How do we build vibrant worlds within computer games?

This is a Computer games and animation Subject Spotlight with Dr Adam Twycross from Anglia Ruskin University. An interactive, cinematic course taster experience to allow students to gain insights into what it's like to study Computer games and animation.

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Join Dr Adam Twycross as he introduces you to the fascinating world of Computer Games Art, and the role of colour and lighting within computer games. He begins by introducing what Computer Games Art actually is within games production as a whole, and identifies some key areas of specialism within it. He then explores what we mean by ‘colour’ and lighting in the digital environment, and takes a deep dive into how it can create different moods and effects within games. To do so, he brings you along on a walkthrough demonstration of making key changes to a gameplay environment that are guided by art direction choices made by a Games Designer. Finally, Adam sets you a task to apply your new knowledge about the use of colour and the importance of art direction, by analysing the use of colour in different types of media, and the effects they have for the audience.

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About Anglia Ruskin University

Anglia Ruskin University is an innovative global university with students from 185 countries at our campuses in Cambridge, Chelmsford, Peterborough and Writtle. These students are at the heart of our University, and we're delighted that our final-year undergraduates are positive about their educational experience. Our community is also incredibly important to us, and we're proud of the role we play in our cities and the wider region – including the positive effect on jobs and the local economy. It is this impact that helped us become the THE University of the Year 2023, a prestigious award that recognises our success in delivering high impact projects focused on the difference we make in the region and communities where we’re based as well as the contributions our students and graduates make to society.

Meet the academics

Dr Adam Twycross

Dr Adam Twycross is a Senior Lecturer in Games Art at Anglia Ruskin University. Previously the Programme Leader for the NCCA’s MA in 3D Computer Animation and the Course Leader for Arts University Bournemouth’s BA in Visual Effects, he has taught extensively in the fields of games, animation and VFX. He has previously worked as an environment artist at Frontier games and as a freelance modeller with clients including Games Workshop, the BBC and Disney. Also active as a historian and researcher, his first book, British Newspaper Strips: A Contextual History, was released by Palgrave Macmillan in 2024.

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