Computer Game taster days
Our taster days offer your students the best way to experience University life.
We hope you can join us on campus for one of them. Email [email protected] to find out how we can support your travel.
Taster days
Computer Games Taster Day
Cambridge: 26 November 2025 / 4 February 2026
Chelmsford: 3 December 2025 / 4 March 2026
Your students can get a hands-on experience of life as a Games student. Whether your students are into coding, storytelling, art, or game mechanics, we have degrees to lead to the roles the industry needs. They’ll understand the roles in the industry, what it’s like to study Games at Uni and explore our state-of-the-art game development studios.
Graduate Showcase
Every day 5-12 June 2026, Cambridge
Join us for our Graduate Showcase. Your students will be inspired by what they’ll be able to achieve by the end of a creative degree as well as gaining insight into the outcomes of specific subjects. Covering work from Fashion to Film, Graphics to Games, Animation to Art and everything in between, there’s lots to explore. We'll set your students challenges to help them connect with the work. They can also chat to some of our graduating students and find out more about the opportunities HE has to offer.
Gamebridge
July 2026, Cambridge (exact date tbc)
Gamebridge is the ultimate festival for aspiring games industry professionals—and your students are invited. This one-of-a-kind event brings together top studios, industry experts, and career support. Across a packed programme of talks, workshops, portfolio reviews, networking sessions, and exhibitor showcases, your students will be inspired as well as gaining practical insight. Your students can come with questions, leave with contacts, confidence, and a clearer path to their games career. Find out more about Gamebridge on our Showcase site.
Skill Tree: Summer Games Programme
July 2026, Chelmsford (exact date tbc)
Skill Tree is a 3-day taster experience, open to year 12 and 13 students. Participants will work in groups to design a game concept; prototype it and test their ideas. Workshops will introduce students to games job roles, essential design concepts, and basic skills in Unreal Engine. This is an opportunity for students serious about getting ahead in Games. Students will be required to complete a short application form.
Taster sessions
Online or in person at your school or college* or at ARU we have a range of sessions for you to choose from. They can be delivered as a standalone session or as part of a build-your-own-taster day.
Introduction to Unreal Engine 5 — 60 mins
Covering basics of navigating the software and project setup, we’ll use modular level assets to build our first level. Students will gain hands-on experience with reusable components to form the foundation of a game environment and with UE5’s interface and core tools.
Design Workshop — 60-90 mins
Learn the fundamentals of game design through well-known examples. We’ll explore what makes a game a game an capitalise on that for the best player experience. Participants will playtest a tabletop game, then use those insights to design their own. The session explores the designer’s role and responsibilities and key topics covered in the design degree. No specialist equipment needed; suitable for any classroom.
Player Engagement: The Three Room Dungeon — 90-120 mins
Explore how to engage players and keep them engaged with a fun and balanced difficulty curve. Participants will test a tabletop RPG scenario, learn engagement techniques, then use this insight to design and test their own gameplay scenarios. The session introduces some of the core principals of games design and demonstrate some of commonly used approaches. No specialist equipment needed; suitable for any classroom.
This is just a small selection of the activities we can offer. For more info and to arrange your personalised sessions get in touch: [email protected]
*Not all sessions can be delivered online or at your school or college. But we will work with you to shape the best experience for your students based on the delivery format. Timings are approximate.
Meet our staff team
Thom Barrett: games design, time poor gaming, difficulty and balance in games, player learning, player centric design, layered games design.
Matthew Holland: procedural narrative and game content generation, player experience, Impact on society of games and related technologies.
Mila Praschma: games art and animation, asset creation, texturing, immersive worlds, cinematic sequencing, story-driven games.
Martyn Simmons: 2D and 3D gaming, mobile games development, interactive environments (VR, AR, MR), art through AR, player behaviour/ psychology.
Amanda Surowka: game communities and matchmaking, player psychology and neurodiversity, game monetisation, games in education.
Dr Adam Twycross Martin: games art and VFX, comics and periodicals, newspapers and newspaper strips, social history.