De Montfort University in Leicester has become the first games art course in England to be awarded accreditation by Skillset.

Accreditation evaluators of the BA (Hons) Game Art Design course included staff from Ninja Theory and Monumental. Skillset’s computer games accreditation panel, who ratified the decision, included members from Babel Media, SCEE and Blitz.

Ian Livingstone, Life President at Eidos and Chair of Skillset’s Computer Games Skills Council, said: “This is the first games art course in England to be accredited and I hope it is the first of many.
Accreditation is a rigorous process, but De Montfort’s course shows what standards can be achieved with a curriculum designed with games industry input from day one.”

Skillset’s Computer Games Manager Saint John Walker said: “This is a gem of a course. There is great teamwork from staff with a keen ear to the industry, and clever use of Web 2.0 tools combine to make a learning environment where students can excel.”

Course Leader Michael Powell said: "Skillset accreditation means a lot to us – it’s a sign that we’ve been successful in embedding real world practice into our curriculum. It was also important for us, and for our students, to receive industry recognition for the high quality work produced on the course."

The De Montfort University accreditation marks a ramp-up in Skillset’s accreditation scheme. This is the fourth course to be accredited in the last six months, and ninth in total. Skillset’s accreditation programme is a service to the Games industry to help it source new talent in both Games Art and Programming pathways.

Skillset welcomes applications from all UK Universities through its website. Please visit http://www.skillset.org/games/accreditation/apply/