Game Design & Development in Real-Time Engines - TFT00102H
- Department: Theatre, Film, Television and Interactive Media
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2026-27
Module summary
Real-time engines (a.k.a game engines) have become the backbone of contemporary game development practice. This module introduces you to core concepts that underpin the design and development of games using these technologies. In lectures, you’ll learn about how 3D game environments work from a technical perspective — studying topics including representing indoor and outdoor scenes, cameras, lighting, collision detection, 3D audio and even some basic AI. You’ll also learn how to design your game environments so that they guide player movement, support gameplay mechanics, and enhance immersion — for example, using lighting to direct attention, layout to encourage exploration, and environmental storytelling to convey narrative without words. In practical classes you’ll put this knowledge into action by creating your own fully functioning games in the Unity real-time engine.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2026-27 |
Module aims
The module aims:
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To critically evaluate and apply the technical and practical principles that underpin 3D game development using real-time engines.
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To investigate and justify design principles and approaches that can be used to create 3D games that achieve creative objectives.
- To provide a realistic forum to develop practical experience of integrating design and technical principles in the creation of high-fidelity 3D game experiences using a contemporary real-time engine.
Module learning outcomes
Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:
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Analyse and synthesise core technical components of 3D game environments — including lighting, cameras, collision, audio, and basic AI — and how they can be implemented and configured in a contemporary real-time engine.
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Investigate, select and justify key principles for designing 3D games — such as spatial layout, lighting, and environmental storytelling — and how they can be applied to create experiences that realise creative objectives.
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Implement 3D games using a contemporary real-time engine, applying both technical and design principles to create experiences that achieve creative objectives and are technically robust and efficient.
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Critically evaluate and modify the functionality, and design and technical quality, of components and assets from external sources (e.g. from collaborators, repositories, generative AI systems) so that they can be effectively integrated into, and modified in order to form, high-quality 3D games that realise creative goals.
- Systematically critique and validate the effectiveness of 3D games in delivering engaging and coherent player experiences.
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Synthesise advanced knowledge of technical implementation, storytelling, and interaction design to create a complete, cohesive 3D experience.
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Implement a professional aesthetic that leverages complex 3D cinematic techniques and skills to immerse the player.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100.0 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100.0 |
Module feedback
You will receive individual oral feedback for the weekly practical lab sessions, during the lab sessions. You will receive written feedback on coursework assignments using a pro-forma identifying key requirements and marks awarded for sections of the assignment, in line with standard University turnaround times.
Indicative reading
- Menard, M. (2014). Game Development with Unity. United States: Cengage Learning.
- Macklin, C., Sharp, J. (2016). Games, Design and Play: A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design. United Kingdom: Pearson Education.
- O'Hailey, T. (2018). Rig it Right! Maya Animation Rigging Concepts, 2nd Edition. United Kingdom: CRC Press.
- Williams, R. (2012). The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion and Internet Animators. United Kingdom: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- Sinclair, J. (2020). Principles of Game Audio and Sound Design: Sound Design and Audio Implementation for Interactive and Immersive Media. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis Group.
- Taher, R. (2019). Hands-On Object-Oriented Programming with C#: Build Maintainable Software with Reusable Code Using C#. United Kingdom: Packt Publishing.