Modules

Project work plays a central role. Students are confronted with a wide variety of aesthetic and practical challenges, which can be mastered independently and in a team-oriented manner. The students acquire and consolidate new skills and knowledge and develop individual strategies for problem solving. The philosophy of the CGL is to provide students with creative freedom and the possibility to experimentally test different ideas, approaches and procedures in short, iterative cycles. Last but not least, this way of working also reflects the way it works in the games industry itself.

The project modules form the red thread of the module structure. Each of the modules extends over one semester and consists of several projects. The theoretical modules take place parallel to the project modules. They also extend over one semester and consist of a series of lectures and seminars that impart historical-theoretical reflection and orientation knowledge. The seminars and lectures offer students a broad spectrum of scientific-artistic topics in the context of non-linear audiovisuality. The international state of research and development will be reviewed and reflected in the context of numerous guest lectures.

Throughout the course of studies, students are encouraged to participate in other courses of the CGL on digital games as well as in events of the TH Köln or other cultural in-situations (lectures, seminars, congresses, panel discussions, etc.) in order to promote curiosity and flexibility of interests as quality and basis of creative work.

First semester
In the practical module “Equalization & Exchange” the projects “Playing with Theater”, “Playing with Cinema” and “Playing with Video Games” historically follow the modern development of audiovisual media. In the process of creative-practical work, they also impart basic historical-cultural knowledge. The theoretical lessons in the subjects “Media and Game Studies”, “Visual Design” and “Game Design Theory” also aim at a common basis of knowledge and reflection ability of students from different disciplines and cultures.

Second Semester
With the projects “Board Games”, “Serious Games” and “Non-Linear Adaptation”, the “Research & Experimentation” module opens up artificial scope for in-depth research into various conceptual processes. The scientific lessons in “Media and Game Studies”, “Visual Design” and “Game Design Theory” provide historical-theoretical support for this artistic practice. In the “Media and Game Studies”, for example, the history and theory of adaptation and “serious games” are analyzed.

Third Semester
In the third semester, the module “Professionalization & Master Thesis Preparation” focuses on the preparation of students for the working reality of the games industry as well as the guidance for the conception of their “Master Thesis Proposal”. The project prepares students for the everyday life of the games industry by learning to consider the economic aspects of the production of digital games and to practise corresponding skills. The scientific instruction is about “Entrepreneurship” on the one hand, in line with the Professionalization module, and on the other hand about the application of current theories of Game Studies.

Fourth semester
The Master’s thesis, which is written in the fourth semester, marks the completion of the “Game Development and Research” program. A distinction is made between the actual Master’s thesis – its theoretical and practical parts – and the corresponding presentation and examination (colloquium).

Master’s Projects

Further information can be found here.

Read the Module Handbook for the MA GDR here.