Games design

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Get your game on

Games today are a multi-billion dollar industry, and more accessible than ever to people of all ages. Completing a Games Design degree at Griffith opens the door to this 21st Century medium of artistic expression.

Fusing the artistic and technical, games design explores techniques to engage and excite traditional players and broader audiences. You’ll learn that games exist to entertain and challenge as you develop meaningful and accessible interactive experiences.

This degree is designed to equip you with the complex skills you'll need, from character animation to behavioural algorithms, for a successful career conceptualising and creating the next wave of games and virtual worlds to take their audiences by storm.

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Study games design at Griffith

Games entertain and challenge

Experiment and specialise

You can specialise in concept art, 3D computer imagery, interactive animation and interactive player experience design, while having the freedom to explore contemporary developments in the practice of interactive game design and related disciplines such as computer programming, narrative and character development, audio and more.

Whether your interests are commercial game development for Oculus, Playstation, Xbox, smart phones or home computer platforms, you’ll learn the fundamentals of game design in your first year, before developing a focus of specialisation in your second year. Choose from majors in:

Animating
Art Direction
Computer Generated Imagery
Game Audio
Player Experience

In your third year, you’ll embark on a major team-based capstone project, strengthening your practical skills and building your portfolio. While you’re focussed on your specialty, you'll also graduate with broad skills in all aspects of the industry, something employers are looking for.

Learn from the best

You’ll be taught by some of the country’s leading designers, people who are already extending the parameters of visual and creative arts.

You’ll also have fantastic opportunities for collaboration with Griffith Film School filmmakers and animators, Queensland College of Art illustrators, 3D designers and artists, and musicians from Griffith University’s Queensland Conservatorium.

Practical experience

As part of Australia’s largest film school, you’ll have access to an exciting calendar of on-campus exhibitions, guest lectures, master classes and artist talks. Build your portfolio and develop vital contacts and networks through our key industry links. Work on games design projects for real clients through our commercial multimedia production arm, LiveLab.

Games Design show reel

Study Games Design at Griffith to create the next wave of games and virtual worlds.

Henrik Pettersson: Game of the Year for 'The Gardens Between'

Henrik Pettersson is one of the country’s hottest games designers. His latest title, The Gardens Between, took out Game of the Year at the Australian Game Development Awards and was recognised by Apple as the year’s Best Mac Game. Most recently, at Apple’s World Wide Developer’s Conference the game won a prestigious Apple Design Award for outstanding artistry, technical achievement, user interface and application design. ‘I’ve spent the past four years of my life designing this game, so it is a thrill to pick up these awards and to see people enjoying it.’

Henrik moved half way around the globe to enrol in the Bachelor of Games Design—relocating from his home in Sweden to study at Griffith. ‘The degree was quite new and the fact that it was based at an arts college with a film school meant that we had quite a wide breadth of artistic craft, skills and knowledge. It was only possible to create something like The Gardens Between because of my time at Griffith —I had that artistic background, which allowed me to communicate better with my team of artists, designers and composers.

Bleach festival

Three-year partnership with Bleach* Festival to provide extensive practical experience to Griffith students from 2019

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Career outcomes

Skills to take you anywhere

Graduate with great connections to Brisbane's thriving game development community

Become equipped to join the ranks of those working locally and internationally as game designers, game programmers, 3D artists and concept artists. You'll have a valuable grounding in industry-quality design practice, and the knowledge and experience to make your games design dreams a reality. Griffith graduates have a strong tradition of forming their own independent game development studios. Many also find success in areas such as mining, medical simulation and training and educational software development.

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Life at Griffith

You can gain more than just a degree at Griffith. With plenty of opportunities to balance life and study, you can make memories and mates to last a lifetime.

Learn more about life at Griffith University