MSc — 2026 entry Psychology in Game Design and Digital Innovation

This module equips students with the skills to design and undertake academic research in psychology, in preparation for developing their own dissertations. The module will cover key aspects of research design, including literature review, forming hypotheses, ethical conduct, and study design and methods, both quantitative and qualitative. Students will propose a study design; implement the study via small-scale data collection and analysis; and present and discuss the findings in an individual research report. 

This module introduces students to the core principles and practices of qualitative research and provides the skills needed to design, conduct, and critically evaluate a small-scale qualitative project. Students will learn a range of qualitative data collection methods and analytic approaches, and will develop an understanding of how these methods are applied within psychological research.The module is suitable for those with little or no prior experience, while also offering opportunities for more experienced students to deepen their knowledge. Advanced captured content on SurreyLearn enables students to explore additional analytic methods, and those with prior experience are encouraged to extend their practical skills by applying a new analytic procedure in their project.Students will also develop reflective skills to consider how their cultural background, social identity, gender, experiences, and prior knowledge influence data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The module prepares students to undertake a qualitative dissertation project, should they choose to do so.

Social Psychology investigates how our cognitions (thought processes), affective states (feelings and emotions) and behaviours are related to the social world. This module will introduce you to key concepts, theories, methods, and findings in Social Psychology. The course covers core BPS curriculum in social psychology. Through successful completion of this module, students will develop an understanding of Social Psychological topics including: attitudes and behaviours change, social influence, emotions, prejudice and discrimination of minority groups.      

This module provides a foundational introduction to biological psychology. It examines how neuroscientific research informs understanding of brain function, behaviour, and cognition, while requiring students to engage with empirical evidence and scientific communication.The module explores the structure and function of the nervous system across the lifespan, including neural communication, brain organisation, development, ageing, and the biological bases of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Students will engage critically with empirical research in biological psychology and consider how neuroscientific methods are used to investigate brain-behaviour relationships in both typical and atypical functioning.Research methods teaching will introduce key approaches used to measure and study brain function, with an emphasis on the interpretation, evaluation, and communication of neuroscientific evidence. Through the assessment strategy, students will also develop advanced scientific communication skills and critical awareness of the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the interpretation and presentation of research.

This module will provide students with knowledge, skills, and practical experience of advanced research methods and design. It emphasises a critical and creative approach to evaluating research methods and design and applying them to scientific questions. It will support the development of novel, theoretically significant, rigorous, and impactful research proposals.

Extended reality (XR) technologies are increasingly adopted to create more immersive and interactive experience in games, training and education, healthcare and psychology research. This module will provide students with an understanding of these technologies and their practical applications to address human needs. Students will develop hands-on experience in creating XR-enhanced experiences. No extensive coding experience is required.

Gaming has existed as a mode of play and expression since the earliest times of human existence. In the latter part of the 20th and into the first two decades of the 21st Century (the period we will focus on with this module), there has been a vast expansion of the forms, modes and technologies employed in gaming and game play.Out of wargaming and board gaming practices (and often the interfaces of these) in the post-World War II era, increasingly complex and sophisticated character and narrative focussed Role-Playing Games (RPGs) developed as well as other narrative forms that connect gaming with interactive textuality, such as gamebooks, Collectable Card Games, online interactive fiction, video games and multi-player online gaming platforms. There has been, in the early 21st century, additionally, a large increase in the number of board games being produced and played, while wargaming also remains an active and vibrant aspect of gaming culture.An aspect of gaming that has sometimes fallen short, in 'quality' terms, though, is the writing that underpins both the rules systems and the 'story' component of games (background, character, description. narrative, dialogue, terminology, etc.) This is perhaps unsurprising as games have been primarily written by gamers rather than professional writers; many of these, of course, go on to develop their writing skills and become accomplished writers in their own right. More and more, though, creative writers are specifically incorporated into the game design and realisation processes (for both analogue and virtual gaming environments) to improve the quality of the gaming experience.In this module students will receive an overview of the gaming field and examine aspects of this that specifically pertain to writing for games. What approaches work well for games and gaming modes? How are these different from writing for and in other forms and media? What writing skills are particularly useful? Do we have the freedom to write outside of limiting industry constraints and models? What are the new forms of writing practice that are emerging in relation to games and gaming?Students will also have the opportunity to interact with and critique game-focussed AI text and narrative generation engines (such as AI Dungeon) in the classroom. We will also be interested in analysing games and gaming critically as cultural objects, and situating them within the broader context of contemporary cultural and literary theory. This is not a module that will teach students how to code and/or produce and design video games (or, indeed commercial analogue games). We will touch on aspects of game design, game production, gaming studies, critical digital studies, etc., but the focus for this module will be on writing creatively for games: writing gaming.Expert guest speakers from the gaming and independent gaming industries will be included in the teaching provision for this module.If students have specific coding, visual art or musical/sound art skills that they would like to bring to their exercises and assignments, they can certainly draw on these skills, but if they don't, that is completely fine - none of these are required for this module.In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces at the end of each class. This process will help students grow in confidence, both in presentational terms and in terms of delivering and receiving feedback on their work, in a safe and supportive setting.In addition, each week there will be a scheduled 2-hour gaming session where students will gather to explore individual and collaborative gaming in practice. Different approaches to gaming will be proposed each week, or students can opt to work during this time on longer gaming experiences and projects.At the end of the semester students will produce a creative portfolio of gaming writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module, OR an academic critical essay examining some aspect of writing for games OR a Game Demo alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the demo produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module.Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include online interactive fiction (e.g. Twine, Squiffy), a gamebook text, a tabletop game text (board game, card game, wargame, Role-Playing Game), a game demo, a game setting, a game system, Game Design Documentation (GDD) for a proposed game, a 'creative essay', gaming portfolio as creative essay, a zine, a website for a game, a creative or critical podcast and/or play-through of a game etc.This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them.As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

