Games Level 1


  • Start Date: 01/09/2025
  • Course is for: School Leaver
  • Course Length: 1 Year
  • Funding Support Funding Support:
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Are you interested in games or working in the games, art or media industry?

We’re looking for students who are keen to develop their creative skills and learn something new. Don’t worry if you’re not at a high standard yet, as we’ll teach you everything you need to know. All you need is a willingness to learn.

Throughout this year-long course, you’ll learn how to develop your own creative skills, research techniques, and understand games production techniques. You’ll also gain an understanding of job roles in the games industry, and most importantly, improve your confidence in your own creative abilities.

The course will be assessed through 4 projects and then a Final Major Project, which will help you develop your skills and abilities as you progress, getting you ready for your next steps.

During the course, you’ll have the opportunity to design and create visual/audio content, create game assets such as environments, characters, and objects, use 2D and 3D technology, and develop your art and creative skills with a range of creative software. You’ll also develop research and planning skills that will be useful in many areas of your life.

If you’re looking for an opportunity to explore your creative side and develop skills that will be useful in the games industry and beyond, then this course is perfect for you! Join us and take the first steps towards an exciting career in the world of games, art or media.

Required Entry Qualifications

2 GCSEs at a minimum of grade 2. If you have a grade 1 or lower you may be accepted on toa n Entry 3 course

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An interview is required.

We welcome applicants without prior experience.

Through the University Arts London (UAL) qualification you will build skills, abilities and confidence in the creative process.

You will learn how to reflect on your practice and unlock your creative potential.

Assessment is designed to help you be the best you can.

Practical work, concept development, design and how you creatively problem solve will all be developed and you are only graded at the end of each year.

In your first year you will start to learn about the fundamentals of Games Production, building your skills in design, game engines, coding, concept art, AR/VR, sound and 3D modelling.

Where you exel, will be highlighted in your Final Major Project. This will also allow you to reflect on your research, contextual design, presentation and, of course, your practical skills.

Top-up onto the extended diploma in year two and you will advance your skill set and professional qualities building towards the extended final major project.

This will be your chance to show how far you have progressed on the course. Assessed on your professional portfolio of work, you will be ready to progress on to the next step in your exciting career.

Our highly experienced team have worked in this industry and they will help you to level up in 3D, digital and traditional graphics, game engines, code, VR, animation, story and narrative, audio production, allowing you to get an intimate understanding of the creative design process that powers the industry.

We are keenly aware that college is different to school and our team works hard to create a studio-like environment to prepare you for your budding career in the games and other creative sectors.

We believe that hard work wins, challenges are a good thing, diverse teams make great products and that people do their best when given the opportunities to take creative risks and do what they are passionate about.

We have great links just on our doorstep and we are always looking to bring in new industry partners for you to work with.

We work hard to make these fantastic partnerships with employers to give you valuable experience of the world of work. You will undertake commissioned work for a range of companies both inside and outside of the games industry.

Career development is central to our courses and we continually work to gain you relevant, real world experience. Currently we work with leading technology companies such as PROTO, Sumo Digital, Tombola, Atom Hawk and Infinity 27 to name a few.

We also take part, and are reigning champions, in a number of externally set Game Jams, they’re our favourite thing!

In addition we promote a ‘beyond entertainment” approach where your newly developed skills may be transferred into other fields such as games for education and the gamification of everything. This is highlighted in our partnership with Northumbrian Water, where students are currently working an exciting range of projects.

Our dedicated Games Department has seen over £80,000 in investment over the last few years to ensure our students are working with industry level kit. Liquid cooled gaming rigs and Wacom Cintqs in our cutting edge Graphic Suite and industry standard software such as:

  • 3DS Max
  • Unreal Engine 4
  • Unity 3D
  • Adobe Creative Suite.

We also have 3 cutting edge Engine Rooms and we also host our own VR lab where you can design in and explore cyberspace.

Not to mention our partner PROTO who are on our doorstep and allow us access to their 3D image labs and motion capture studios. It is safe to say you will be spoilt for choice.

Once you finish this course you can then progress onto our Level 2 course in Games Design and then onto our Level 3 in Games Production. We’ll work with you to make sure you deicde which course is right for you and your future career aspirations.

School Leaver Course Guide 2025/2026

View or download our course guide for 16-18 year olds.

Gateshead College School Leavers guide for 2025 - 2026