UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma in Games Design (Creative Practice: Art, Design & Communication)
The Level 3 Extended Diploma in Games Development will provide a comprehensive range of industry skills and software packages, taught over a period of two years, to give you the chance to kick start your career in the games industry.
Why choose this course?
This course bridges the gap between the needs of the UK’s rapidly growing Visual Effects and Games industries, and the skills taught to creative students before they go to university. The diploma will provide a Level 3 qualification, which is equivalent to three A Levels. Over two years, students will build extensive portfolios relevant to industry needs, in preparation for either working in these sectors or as a progression to higher education or higher Apprenticeships. The limits of what can be produced are only defined by your ability and effort, and Penwith College Games have a rich history of publishing games and winning national awards for our work.
Apply for this course
Start date: 08/09/2025
Top course highlights
Industry aligned software
Experienced tutors
High-end Workstations
National Competitions
Game labs
You will be taught a in range of dedicated games development suites, with an array of high-end workstations and equipment. Alongside these you can utilise our range of VR headsets to develop new and exciting products in virtual reality.
Industry Aligned Products
Throughout the course you will be taught a large array of industry aligned software in huge range of skills from 3D Modelling, animation, texturing and Code development for games.
External client projects
We work with a range of external industry clients to help build your confidence and skills needed to excel both in higher education but also into the professional workplace. They will provide you with seminars, workshops and feedback sessions to help you develop your critical eye.
What will I learn?
The course is split over two years and in each year, you will cover two skills building modules and then a Final Major Project.
Year 1
Unit 1
 This will provide you with an introduction to a range of processes and skills used in creative game design sector and to the characteristics and methods of communication and research techniques associated with the theoretical backdrop to games creation.
 Will provide you with an introduction to the diversity of roles, responsibilities, employment and progression opportunities available within the sector. It will also develop your understanding of the games, animation and VFX industry, how it works and the personal and professional characteristics needed for a career in creative media production. It will also provide you with an introduction to the investigation of both historical and contemporary context. Through a thematic approach to the subject you will research a broad range of perspectives that influence the development of ideas within creative media production.
Unit 2
You will understand how to design, develop, test and debug computer programs, understand different programming paradigms, understand how to read input from the user and output a result, be able to use control statements to design algorithms, be able to use different types of variables to design data structures and be able to write readable and maintainable code.
This unit will also allow you to develop a significant range of technical, creative, visual skills and workflows associated with cutting edge contemporary game design. You will skills from the fundamentals of visual art and art theory, life drawing and concept art right through to complex 3D modelling, VFX compositing and character animation. Aimed at allowing you to create as much visual content through a range of industry standard software packages, this unit forms the back bone of the games diploma at Penwith.
Unit 3
As the final unit in the first year of the two year qualification, will provide you with a measure of self-directed learning in the completion of a substantial Creative Production or Games Project. It will require you to make use of the skills, knowledge and understanding developed in all previous units to complete a creative media production project. It will provide you with a measure of self-directed learning, and an opportunity to begin to clarify your longer-term goals through their choice of an activity to explore in greater depth.
Unit 04
This unit will enhance and develop the contextual understanding and practice you have built in the first year and allow you the chance to develop a thorough understanding of specialist practices across the games design industry. This unit also will help you to understand the importance of working to a client or audiences’ expectations and requirements. The creative industries are built upon the relationship and communication of idea and visual outcome. You will be able to explore creating live briefs with clients or audience types to create relevant and effective content, working to the constraints this sort of work provides.Â
Unit 05
This unit is allow about developing your specialist practice and refine your craft. Through a range of briefs you will be guided through further advanced techniques in contemporary game development and begin to gain an understanding of your future role. You will be allowed time to practice your chosen development pathway and build a range of complex and technical outcomes that showcase your skills.Â
Unit 06
This module provides an opportunity for students to engage in an extended activity related to their discipline of choice. The unit will enable students to take responsibility for their learning by responding positively to the greater opportunities for individual expression and creativity afforded, and to demonstrate their achievement through proposing and realising a project which integrates the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired throughout the course.
This is really where we would expect you to create a product worthy of showcasing the skills and techniques you’ve developed over the two years.
Where will it take me?
The UAL Diploma has been specifically designed to offer you the perfect bridge to Higher Education studies which universities and industry partners are looking for. Upon completion of the course, you would have the skills necessary to progress onto many creative industry institutions across the UK.
You will have the skills to create a range of products suitable to a variety of employment industries such as Indie Game Development, Advertising, Architectural Visualisation, and Product Development.
assessment arrangements
Assessment is designed in a manner which encourages creativity and experimentation. You will complete a number of exciting and challenging projects throughout the course and will receive detailed feedback on your progress. We encourage learners to be as active in their assessment as possible and we think it is vitally important to recognise strengths and also areas for development.
Interim assessment will take one of the following forms:
- The large bulk of your work will be in the form of creative practical projects which will always require detailed planning and reflection on completed work.
- You will also take part in either individual or group presentations, learning how to best present your ideas to a panel is a vital skill in the creative industries.
- You will review your own performance in 1:1 sessions with your tutor. You will also complete more traditional, written work which demonstrates your ability to form arguments and present points of view
information & support
You will be taught by passionate and well qualified staff who can offer you the most up to date knowledge and understanding on the course and expectations in industry. You will also be assigned a personal tutor who will look after all of your pastoral needs in your time at the College. We have a very strong work ethic and expect learners to work for a minimum of 10 hours per week outside of class time.
We have a range of social media platforms for you to be able to see the work our students create and ask questions to staff and current students. Please search for ‘PenwithDigital’ on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram and Discord.
entry requirements
The basic requirement is four GCSEs at grade 4 to include English Language or Literature at grade 4 and mathematics at grade 5 is preferred but 4 is a minimum.
additional costs
Whilst we have a range of equipment available it is advisable for students to try and acquire a graphics tablets in advance of the course starting. This is used in a variety of applications and can help build technical skills more fluidly. We advise a Wacom One Medium available on Amazon.
Meet the staff, tour the campus and find out about life as a student at one of the best colleges in the country.
What you could earn
Potential Salary
£46,367
Entry Level Salary
£13,036
Average Salary
£25,532
Annual openings in Cornwall
10
Potential Salary
£63,515
Entry Level Salary
£25,514
Average Salary
£36,890
Annual openings in Cornwall
9
Potential Salary
£32,910
Entry Level Salary
£7,917
Average Salary
£20,459
Annual openings in Cornwall
5
Potential Salary
£35,515
Entry Level Salary
£11,105
Average Salary
£24,396
Annual openings in Cornwall
2
Potential Salary
£38,292
Entry Level Salary
£16,244
Average Salary
£23,703
Annual openings in Cornwall
3
Potential Salary
£39,872
Entry Level Salary
£12,557
Average Salary
£27,429
Annual openings in Cornwall
7
Potential Salary
£55,970
Entry Level Salary
£23,186
Average Salary
£32,848
Annual openings in Cornwall
12
Potential Salary
£50,364
Entry Level Salary
£14,159
Average Salary
£27,733
Annual openings in Cornwall
