Alongside the project, students will develop professional-facing portfolio material, CV content and an online presence that communicates their skills, creative identity and career direction. The module prepares students for employment, freelance practice, enterprise, public exhibition, online distribution or postgraduate study. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
LECTURE 6
SEMINAR 8
Project Supervision 10
Practical Classes & Workshops 92
Formative Assessment (Scheduled) 4
Guided Learning 12
Groupwork (unscheduled) 40
Supported learning (services) 10
Formative assessment and feedback (unscheduled) 20
Independent / self-directed study 318
Summative assessment (unscheduled) 120
Total Hours Selected 640

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Develop and complete a substantial final-year game project using appropriate production techniques, workflows and critical decision-making.
LO2 Evaluate and justify production decisions in response to project aims, testing, feedback, constraints, audience expectations and professional standards.
LO3 Develop and present professional-facing portfolio material that communicates individual skills, creative identity and graduate career direction.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio Completed playable game project with production evidence, testing evidence, iteration records, build/release materials and individual contribution evidence. 0 9600 80 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio 1 Professional-facing portfolio material. Indicative outputs: CV, online portfolio or portfolio page, project case study, role/specialism statement, selected media, and short career/action plan. 0 2400 20 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3
Portfolio ✔ ✔ ✘
Portfolio 1 ✘ ✘ ✔

Reading List

indicative Reading List   

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

  • 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.   

  • 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.  

  • Rogers, S. (2024). Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design (3rd ed.). Wiley.  

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

  • Zubek, R. (2020) Elements of Game Design.  

  • Schell, J. (2019) The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses.  

  • Fullerton, T. (2018) Game Design Workshop.  

  • Totten, C. W. (2019) An Architectural Approach to Level Design.  

  • Koster, R. (2013) Theory of Fun for Game Design.  

  •   

  

Academic Journals / Articles  

  • International Journal of Game-Based Learning  

  • IEEE Transactions on Games  

  • Borg, M., Garousi, V., Mahmoud, A., Olsson, T., & Stålberg, O. (2020).  

  • Video Game Development in a Rush: A Survey of the Global Game Jam Participants.  

  • IEEE Transactions on Games, 12(3), 246–259.  

  • Game Studies (open-access academic journal)  

  • Games and Culture (SAGE Journals)   

  •   

  • Online Resources  

  • Game Studies  

  • DiGRA Digital Library  

  • GDC Vault  

  • Gamasutra (now rebranded) ? Game Developer  

  • The Psychology of Video Games  

  •