What careers can you do with a Games degree?

When you sit down to play a game, you’re witnessing the result of hundreds of people working together behind the scenes.

06 February 2026

Kevin Tarazona, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Games), UCA Farnham

A games degree, whether games design, game development or concept art, opens the door to a wide range of creative and technical careers.

With the global games industry now earning more than movies and music combined, demand for skilled professionals continues to rise.

This guide explores the types of careers you can pursue with a games degree, the skills required, and how to stand out in one of the most exciting sectors within the creative industries.

Games design careers: shaping video game experiences

Game designers are the architects of gameplay. They're responsible for planning how a game looks, feels and functions, whilst also balancing game mechanics and narrative.

A few key roles include:

  • Lead game designer: Take control of the vision, collaborating with artists, developers and producers to create a well-structured game that offers players a seamless experience.
  • Level designer: Focus on the structure and flow of individual game levels, crafting well-paced and challenging gameplay.
  • Narrative designer: Use your creativity to weave story, dialogue, and character arcs into gameplay.
Ibolya Orcsik BA (Hons) Games Arts, UCA Farnham

Game development careers: bring ideas to life

Game developers are the technical backbone of game creation. If you enjoy coding and software engineering, these careers will be suited to you:

  • Game programmer/developer: write the code that drives gameplay, game physics and the user interface. Most commonly, games are written using C++, C#, and Python.
  • Technical animator: ensure that animations function smoothing within the game by using programmes such as Maya or Blender to rig, animate and debug characters.
  • Network engineer: ensure online games stay online and secure, with quick connections and no lag.

Game art careers: visualising the world

If visual creativity is your strength, then a job in game art may be ideal for you.

These roles allow you to produce the characters, environments and effects that players interact within during their gameplay. These roles include:

  • Concept artist: visualise ideas early in the design process, converting briefs into compelling visuals. You'll explore different art styles, create multiple iterations of characters and worlds, and work with game designers to refine the look.
  • 3D game artist: build the assets that will be seen throughout the game, including characters, maps and objects.
  • Game animator: Bring movement to life from big dramatic cutscenes all the way down to idle character animations. You'll be working on character movement, facial animations, lip syncing, combat and cinematic scenes.

UX & UI careers in gaming: designing the experience

  • UX designer: study how players interact with games and systems to make interfaces that are intuitive, accessible, and enjoyable. You'll be working with players as you undertake usability testing, developing wireframes and creating the hierarchy of menus.
  • UI designer: take that work that the UX team has put together and give it a professional polish. You'll be creating the final design of visual elements such as in-game menus, HUDs, buttons and icons.
Nadine Archer, MA Games Design, UCA Farnham

More jobs in the games industry

There's hundreds of other roles within games studios that suit a wide range of skillsets. This includes:

  • Quality assurance (QA) tester: test game build to identify bugs and other issues with the gameplay to ensure everything works as expected by the time the game gets into the hands of players.
  • Game producer: oversee the project all the way through, from early concept to release, managing schedules, teams and budgets. As well as working with all teams across the games studio, producers also work closely with publishers and distributors.
  • VR developer: virtual and augmented reality experiences require specialised development and design skills to create immersive worlds.
  • Games audio designer/composer: create soundtracks and develop sound effects that immerse players within the game world.
  • Esports and community managers: there are plenty of roles that sit outside the game development cycle. Community managers engage with players in online platforms such as Discord, Reddit and bespoke forums, as well as organising tournaments and other community events.

An alternative path: other degrees that lead to jobs in the video game industry 

While a games degree offers a clear and direct route into the industry, many other university courses also lead to a job at a video game studio. Creative universities like the UCA are full of courses loaded with talent waiting to join the games industry. This includes:  

These alternative degrees show just how varied and collaborative the film industry is. Whether animating fantastical creatures, managing production logistics or designing elaborative costumes, there's more than one way to break into film. 

Luke Hockley, BA (Hons) Games Arts, UCA Farnham

More advice for games applicants 

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