Psychology in Game Design and Digital Innovation MSc - 2024/5

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The School of Psychology is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This programme is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability. The programme is designed to equip students with multiple employability and transferable skills. The modules will help equip student with the skills and knowledge to critically analyze existing practice, conduct research, communicate research findings, and create new ideas and manifest them, in the context of designing game and digital experience. The skills and knowledge can be applied to various fields, such as gaming, research and development, marketing, policymaking, education, and cybersecurity. Learning activities and assessments involve critiquing different aspects of existing games, designing and developing their own games, conducting user research studies, or analysing player data. Course work can therefore be readily used to demonstrate to potential employers what our graduates will be able to contribute.

Global and cultural capabilities. The programme offers students the opportunity to develop knowledge and sensitivity towards the diverse needs, strengths and responses of game and digital users from different background. Teaching materials will incorporate readings and examples from the global south and people from majority of ethnic backgrounds. As our students will come from different parts of the world, we will capitalize on the different interests and needs of different cultural groups and geographic contexts in our learning activities and assessments involving the design of games and digital experiences.

Digital capabilities. The extensive use of digital technologies is evident as digital innovation is an integral part of the programme. Hands-on experience of using digital technology in producing game prototypes, literature review, statistical analysis, etc., are involved in the majority of the modules. Digital literacy will also be promoted through the exploration of issues such as cyberbullying, gaming and addiction, and differences in human behaviour in the digital and physical worlds. Through the programme students will also familiarise themselves with a range of software that facilitates in-class group activities, meetings, presentation, and statistical analysis.

Sustainability. A major part of the programme is about how psychology theories, findings, mindsets and skills can be utilized to benefit game design and digital technology. This in turn will help to address real-world challenges. Class exercises, projects, and dissertations will focus on the development of games that have a positive impact on players. Examples include education games made online to reduce carbon footprint and become more accessible to individuals with economic / social / geographic constraints; games that help raise awareness of various social issues (climate change, inequality, etc.); and games that facilitate behavioural changes consistent with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Resourcefulness and resilience. The exposure to different types of learning activities and assessments will challenge students to develop strengths in learning approaches they are less confident of. Finding solutions for real-life problems will help students develop resourcefulness and resilience. The students will develop the habit and skills to learn from each other through class exercise and group work in different modules. Students will be encouraged to share their personal experiences and expertise to reflect on challenges faced by individuals in different contexts as well as ways to overcome them. Many modules, the dissertation in particular, require students to draw and build upon the knowledge and experiences they have gained on the programme, with guided support from their instructors and supervisor.