‘At First I Wanted to Design the Exterior, but Figured that it Would Most Likely not be Shown In-Game’: Game Engines as Sites for Creativity and Constraint in Higher Education

This chapter explores the role of game engines in higher education as tools central to many game design and development programmes. The number of game design and development programmes offered at university level has grown significantly in recent years.1 As Keogh and Hardwick outline, many game programmes exhibit a tension between technical and creative aspects of the development process.2 This reflects wider scholarship about the role of higher education in the reproduction of work cultures in society.3 Student learning often takes place within and through game engines and many employers view competency with game engines as an important criterion for graduate roles.4