Degree Programme in Game Programming

Objectives

Game Programming degree has been developed in tight collaboration with the game industry – knowledge from game companies and professionals has been utilized when planning the curriculum. During your studies you will achieve comprehensive game industry skills, which can also be used in software development in general.

Studying Game Programming gives you a great starting point to design, test and develop game products. International events and networking play a key role in game industry culture. During your studies you can participate in several game industry events and form professional networks.

Collaboration with game and software industry professionals gives students the possibility to work in various companies and publish commercial products already during their studies. Emphasizing project work in your studies enables you to focus on developing skills that really interest and motivate you.

Your future employment is important for us!

It’s possible for you to get a job during your studies, which means you can work in companies and publish commercial game products or other applications already as part of the education.

Xamk Gamelab –learning environment particularly well enables you to utilize your work as part of the studies. This means that you can work in a game company and get study credits based on your duties at the company.

If you see yourself as an entrepreneur, you can develop your venture project and improve the possibilities of success already during your studies. You can take part in the accelerators in the region and benefit from the mentoring and coaching they offer.

Degree programme description

Studying Game Programming gives you a good starting point to design, test and develop game products. The studies are in mainly Finnish, but since the industry is global by nature, you will gain a lot of practice in your English skills. General programming abilities are in the core of the studies and you will be able to work with several different databases, design and implement software services and programs. Modeling both games and other software using modern design tools is a natural process in projects that are implemented throughout the studies. Knowledge and practical knowhow about the game production process is emphasized from day one.

First year studies focus on the basics of Game Production and Game Programming, that give you an introduction to using game engines and how to work in as a part of the game development team. The second year emphasizes programming skills and game design, but also gives you basic understanding of game business and monetization in games. After completing your 2nd year studies you have the necessary skills to work as a trainee in a game studio. The third year gives you some options to focus on different key areas as a developer, and you will become more and more involved with game projects as part of your studies. During the 3rd and 4th year you will build your portfolio that enables you to be a serious contender while applying for a job in the industry.

Implementation of studies

The studies are implemented as daily contact learning with plenty of programming project work as well as online self-studies. Game programming and programming can be learned only by doing, so problem solving and independent study is a key to master this profession.

BYOD – Bring Your Own Device

Usage of laptops and other equipment for your studies is required from all students. You can find more information about our BYOD policy from the Xamk website.

Career opportunities

After graduating you can work as a
• Game Programmer
• Full stack developer
• Game Designer
• Junior Developer
• Developer
• Back-End developer
• Front-End developer
• Game developer
• Coder
• Programmer
• Data engineer
• DevOps developer
• Entrepreneur
• Startup entrepreneur

Entrepreneurship in game industry

Digital delivery of games has lowered the threshold of becoming an entrepreneur in the games industry. Many game studios are small nowadays, which means that entrepreneurial thinking is required from everyone. Basic understanding of the industry and business skills are highly valued among employers.

RDI and cooperation with world of work

Connections with local game and software companies offer an excellent opportunity for real-life projects, practical training and theses from businesses. The regional game industry hub Playa (www.playahub.com) promotes the development of the local games ecosystem, gives practical advice to game developers, and offers trade show visibility with strong global connections.

In Kotka there are several game companies (e.g. Kukouri, Nitro Games) that offer possibilities for trainee positions, projects and thesis opportunities. However, connections to game studios all over Finland – and the whole world – give you a chance to relocate and pursue a career anywhere. The International Game Developers Association, IGDA, has a foothold here, too through the IGDA Finland Kotka Hub, that has monthly gatherings for people who want to connect with other developers.

Our degree program is actively involved in research and development projects that give you a chance to participate in different types of R&D tasks during your studies. Typical projects include developing an application or a game for a real-world client as a testbed for new business or research purposes. We are also involved with several startup-related RDI activities that include students and motivate them to participate in entrepreneurial projects and start new ventures.

Learning environments

GameLab is a learning environment in Xamk that gives you a natural working space with the tools that are used in game studios. This environment is meant to simulate the real environment that you will be working in once you graduate.

We offer an exciting set of newest hardware and software that enables you to create games and software programs for various modern platforms. GameLab is part of the global networks such as IGDA (International Game Developers Association) and member of Neogames, which is the Finnish game industry research and development association.