Open Universities Australia

Dashboard

Find key dates

Access my LMS

Change my studies

Support

Manage my account

View statements & reports

Request online support

Refer a friend

Architecture & construction

Art & creative design

Business & management

Community services & care

Education & teaching

Engineering

Health & medical science

Humanities & social science

IT & computer science

Law & justice

Media & communication

Psychology & mental health

Science

Search all courses

Explore study online

Undergraduate degrees

Postgraduate courses

University certificates

Pathways and pre-university

Single subjects

Microcredentials

Short courses

Study types

Help me choose a course

Chat with a student advisor

Compare courses

Degrees vs single subjects

Choosing a course

Study online

How OUA works

Key dates

How to enrol

Applying for credit

Study planning

Minimum age requirements

Textbooks & study materials

Computer requirements

International students

Getting started

Student loans

Study allowances

Commonwealth supported places

Fees

Financial options

Disability support

Elite athletes

Exams

Natural disaster support

Special Circumstances

Study preparation

Study support

Your studies

Advice

13 6736

Study online with Curtin University through Open Universities Australia. Explore all degrees, subjects and short courses now.

The Game and Animation Design major allows students to specialise in the engaging area of visual narrative communication through the means of animation design and development, as well as game design and development. This programme will provide the opportunity to learn theory and fundamentals relevant to visual narrative construction, through the mediums of 2D animation, 3D animation, VFX production, Game design and development and virtual and immersive world design.

Be drawn in by a field which combines project management, technical expertise and creative storytelling. Work in an exciting fast-evolving industry, perhaps as an animator, 3D artist, motion graphics designer, visual effects artist or educator. 

Bachelor of Arts (Animation and Game Design)

Animation and Motion Graphics Design

Game Design Introduction

Online Games and Play

This subject introduces students to the principles of spatial and temporal design with a focus on the fundamentals of animation. Through a series of technical and conceptual activities, students will have the opportunity to experiment with animation techniques and discern its role as a medium for communication.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Learn techniques behind your favourite animations. Become a puppeteer to the moving image as you craft an animated sequence – learning how storyboarding, planning and resourcing comes into play. Build skills to communicate a story.

This subject was previously known as DIG120 Animation and Special Effects Compositing.
This subject develops students’ skills and conceptual approaches in the art of digital compositing. Compositing is the act of blending various visual elements together into a seamless video form. It can be seen in special effects for film, web site banners, TV title sequences, TV commercials, architectural walkthroughs and training simulations. Students will have the opportunity to develop their conceptual approaches and explore the technical possibilities of animation and special effects compositing through hands-on production experimentation.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Work in 2D and 3D as you learn about storyboarding, timing, framing, rendering, and grading. Take your project from concept to final presentation. Understand resourcing, development and process. Work towards a career in compositing or animation.

Animation and Special Effects Compositing

This subject invites students to consider the design, structure, functionality and application of games and gaming. The subject presents various ways to consider game elements including as virtual environments, toys, narrative engines, sets of algorithmic rules, simulations. There is a primary focus on digitally mediated games, especially those that leverage three dimensional modelling and rendering. Students will undertake critical analysis of existing games, as well as explore the potential for game creation through the design and conceptualisation of their own games.Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Take the first step from gamer to game designer. Evaluate the look and structure of games, and develop your own concepts. Study limitations of tech through time, and make connections between games of today, and non-digitised games of yesteryear.

This subject was previously known as Online Games, Play and Gamification.This subject explores the broader spaces and nature of play online, and how it relates to the development of digital forms of gaming. The nature of immersion, and its relationship to interactivity, is examined, investigating how narrative is constructed and communicated through game play. The subject provides critical perspectives on the notion of gamification and the growing area of research centred around videogame streamers and the labour ecosystem of eSports. It examines a series of gaming tropes and themes, games as texts, and the ways that games enter social frameworks to convey, refract, engage with, and resist power structures. An ongoing focus is on the function of rules in framing play, particularly in relation to how players cheat, hack and mod their games to break those rules.Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Love it or hate it, the idea of ‘gamification’ has taken root. Examine what it means to play online, and how gaming can both resist and reinforce traditional power structures. Explore the function of rules, and how hacks and mods change the game.

This subject was previously known as 3D Project Development.In this subject students will work on projects that are directly linked with real-world practice. Projects based on simulated client briefs, real client briefs, or studio placements give students direct experience in working in professional environments. Students will have the opportunity to document and reflect on their experiences, as well as forge industry connections in the 3D visualisation, visual effects, education, simulation and game design industries.Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Pulling together your 3d skills, adding advanced rendering and lighting, you’ll work on meeting a  brief for a 3d project. Working to industry standards, you’ll experience an authentic work environment, and be held to professional real-world conduct.

Industry Project Development

This subject was previously known as DIG130 Introduction to 3D Modelling and Rendering.This subject introduces students to the foundations of 3D modelling, texturing and rendering in a digital environment. It enables students to work on a defined multi-phase project that encompasses the conceptual and technical elements that are fundamental to 3D design.Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Draw on theoretical and technical fundamentals to build 3d models in a digital environment. Grapple with texturing and lighting. Fire up Photoshop and play with techniques to improve your work. Create a video file using your finished designs.

Introduction to 3D Modelling and Rendering

This subject was previously known as Online Games, Play and Gamification.This subject explores the broader spaces and nature of play online, and how it relates to the development of digital forms of gaming. The nature of immersion, and its relationship to interactivity, is examined, investigating how narrative is constructed and communicated through game play. The subject provides critical perspectives on the notion of gamification and the growing area of research centred around videogame streamers and the labour ecosystem of eSports. It examines a series of gaming tropes and themes, games as texts, and the ways that games enter social frameworks to convey, refract, engage with, and resist power structures. An ongoing focus is on the function of rules in framing play, particularly in relation to how players cheat, hack and mod their games to break those rules..Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Delve into a world of gaming and play. Explore the interplay between commerce and game mechanics. Check in on ongoing debates about gaming. Critically analyse everything from casual and social games through to massively multiplayer online games.

In this subject students will work collaboratively on cross-disciplinary projects to construct engaging visual narratives. Students will work with illustrators, creative writers, filmmakers, animation and game designers to develop visual narrative content and apply skills in animation design, game design, screen writing and visual development. Storytelling techniques and strategies will be explored considering emerging cultures, cyber-cultures, global cultures and Indigenous cultures in order to promote and preserve local and international cultures across various platforms.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Apply your animation and game design skills to a collaborative project with like-minded creatives. Tell a story, consider culture, and work in a team. Join up with illustrators, writers and filmmakers to produce an engaging narrative-based outcome.

Visual Narrative Studio

This subject develops students&#39; skills and conceptual approaches in areas that are critical to all forms of animation; namely, the creation of textures for characters and objects, digital sculpting, and the application of motion (animation) to characters or objects. Students will have the opportunity to develop their conceptual approaches and explore the technical possibilities of animation and game texture design through hands-on production experimentation.
Please Note: If it’s your first time studying a Curtin University subject you’ll need to complete their compulsory ‘Academic Integrity Program’. It only takes two hours to complete online, and provides you with vital information about studying with Curtin University. The Academic Integrity Program is compulsory, so if it’s not completed your subject grades will be withheld.
Find out more about the <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/students/essentials/rights/academic-integrity/aip/" target="_blank">Academic Integrity module</a>.

Showcase your creativity and develop your skills in character design, modelling, sculpting, rigging and animation. Learn pipeline and project management approaches used in game asset production. Create characters for games you love to play.

Course results for Curtin University Game design & development Short courses

Need help choosing a course?

Keep track of your favourites

Create an account