B.A. in Game Design

Train to join the design team of a video game studio.

Disembodied, student project from U-tad videogame students.

Description

Participate as a designer in the real setting of a studio to conceive and bring the gaming experience to life. Join a multidisciplinary team (including fellow artists, programmers, and producers) to carry out projects, just as happens in the industry.

Conceive and propose the features of the video game to create a memorable gaming experience.
Conceptualize the gaming experience. To do this, you will learn to define the functionality, interfaces, missions, levels, rules, interactions, mechanics, and dynamics of the video game.
Optimize and simplify your game design through a deep understanding of using game engines.
Create the narrative and script for video games, addressing gameplay needs.
Learn the principles of accessibility and usability that govern interactive products, specifically video games.
Develop analytical and critical skills to conduct testing and quality control on your video games.
Collaborate, in project courses, with students from other video game programs at U-tad to emulate the workflows and production processes found in the industry and video game studios. To achieve this, you will first acquire fundamental knowledge about the responsibilities and work processes of the other departments involved in video game creation: art, programming, and production.

Location: U-tad Campus
Hours: Monday – Friday
ECTS: 240
Language: Spanish or English
Modality: In campus
Places: 90 on-site and 60 distance learning.

University affiliated to:

Career Opportunities of the B.A. in Game Design

By pursuing the B.A. in Game Design, you will be able to work in the following professions and fields:

Where our students work

Our students are highly valued by the industry. We have a Professional Development Service Department that facilitates your integration into the various companies that contact us demanding highly-specialized professionals. We have students working in companies such as Black Forest Games, CI Games, Electronic Arts, Gameloft, King, Lingokids, Mercury Steam, Ninja Theory, Pendulo Studios, Rockstar Games, Saber Interactive, Scopely, Shapefarm, Tequila Works, Tessera Studios, Ubisoft.

Partner Companies

Students' projects and awards

Participate in a unique ecosystem of video game projects

During the degree program, you will participate in various video games, as you will take a project course each semester. In these courses, you will work in teams and coordinate with students from other video game programs at U-tad. You will contribute design to the projects while the artistic and programming contributions will be handled by students from other video game degrees.

The three video game degrees at U-tad converge in the project courses. Each degree corresponds to one of the three main professional profiles involved in video game development: design, art, or programming. This allows for the formation of multidisciplinary teams, mentored by experts, who apply industry workflows to build high-level video games.

This ecosystem has proven to be effective, as it has frequently led to student video games receiving awards and crossing commercial borders. Six of the video games developed by U-tad students can currently be downloaded from the PlayStation 4 store, and several are available on Steam.

Talent Awards

U-tad is the Spanish educational center with the highest number of PlayStation Awards: 16 in the last eight years. Additionally, U-tad video game students have achieved 8 consecutive BIG awards, 4 SXSW awards in Austin (Texas), 3 Gamelab awards, and several Gamefest, IndieMad, and Gamepolis awards, among others.

Students' feedback

We are very proud of our students because they stand out for their talent and effort. The training they have received at U-tad provides them with sound knowledge to develop their careers in a sector with a strong demand for professionals.

I've worked at EA and Pyro Mobile, collaborating on games like FIFA 16 and Star Wars Battlefront. I won the King and Diversi scholarship and went on Erasmus to Norway, where my project Last Shark Standing won the NGA (Norwegian Game Awards). Now I'm at Novorama, where we've released the top selling game, Killsquad.

Victoria VeraGame Designer at Novorama

Thanks to U-tad, I discovered a totally new industry that I always dreamed of working in (and I didn't know I could do it).

Roberto PadrónLevel Designer at UbiSoft

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International mobility

At U-tad we have an International Relations Department that coordinates and establishes agreements with university institutions all over the world, as well as with governmental agencies responsible for international inter-university cooperation. We have agreements with prestigious universities in five continents and we are working to expand the number of institutions with exchange agreements either within the Erasmus program or with bilateral exchange agreements.

