Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments (Game Design)
Gain practical game design experience, along with knowledge of storytelling, immersion and design theories, to acquire the skills needed to craft intriguing and unique game worlds.
'I'm now living in Paris for seven weeks, learning and working with some of the best sports production people in the world.'
Game design student Tom Panitz landed a contract with Olympic Sports Presentation based on his work streaming the Intervarsity Championship and producing live broadcasts of QUT Sport events on Twitch and Facebook. In Paris, he's creating live graphics and statistics for official broadcasts displayed on LED screens in venues.
'Combining your unique creative passions with a solid foundation of technical design and development skills can open doors you didn't even know existed. Never ignore what you're good at or enjoy in favour of what you think will get you a better job. The real world is massive and complex and diverse, and there are niches everywhere for you to find. And there's a reason QUT promotes itself based on its connection to that "real world".'
Freya Sambain Game design student, Academic Excellence Scholarship recipient
Networking leading to employment
'I made lots of valuable connections studying at QUT. I wouldn’t have got my role as a QA Tester at Gameloft Brisbane if I hadn’t networked with employers at the QUT Games Showcase. The valuable teamwork and practical skills I learnt whilst completing my Capstone project and Modelling Units will be tools that I use forever. I also had the opportunity to work in a producer-type role which is a unique leadership role that I learnt a lot undertaking.'
Miles Hatcliff Quality Assurance Tester, Gameloft
Creating innovative game experiences
'This course helped me to develop a much deeper understanding of the industry in which I want to work. Specifically, I enjoyed learning about gamification and the surprisingly diverse range of sectors looking to apply the game theory. This helped me to fully realise just how much games have to offer, as well as reinforcing my investment and excitement in my career.'
Pierre Medeiros Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments (Game Design)
Games student projects
Explore some of our second-year student projects and witness the creative prowess of our students as they bring their game design visions to life!
Our graduate showcase is an exciting opportunity for our final-year IT and games students to exhibit their work and network with industry professionals.
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Game on, Paris!
'I'm now living in Paris for seven weeks, learning and working with some of the best sports production people in the world.'
Game design student Tom Panitz landed a contract with Olympic Sports Presentation based on his work streaming the Intervarsity Championship and producing live broadcasts of QUT Sport events on Twitch and Facebook. In Paris, he's creating live graphics and statistics for official broadcasts displayed on LED screens in venues.
'Combining your unique creative passions with a solid foundation of technical design and development skills can open doors you didn't even know existed. Never ignore what you're good at or enjoy in favour of what you think will get you a better job. The real world is massive and complex and diverse, and there are niches everywhere for you to find. And there's a reason QUT promotes itself based on its connection to that "real world".'
Freya Sambain Game design student, Academic Excellence Scholarship recipient
Networking leading to employment
'I made lots of valuable connections studying at QUT. I wouldn’t have got my role as a QA Tester at Gameloft Brisbane if I hadn’t networked with employers at the QUT Games Showcase. The valuable teamwork and practical skills I learnt whilst completing my Capstone project and Modelling Units will be tools that I use forever. I also had the opportunity to work in a producer-type role which is a unique leadership role that I learnt a lot undertaking.'
Miles Hatcliff Quality Assurance Tester, Gameloft
Creating innovative game experiences
'This course helped me to develop a much deeper understanding of the industry in which I want to work. Specifically, I enjoyed learning about gamification and the surprisingly diverse range of sectors looking to apply the game theory. This helped me to fully realise just how much games have to offer, as well as reinforcing my investment and excitement in my career.'
Pierre Medeiros Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments (Game Design)
Games student projects
Explore some of our second-year student projects and witness the creative prowess of our students as they bring their game design visions to life!
Our graduate showcase is an exciting opportunity for our final-year IT and games students to exhibit their work and network with industry professionals.
Game on, Paris!
'I'm now living in Paris for seven weeks, learning and working with some of the best sports production people in the world.'
Game design student Tom Panitz landed a contract with Olympic Sports Presentation based on his work streaming the Intervarsity Championship and producing live broadcasts of QUT Sport events on Twitch and Facebook. In Paris, he's creating live graphics and statistics for official broadcasts displayed on LED screens in venues.