Advances in digital technology are relevant to behaviour change research and practice in three ways: helping behavioural scientists to develop a more sophisticated understanding of human behaviour, enhancing the design and delivery of behaviour change interventions, and shaping everyday behaviours in its own right. This module seeks to explore the contribution that digital tech has made, and continues to make, to understanding and changing behaviour. Students will be introduced to cutting-edge research and practice across a range of tech domains, such as machine learning, Big Data, digital addiction, and digital behaviour change applications. Students will be introduced to a range of disciplinary perspectives, theories and concepts relating to digital technology, and will develop the skills and knowledge required to apply these to behaviour change research and intervention contexts for maximum effectiveness.

This module will provide an introduction to the major topics and issues within cognitive psychology. This will be done through a series of lectures and research based workshops, which will provide student with an opportunity to integrate their developing knowledge of cognitive psychology with practical skills relating to cognitive research methods.

This module explores key theories, methods, and findings in social and cognitive development across the lifespan. It integrates theoretical understanding with critical evaluation skills, enabling students to analyse and critique developmental research. Through lectures and seminars, students develop the ability to evaluate studies and propose new research, while gaining insight into how development is shaped by social, cultural, and individual differences.

This module equips students with the skills to design and undertake academic research in psychology, in preparation for developing their own dissertations. The module will cover key aspects of research design, including literature review, forming hypotheses, ethical conduct, and study design and methods, both quantitative and qualitative. Students will propose a study design; implement the study via small-scale data collection and analysis; and present and discuss the findings in an individual research report. 

This module will provide students with knowledge, skills, and practical experience of advanced research methods and design. It emphasises a critical and creative approach to evaluating research methods and design and applying them to scientific questions. It will support the development of novel, theoretically significant, rigorous, and impactful research proposals.

This module introduces students to the core principles and practices of qualitative research and provides the skills needed to design, conduct, and critically evaluate a small-scale qualitative project. Students will learn a range of qualitative data collection methods and analytic approaches, and will develop an understanding of how these methods are applied within psychological research.The module is suitable for those with little or no prior experience, while also offering opportunities for more experienced students to deepen their knowledge. Advanced captured content on SurreyLearn enables students to explore additional analytic methods, and those with prior experience are encouraged to extend their practical skills by applying a new analytic procedure in their project.Students will also develop reflective skills to consider how their cultural background, social identity, gender, experiences, and prior knowledge influence data collection, analysis, and interpretation. The module prepares students to undertake a qualitative dissertation project, should they choose to do so.

Social Psychology investigates how our cognitions (thought processes), affective states (feelings and emotions) and behaviours are related to the social world. This module will introduce you to key concepts, theories, methods, and findings in Social Psychology. The course covers core BPS curriculum in social psychology. Through successful completion of this module, students will develop an understanding of Social Psychological topics including: attitudes and behaviours change, social influence, emotions, prejudice and discrimination of minority groups.      

This module provides a foundational introduction to biological psychology. It examines how neuroscientific research informs understanding of brain function, behaviour, and cognition, while requiring students to engage with empirical evidence and scientific communication.The module explores the structure and function of the nervous system across the lifespan, including neural communication, brain organisation, development, ageing, and the biological bases of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Students will engage critically with empirical research in biological psychology and consider how neuroscientific methods are used to investigate brain-behaviour relationships in both typical and atypical functioning.Research methods teaching will introduce key approaches used to measure and study brain function, with an emphasis on the interpretation, evaluation, and communication of neuroscientific evidence. Through the assessment strategy, students will also develop advanced scientific communication skills and critical awareness of the role of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the interpretation and presentation of research.

