Why I chose Games Programming
Date 21 January 2026
21.01.2026Hazel shares her story as to why she picked to study Game Programming and why she enjoys it.
Childhood Ambitions
As children, we’re always curious and always asking questions about the world. Since I had developed an interest in video games at a relatively young age, that curiosity caused me to find myself spending hours finding ways to push a game far beyond its limits. From there, I took an interest in learning about games very early on, from developing my own games on scratch to learning python before it was taught in class. This developed into making mods of my favourite video games and learning unity. Throughout academia, I made my decisions based on what would give me this career and so when I had to select my university choices, the option was clear.
Why I chose to study at The University of Northampton
The University of Northampton was one of the first universities that really stuck out to me as a potential choice.
I knew I wanted to choose somewhere that is relatively close to home, but was far enough to give me some independence and Northampton fit that description perfectly.
In addition to this, the university really stuck out to me when I went on my open day there. I loved the way the campus looked, and the staff members I spoke to were really helpful.
My experience in my course thus far
To begin with, I found myself being ahead, coming into sessions knowing the content already, but I was still able to pick up new things along the way and was shown how to put that knowledge into a more practical setting.
Over time, I have come to really enjoy many of my modules; working with those from the other games courses in group projects has been really good as an experience working with other people being one example. Anothing thing I really like about my course is the way that sessions are structured. Having 3, 4 hour sessions per week allows me to receive any support I need but gives me plenty of flexibility to get the work done at my own pace.
How the course benefits my career progression
The course has allowed me to go down several avenues within the industry. For example, when I finish my course, I will have not only a degree but will be able to build up a wide portfolio for any roles I’m applying to. The flexibility also gives me enough time to develop any project further in my own time to help myself become a flourishing indie studio if I pitch an idea to any publishers for funding.
Find out more about the games programming course at UON by visiting an open day
Hazel studies Games Programming. As well as gaming, she loves playing trading card games and board games for hours with friends.