Module manager: Dr Arjun Khara
Email: a.khara@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as a discovery module
This module responds to the need to explore creative, cultural, and professional dimensions of design for play, with AI as a technological and creative companion. As such, this module prepares students to understand games design and play-planning as serious modes of design intervention in the era of AI. Whether students go on to work in the games industry, contribute to digital design, or apply playful thinking to broad sectors including marketing and advertising, branding, public relations, communications, media, education, or wellbeing, they will gain a robust foundation in both the practical and critical dimensions of designing play from this module. The academic and strategic nature of games design, gamification, and play planning thus helps them anticipate, shape, and sharpen their skills and outlook on the strategic potential of design practice in the post-digital age, thereby positioning our students as agile, foresighted, thoughtful, and creative professionals in an increasingly ludic digital world that seeks and rewards these qualities. Please note that optional modules run subject to enrolments. An optional module may not run if only a low number of students choose it.
The module’s three key objectives / aims are:
AIM1 • Introduce our students to the principles, methods, and critical debates of games design, gamification, and play planning, enabling them to understand play as a creative practice, and a strategic and ethically designed approach
AIM2 • Develop our students’ capabilities to design, prototype, evaluate, and trial original games and playful experiences in digital or analogue formats, supported by research-informed and reflective AI-collaborative processes
AIM3 • Equip our students with critical, cultural, and professional literacies needed to ludologically and ethically evaluate the role of games and gamification across diverse global industries, and to position their own practice within emerging opportunities and technologies
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following subject-specific learning outcomes:
1. Apply core principles of games design and gamification, and apply them to create meaningful and ethical play experiences in digital or analogue formats
2. Analyse the cultural, social, and ethical dimensions of play, and critically evaluate how games and gamified systems shape behaviours, interactions, and narratives across contexts
3. Prototype and document an original game or playful experience, using AI to actively assist with iterative development and evaluation, to refine mechanics, aesthetics, and user experience
On successful completion of the module students will have demonstrated the following skills learning outcomes:
4. Develop and refine game concepts in both digital and physical formats using tools, audio-visual communication techniques, and iterative design methods.
5. Collaborate effectively in small teams to plan, test, and present game-based design outcomes that demonstrate strategic communication and project management skills
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Seminars | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Practicals | 10 | 2 | 20 |
| Private study hours | 150 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 50 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200 | ||
Students will receive feedback to reflect games design practices in industry. Students will present initial game concepts or gamification ideas through short pitches and sketches during the seminars. Tutors and peers will provide feedback on the clarity of concepts, alignment with design principles, and potential ethical or cultural implications, helping students refine their designs before final submission. Students will be encouraged to bring draft materials, including game documentation, visual boards, and reflective notes for tutor and peer review. Feedback will be aimed at strengthening the creative outcomes and the critical underpinnings of the work so that students feel supported in iterating their designs and building confidence in articulating the rationale behind their decisions.
| Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Group portfolio | 50 |
| Coursework | Group report | 50 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100 | |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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