'Combining your unique creative passions with a solid foundation of technical design and development skills can open doors you didn't even know existed. Never ignore what you're good at or enjoy in favour of what you think will get you a better job. The real world is massive and complex and diverse, and there are niches everywhere for you to find. And there's a reason QUT promotes itself based on its connection to that "real world".'
Freya Sambain Game design student, Academic Excellence Scholarship recipient
Networking leading to employment
'I made lots of valuable connections studying at QUT. I wouldn’t have got my role as a QA Tester at Gameloft Brisbane if I hadn’t networked with employers at the QUT Games Showcase. The valuable teamwork and practical skills I learnt whilst completing my Capstone project and Modelling Units will be tools that I use forever. I also had the opportunity to work in a producer-type role which is a unique leadership role that I learnt a lot undertaking.'
Miles Hatcliff Quality Assurance Tester, Gameloft
Creating innovative game experiences
'This course helped me to develop a much deeper understanding of the industry in which I want to work. Specifically, I enjoyed learning about gamification and the surprisingly diverse range of sectors looking to apply the game theory. This helped me to fully realise just how much games have to offer, as well as reinforcing my investment and excitement in my career.'
Pierre Medeiros Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments (Game Design)
Games student projects
Explore some of our second-year student projects and witness the creative prowess of our students as they bring their game design visions to life!
Our graduate showcase is an exciting opportunity for our final-year IT and games students to exhibit their work and network with industry professionals.
Highlights
Gain hands-on game design experience and knowledge of narrative and immersion (drawing the player into the game), and learn design theories (both general and specific to games) to provide the skills necessary to create exciting and unique game worlds.
Cover both the technical and creative aspects of game development.
Be prepared for a career in game design, animation, special effects development, or mobile entertainment development.
The QUT Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments degree is the most successful degree of its kind in Queensland. It has solid connections to local game industries and other industry partners in game-based technology.
Join Queensland's leading video game industry, which is responsible for titles such as Hellboy,Fruit Ninja, the children's game Viva Pinata Party Animals, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Highlights
Gain hands-on game design experience and knowledge of narrative and immersion (drawing the player into the game), and learn design theories (both general and specific to games) to provide the skills necessary to create exciting and unique game worlds.
Cover both the technical and creative aspects of game development.
Be prepared for a career in game design, animation, special effects development, or mobile entertainment development.
The QUT Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments degree is the most successful degree of its kind in Queensland. It has solid connections to local game industries and other industry partners in game-based technology.
Join Queensland's leading video game industry, which is responsible for titles such as Hellboy,Fruit Ninja, the children's game Viva Pinata Party Animals, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Why choose this course?
The Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments (Game Design) allows you to join the growing industry of digital environments and electronic games by acquiring expertise in developing computer games and other forms of interactive media. The course has a strong foundation in information technology, design and creative thinking.
This major will give you practical skills in games design and development. You will acquire underlying theoretical knowledge across various disciplines, including psychology (for example, motivation) and sociology (for example, cultural impact) and become proficient at effectively communicating design ideas and proposals.
You will gain experience in game and interaction development, from identification and evaluation of ideas, creation of design concepts, critique of existing and potential products, analysis of cultural impact and industry trends, and developing and delivering a final product.
Explore this course
What to expect
Choose your career path in this multibillion-dollar industry. This degree allows the development of creative skills ranging from the technical to the artistic. You will gain experience in game and interactive media development, from identification and evaluation of ideas, creation of design concepts, critique of existing and potential products, analysis of cultural impact and industry trends, and developing and delivering a final product.
You will learn about the games and interactive environments industries through interacting with industry members, reviewing the development process of games and related products, participating in class discussions and studying industry literature.
You will discover visualisation, interaction and communication techniques applied to games and interactive media. A strong foundation in entertainment technology and creative skills is complemented with options in games programming, including graphics programming and game artificial intelligence. You will be introduced to generic programming concepts and problem-solving strategies, teamwork, and the ethical and social responsibilities of an interactive media professional.
Given the growth in small, independent game development worldwide, you'll be introduced to the ideas of game development entrepreneurship from your first year of studies. You'll gain the knowledge and skills related to succeeding as an independent game developer. In your major capstone experience, you'll work as part of a team to develop and publish your own game.
