How to prepare for your Computer Games degree over the summer

Third-year Computer Games Technology student Owen offers his advice for students starting one of our Computer Games courses in September.

Congratulations! You’ve made it and are on your way to start your university life. Now, I know that while this is an exciting time, it can also be a time of a lot of anxious feelings and unknowns, so I am writing this short article in a hope to settle some of these feelings and guide you in how to best prepare for starting a Computer Games course here at ARU and how to best make use of your summer.

Start getting organised

One of my best bits of advice is to start getting the stuff you need for university organised now, it will be a big help and reduce a lot of stress knowing everything is ready and prepped when September comes around.

You haven't got to pack everything now, but gradually packing things and organising stuff as summer goes on will make a huge difference to your readiness. Writing lists are my best friend for this sort of stuff!

Get social

Making new friends and meeting flatmates for the first time can be a very daunting task to lot of people, and it is a completely normal feeling to be nervous about it.

To make this process easier, I recommend joining the ARU Freshers Facebook groups, and if you're staying in student accommodation in Cambridge, joining their groups as well. There is also a Discord server for ARU games courses that you can join! This is a great way to interact with people just like you who are looking for people to connect with.

These groups are amazing for finding your potential course and flatmates. I personally found my flatmates on one of these groups and started to get to know them before I moved in, which was a huge help!

This is more for once you’re here, but I would additionally suggest checking out the ARU eSports Society and the Cambridge Game Makers, who meet at The Blue Moon pub every month.

Course prep

First and foremost, you do not need to do any games work before you start your course, and if you have never done any game dev at all, do not panic! I started my Computer Games degree with no prior knowledge in game dev and all the courses teach you everything you will need to succeed, starting from the basics. But if you do get a head start, I would recommend the following.

If you're joining the Computer Games Design, Computer Games Programming, or Computer Games Technology course, you could look at the Unity or Unreal game engine and explore some of the basics of these pieces of software, and maybe even attempt a small project. For Unity, there is tons of content online that is worth looking at, especially the content focusing on the fundamentals.

Those studying Computer Games Art may want to do the same, but with software such as Maya, Zbrush or Substance painter.

Just a reminder: you do not need to pay for any of this software, as ARU will provide you with an educational licence when you start in September.

Enjoy the summer

This is probably the most important bit of advice here. If you have just finished your A-levels or college, this is a great opportunity to go out and have some fun and celebrate all your achievements so far and get excited for the journey to come next.

Go on a trip and explore some of the world, or get together with some friends and head out in your local city, town or village – whatever you do, just relax and enjoy the moment.

By Owen Monaghan

Owen studies Computer Games Technology at ARU in Cambridge. You can find out more about this and other degree courses at one of our Open Days.