Faculty

Daniel Martínez Bofarull

Daniel Martínez Bofarull

Academic Director of Video Games Area
Stage Clear Studios Co-Founder and Game Director

Mercedes-Garcia-Betegon

Mercedes García Betegón

Coordinator of the Video Game Design Degree
Rigger, 3D Generalist

Mercedes-Garcia-Betegon

Mercedes García Betegón

Coordinator of the Video Game Design Degree
Rigger, 3D Generalist

Study Plan

Course 1

SUBJECT	COURSE	DURATION	TYPE	ECTS
Fundamentals of 2D and 3D for Video Games I	1º	1º	B	6
Fundamentals of Mathematics and Physics	1º	1º	B	6
Game Theory	1º	1º	B	6
Fundamentals of Audiovisual Language	1º	1º	OB	3
Introduction to Video Games Industry and Design	1º	1º	B	6
Artistic History and Tradition	1º	2º	B	6
Fundamentals of Literature and Narrative	1º	2º	B	6
Fundamentals of Programming	1º	2º	B	6
Graphic Design, Interface and User Experience for Video Games	1º	2º	OB	3
History of Games	1º	2º	B	6
Projects I	1º	Annual	OB	6

Course 2

SUBJECT	COURSE	DURATION	TYPE	ECTS
Fundamentals of 2D and 3D for Video Games II	2º	1º	B	6
Psychology of Gaming	2º	1º	B	6
Video Game Engines I	2º	1º	OB	6
Video Game Design I	2º	1º	OB	6
Theory of Art for Video Games	2º	1º	OB	6
Video Game Design II	2º	2º	OB	6
Narrative Design	2º	2º	OB	6
Video Game Engines II	2º	2º	OB	6
Level Design	2º	2º	OB	6
Quality Assurance and Playtesting	2º	2º	OB	3
Projects II	2º	Annual	OB	6

Course 3

SUBJECT	COURSE	DURATION	TYPE	ECTS
Digital Models and Businesses	4º	1º	OB	3
Accessibility and Usability for Video Games	4º	2º	OB	3
Combat design	4º	2º	OB	6
Projects IV	4º	Annual	OB	12
Digital Society and Sustainable Development	4º	Annual	OB	6
Advanced Programming and Artificial Intelligence for Video Games	4º	1º	OP	6
Scriptwriting and Dialogue for Video Games	4º	1º	OP	6
Serious Game Design and Gamification	4º	1º	OP	6
Casual, Social and Multiplayer Game Design	4º	2º	OP	6
Comunication and Presentation	4º	2º	OP	6
Training for employment	4º	Annual	OP	6
Choice of work environment	4º	Annual	OP	6
Bachelor’s Degree Final Project	4º	Annual	TFG	6

Course 4

SUBJECT	COURSE	DURATION	TYPE	ECTS
Digital Models and Businesses	4º	1º	OB	3
Accessibility and Usability for Video Games	4º	2º	OB	3
Combat design	4º	2º	OB	6
Projects IV	4º	Annual	OB	12
Digital Society and Sustainable Development	4º	Annual	OB	6
Advanced Programming and Artificial Intelligence for Video Games	4º	1º	OP	6
Scriptwriting and Dialogue for Video Games	4º	1º	OP	6
Serious Game Design and Gamification	4º	1º	OP	6
Casual, Social and Multiplayer Game Design	4º	2º	OP	6
Comunication and Presentation	4º	2º	OP	6
Training for employment	4º	Annual	OP	6
External Academic Internships	4º	Annual	OP	6
Bachelor’s Degree Final Project	4º	Annual	TFG	6

* This degree is in the process of renewal of its accreditation. Any interested person can communicate to the evaluation panels their opinion on any aspect related to this official degree by filling out the form of Audiencia Abierta.

Additional information & competencies

Year of implementation: 2025-2026
Spots for new students in the Degree: 90 in person + 60 online
Branch of knowledge: Art & Humanities

Minimum number of ECTS per type of registration and course:

	Minimum	Maximum
Full time 1st course	60	60
Full time rest of courses	30	75
Part-time 1st course	25	30
Part-time rest of courses	18	45

Note: In order to offer a Minor for Enrollment the course will require a minimum of 20 Students for said Minor according to the University regulations. Minor subjects are optional for the rest of the itineraries.

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