“Anybody with strong ideas, talent and industry exposure can make successful games”
Alan Thorn, NFTS Head of Games explains why our Games Design and Development MA can help you stand out from the crowd and get a step ahead of the competition. If this sounds like you, apply by 6th July – more information on how to apply here:
The games industry is an exciting landscape. It’s constantly challenging developers to innovate and captivate in order to be successful. With the democratization of games development, more people than ever may now download software and tools completely free of charge, and then invest their time making fun games. But in this climate of openness, the competition in the marketplace is undoubtedly fierce, and so other types of skills and knowledge are needed to stand apart from the crowd. Developers must work cleverly to let their creativity flourish. This is why our games course at the National Film and Television School is especially unique and important.
At NFTS games we realize that you don’t necessarily need a background or a degree in games to make great games. People from all walks of life and all backgrounds can be successful games developers, and indeed they can move beyond traditional gaming to challenge the very meaning of games themselves. This is part of the beauty of the games industry and our games course. This variety of perspectives is critically important for innovation. With determination, talent, and great ideas our course can help you develop story-telling skills, technical skills, and the necessary industry connections that elevate your work to excellence and recognition. Specifically, our games course teaches you the art and craft of game-making from all major perspectives, alongside related skills like story-telling and producing, and it helps develop your industry profile through connections, events and portfolio development. Let’s take a look further at what makes our ground-breaking MA so special.
Portfolio Approach
NFTS Games is a two-year flagship MA course that’s highly regarded for its unique approach. We welcome rising stars and strong talent onto the course, even if they have no prior game development skills! It doesn’t matter if you haven’t programmed before or created 3D art and animations. Our course is taught by leading industry practitioners with many years industry experience who are committed to helping you establish a varied skillset. The first year of the course consists of five intensive modules, each of which results in a complete, playable game specifically intended to build you a career portfolio showcasing your talent. You’ll learn programming, life-drawing, 3D-modelling, texture creation, story-telling, game production and many more industry-relevant skills. This portfolio will be critical to employability, demonstrating what you can do while working in a highly collaborative studio setting.
(Game: ReTreat; Developer: Jonathan Nielssen; Module: Moments of Consequence)
Innovation Focus - Storytelling and Mechanics
Our course aims to make you an industry leader and a pioneer. Someone who assertively challenges established norms and tries new ideas. Right now, the games industry is still dominated by a traditional diet of big guns, glorified violence, hyper-sexualized women and blood-soaked zombies. But games can be so much more than this if we let them. Games can make us laugh and cry, can bring us together and make us think, and most of all they can inspire us to become better people both inside and outside of virtual worlds. We recognize the value of strong story-telling skills, coupled with innovation in gameplay, to help you make compelling games that stand apart from the mainstream shooters. Our modules are designed to engage you with philosophical, cultural and contemporary themes, and to help you explore new directions for gaming experiences.
(Game Name: Sprinkle Palooza; Developer: Benita Kvinlaug; Module: Final Year Project)
Collaborative Workflow
Nobody is alone on the games course! The games department is an energetic hub of creativity and sociability within the school. It inevitably attracts connections across all departments. Although curriculum hours are normally between 10am-5pm on weekdays, students nevertheless get access to the games labs and equipment 24 Hours a day, 7 days a week! That’s simply incredible! In this studio environment, connections and networking naturally happens. Our students get access to high-talent from other departments within the school, including screen-writing, cinematography, digital FX, sound design and composing, production management, marketing and creative business, and many more. For this reason, nearly every game made at the NFTS is the result of a collaborative process guided by the game student’s central creative vision; a process in which many skills and experiences have been brought together to form a high quality experience. In short, NFTS Games is a great place to work if you want to work with talented people!
(NFTS Games and Digital Effects Departments at FMX)
Industry Connectedness
Our games course is tightly integrated into the games industry in many ways, and our graduates quickly achieve success and recognition for their work. Our modules are taught by passionate and experienced industry professionals who are masters of their craft. And they continue to maintain industry links and careers outside the school too. In addition, guest speakers from across the creative industries, including games and film and television, regularly visit the school to deliver inspirational talks and masterclasses, and to visit students to discuss their work. We are also committed to taking student talent directly into the industry, and so our students attend and exhibit their work at high-profile industry events, like EGX.
Apply now! More information at www.nfts.co.uk/games
