MA Games Design (Narrative)

Do you love crafting worlds, characters, and stories that players care about? Join us and design the next generation of games narratives.

We sought input and built on learnings from leading narrative designers; from the writing team at Larian Studios to game designers at The Chinese Room and Creative Assembly; to bring you a programme with a unique fusion of creative vision and technical expertise. In addition, we are formally collaborating through the Bristol Digital Game Lab with the local companies Meaning Machine and Time Machine Designs.

Imagine building a plane while flying it. That’s how narrative designers have described the development process: simultaneously evolving the storyline for a game as you create it. Narrative design anticipates the entire game experience, from mechanics and worlds to player actions.

We know that the industry is looking for four highly desirable skills that you’ll be able to demonstrate on completion of our MA Games Design (Narrative): teamwork, storytelling, technical implementation, and critical thinking. Our teaching draws directly on collaborative research and development projects we've run with industry partners such as Meaning Machine, as well as the Bristol Digital Game Lab pioneering game making as research across heritage and mental health. This will support you to you hone your strengths across both systems design and storytelling - giving you a unique edge in the sector.

Our MA Games Design (Narrative) graduates leave us with a career-ready portfolio that showcases their strengths in narrative design. Through the dedicated portfolio unit, you can choose from options such as: Pitching a Game; Meeting an Industry Brief; Industry Placement; and Developing a Serious Game. Each option supports you in creating a polished narrative game demonstrator that highlights your creative and technical abilities. Your portfolio becomes a distinctive asset in a competitive jobs market and the foundation of your future job applications.

During your studies with us, we’ll also equip you with an Alienware gaming laptop that meets the demand of contemporary game design, game engines (Unity, Unreal) and AAA games. This means that you won’t have to rely on computer labs while studying with us, you will have your own lab with you all the time in the form of this high-powered gaming laptop.

We believe the best work happens when we come together. Bristol is home to a thriving community of indie game developers, and you’ll be learning across the city and our various campuses.

You’ll get access to Bristol Digital Game Lab. Born at the University, it’s an international pioneer in exploring games as tools for change. Bristol Digital Game Lab bridges academia, industry, and the public sector. Its mission is to unlock the power of play for cultural, educational, and civic transformation.

You’ll learn from expert researchers and practitioners working at the forefront of narrative design. We’ve built industry talks and masterclasses into every unit to bolster your learning experience.

You’ll also be initiated into the game writers' room: a process for building rapport with your peers, tackling creative briefs, innovating through game jams, and creating narrative game experiences – all guided by a lead writer.

We use innovative teaching methods to show you how to:

• Master narrative frameworks and the components of narrative design
• Work across disciplines to understand the game development process
• Use active play sessions to become critical, playful consumers
• Test creative ideas in rapid prototyping sessions that reward risk-taking, accommodate failure, and enable reflection
• Champion inclusivity and diversity through conscientious design
• Make sure you can confidently use industry-standard tools and game engines to tell your own stories.