In 2022, Queensland saw an 11% increase in full-time game-related jobs. This translated into over 300 new local positions, accounting for nearly half of all game development jobs created nationwide!
As a graduate of the Game Design Major, you can apply your knowledge and skills in roles such as game designer, level designer, game producer and mobile game designer. The skills learnt can also be applied outside the games industry to create engaging tools and environments in other domains.
If you complete a Software Technology Minor as part of your degree, you may be eligible for associate membership of the Australian Computer Society (ACS).
Research pathways
You may wish to take your passion further and extend your studies with an honours research program.
Honours is an ideal pathway for high-achieving graduates to enter the doctoral program (PhD), and provides a wider range of career opportunities including research, analytic or teaching positions. Consult your course coordinator in the second or third year to assess what projects may be available within your areas of interest.
To be eligible for an honours course, you must have a bachelor degree in information technology, mathematics, science or property economics (depending on the course) or its equivalent, completed within the last five years, with a minimum grade point average of 4.5 (on QUT’s 7-point scale).
Possible careers
Animator
Computer game programmer
Computer games developer
Computer-aided designer
Digital content designer
Digital content producer
Games developer
Programmer
Sound designer
Details and units
To meet the course requirements of the Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments, you must complete a total of 288 credit points.
Core units - 108 credit points
A Major – 72 credit points
QUT You - 24 credit points
Complementary studies - 84 credit points, made up of: - a minor (48 credit points), plus - 36 credit points of electives.
To meet the course requirements of the Bachelor of Games and Interactive Environments, you must complete a total of 288 credit points.
Core units - 108 credit points
A Major – 72 credit points
QUT You - 24 credit points
Complementary studies - 84 credit points, made up of: - a minor (48 credit points), plus - 36 credit points of electives.
Requirements
ATAR/selection rank threshold
70.00
These thresholds are the lowest adjusted scores to which QUT made an offer in Semester 1, 2025.
You can defer your offer and postpone the start of your course for one year.
Assumed knowledge
Before you start this course, we assume you have sound knowledge of the subject/s listed below. If you don't have the subject knowledge, you can still apply for the course but we strongly encourage you to undertake bridging studies to gain the knowledge:
English, or Literature, or English and Literature Extension, or English as an Additional Language (Units 3 & 4, C)
General Mathematics, or Mathematical Methods, or Specialist Mathematics (Units 3 & 4, C)
If you're a current Queensland Year 12 student, you may be eligible to receive an offer for this course on the last day of Queensland Year 12, before receiving your ATAR or selection rank.
If you achieve an ATAR or selection rank of 70.00 or higher (including any adjustments) and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.
VET guarantee
If you have completed an AQF certificate IV, diploma or higher, and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.
Deferment
You can defer your offer and postpone the start of your course for one year.
If you completed secondary school in Australia and achieve an ATAR/selection rank of 70.00 or higher (including any adjustments) and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.
VET guarantee
If you have completed an AQF certificate IV, diploma or higher, and satisfy all other admission requirements, you are guaranteed an offer for this course.
Minimum English language requirements
Select the country where you completed your studies to see a guide on meeting QUT’s English language requirements.
Your scores and prior qualifications in English-speaking countries are considered. Approved English-speaking countries are Australia, Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, United States of America and Wales.
If your country or qualification is not listed, you can still apply for this course and we will assess your eligibility.
Please select a country
We accept English language proficiency scores from the following tests undertaken in a secure test centre. Tests must be taken no more than 2 years prior to the QUT course commencement.
English Test
IELTS Academic / One Skill Retake
Overall
6.5
Listening
6
Reading
6
Writing
6
Speaking
6
Cambridge English Score
You must share your results with QUT through the Candidate Results Online website.
Overall
176
Listening
169
Reading
169
Writing
169
Speaking
169
PTE Academic
Overall
58
Listening
50
Reading
50
Writing
50
Speaking
50
TOEFL iBT
Overall
79
Listening
16
Reading
16
Writing
21
Speaking
18
English Test
Overall
Listening
Reading
Writing
Speaking
IELTS Academic / One Skill Retake
6.5
6
6
6
6
Cambridge English Score
You must share your results with QUT through the Candidate Results Online website.
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