Games academy opens in West Midlands to cope with growth of gaming industry

An expanded games academy has opened at Birmingham City University (BCU) to cope with the increased demand for specialist roles in the gaming industry. 

The new academy will offer courses in Design, Programming, Technology and Technical Art, reflecting the growing need for highly specialised roles in gaming development.  

The academy was launched as part of BCU’s annual Innovation Fest, a week-long exploration of innovation from across the computing, engineering and built environment sectors, held in BCU’s flagship STEAMhouse building.  

Professor Hanifa Shah, BCU’s pro vice-chancellor of STEAM, said: “We work closely with our business partners to ensure our students have a clear progression pathway into the industries they want to work in.  

“This year, we are expanding both the variety and size of our gaming courses to better reflect the evolving needs of the industry. By specialising our course offer, students are better equipped to pinpoint their interests, while the gaming industry receives ‘work ready’ graduates in an increasingly competitive field.” 

The event was attended by Linda Yilin Wen, design researcher in Game Intelligence at Microsoft Research Redmond, and Dr. Richard Wilson OBE, CEO of The Independent Games Association (TIGA), who spoke about how universities are evolving to meet the demands of the industry.

Industry partners including Nosebleed Interactive, Jaguar Land Rover, Roll7, R3Spin, and Sega Hardlight were also present at the launch to see how the next generation of game designers are being equipped for the future. 

In 2024, the gaming industry generated around £6bn for the UK economy. In the West Midlands alone, creative content and gaming has the potential to generate £65m per year and create 1,500 jobs by 2030. 

To support this goal, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) announced in November the start of CreaTech Frontiers, a £6.75 million investment aimed at developing small, micro- and medium-sized businesses specialising in creative tech like video games and immersive reality. 

The West Midlands is one of just two areas of the UK to get government funding to boost economic growth and job opportunities in the creative sector.

The initiative is supported by BCU, Coventry University, the University of Birmingham, and The University of Warwick, working alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) to boost skills and develop new products.

“The West Midlands is ready to take full advantage of the growing popularity of gaming” adds Professor Shah.

“If local people are looking into a career in the gaming industry, the time to upskill is now.” 

Explore BCU’s expanding course offer HERE.