Extended reality (XR) technologies are increasingly adopted to create more immersive and interactive experience in games, training and education, healthcare and psychology research. This module will provide students with an understanding of these technologies and their practical applications to address human needs. Students will develop hands-on experience in creating XR-enhanced experiences. No extensive coding experience is required.

Gaming has existed as a mode of play and expression since the earliest times of human existence. In the latter part of the 20th and into the first two decades of the 21st Century (the period we will focus on with this module), there has been a vast expansion of the forms, modes and technologies employed in gaming and game play.Out of wargaming and board gaming practices (and often the interfaces of these) in the post-World War II era, increasingly complex and sophisticated character and narrative focussed Role-Playing Games (RPGs) developed as well as other narrative forms that connect gaming with interactive textuality, such as gamebooks, Collectable Card Games, online interactive fiction, video games and multi-player online gaming platforms. There has been, in the early 21st century, additionally, a large increase in the number of board games being produced and played, while wargaming also remains an active and vibrant aspect of gaming culture.An aspect of gaming that has sometimes fallen short, in 'quality' terms, though, is the writing that underpins both the rules systems and the 'story' component of games (background, character, description. narrative, dialogue, terminology, etc.) This is perhaps unsurprising as games have been primarily written by gamers rather than professional writers; many of these, of course, go on to develop their writing skills and become accomplished writers in their own right. More and more, though, creative writers are specifically incorporated into the game design and realisation processes (for both analogue and virtual gaming environments) to improve the quality of the gaming experience.In this module students will receive an overview of the gaming field and examine aspects of this that specifically pertain to writing for games. What approaches work well for games and gaming modes? How are these different from writing for and in other forms and media? What writing skills are particularly useful? Do we have the freedom to write outside of limiting industry constraints and models? What are the new forms of writing practice that are emerging in relation to games and gaming?Students will also have the opportunity to interact with and critique game-focussed AI text and narrative generation engines (such as AI Dungeon) in the classroom. We will also be interested in analysing games and gaming critically as cultural objects, and situating them within the broader context of contemporary cultural and literary theory. This is not a module that will teach students how to code and/or produce and design video games (or, indeed commercial analogue games). We will touch on aspects of game design, game production, gaming studies, critical digital studies, etc., but the focus for this module will be on writing creatively for games: writing gaming.Expert guest speakers from the gaming and independent gaming industries will be included in the teaching provision for this module.If students have specific coding, visual art or musical/sound art skills that they would like to bring to their exercises and assignments, they can certainly draw on these skills, but if they don't, that is completely fine - none of these are required for this module.In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces at the end of each class. This process will help students grow in confidence, both in presentational terms and in terms of delivering and receiving feedback on their work, in a safe and supportive setting.In addition, each week there will be a scheduled 2-hour gaming session where students will gather to explore individual and collaborative gaming in practice. Different approaches to gaming will be proposed each week, or students can opt to work during this time on longer gaming experiences and projects.At the end of the semester students will produce a creative portfolio of gaming writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module, OR an academic critical essay examining some aspect of writing for games OR a Game Demo alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the demo produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module.Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include online interactive fiction (e.g. Twine, Squiffy), a gamebook text, a tabletop game text (board game, card game, wargame, Role-Playing Game), a game demo, a game setting, a game system, Game Design Documentation (GDD) for a proposed game, a 'creative essay', gaming portfolio as creative essay, a zine, a website for a game, a creative or critical podcast and/or play-through of a game etc.This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them.As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

Advances in digital technology are relevant to behaviour change research and practice in three ways: helping behavioural scientists to develop a more sophisticated understanding of human behaviour, enhancing the design and delivery of behaviour change interventions, and shaping everyday behaviours in its own right. This module seeks to explore the contribution that digital tech has made, and continues to make, to understanding and changing behaviour. Students will be introduced to cutting-edge research and practice across a range of tech domains, such as machine learning, Big Data, digital addiction, and digital behaviour change applications. Students will be introduced to a range of disciplinary perspectives, theories and concepts relating to digital technology, and will develop the skills and knowledge required to apply these to behaviour change research and intervention contexts for maximum effectiveness.

This module will provide an introduction to the major topics and issues within cognitive psychology. This will be done through a series of lectures and research based workshops, which will provide student with an opportunity to integrate their developing knowledge of cognitive psychology with practical skills relating to cognitive research methods.

This module explores key theories, methods, and findings in social and cognitive development across the lifespan. It integrates theoretical understanding with critical evaluation skills, enabling students to analyse and critique developmental research. Through lectures and seminars, students develop the ability to evaluate studies and propose new research, while gaining insight into how development is shaped by social, cultural, and individual differences.