Huddersfield runs a very good BSc game design course. Staffordshire runs a series of quite good design course. Manchester's Design and Art Direction course is the dogs bollocks. Salford has a lot of high tech equipment, course is supposed to be good.
The design rooms and stuff are in the building behind him. way on the top floor. Absolutely stunning buildings, inside and out. They've got this mad full sized hydraulic driving cockpit for game devs to use, that was a bit of alright.
Noodle if you can try to do a BSc degree rather than BA. They have more punch later on in life.
As Mr Newton says try to do a degree like computer science or something similar, it carries more clout as you will be teached about C, C++, architecture (of computers that is), probably some AI areas - prolog, Neural newtorks, different ways of implementing algorithms (recursion etc), searching/sorting algorithms etc.
It may be less appealing and the maths will be heavy at times, but it is a very valued discipline.
I just finished an Electronics & Comp Science degree (BSc) and now i'm doing a MSc , lol so i been through all the above plus electronics
Thing is Hagar, I don't really give a crap about getting a really mint job. Give me a decent enough wage and I'll be fine. I'd rather spend three years of my life doing something I enjoy rather than learning about stuff I don't really care about like bloody Maths.
Thing is noodle, any game designing course worth its salt will have loads of maths in it - 3d vector manipulation, fractuals all sorts. Any sort of programming requires maths skills and logical thinking so be prepared to work hard if you're not too hot on maths. Try asking some people who have already done a similar course and see how they found it. And also see how easy it was for them to find work afterwards.
Also, i know u said it wasnt for you but computer science is what the game companys want you to have - have a look at some graduate jobs (scary i know already!) and look at what sort of requirements they have - i think that you will find 99% of them don't regard some of these game desgin courses as a ligitimate qualification for what they are after.
With regards to universities, the Times list is a good starting point no matter what the subject. Apply to all 6 you can put on your UCAS form and make sure you visit them all - bear in mind that you will be spending 3/4 years there so make sure it is not a dump!
Finally, like you say, make sure its something u enjoy. If u really dont wana do computer science then dont. University is not all about the qualification - its as much about maturing as a person (running round at 4 in the morning with a traffic cone on your head) making new friends and trying new things as it is your qualification. Obviously you will be more empoyable if u goto a top university but if your not gona enjoy those uni years then its pointless. However, there is no point spending goodness knows how much money on tuition fees and accomodation if you go to some crappy university .
Oh, and make sure the course you choose has honours!!
Anyway, you have a good few months before you have to start applying so really try and ask some people who have done a similar course
My UCAS application was so easy, they created an application for us to do it, put it on a floppy disk and hand it in. I remember when my brothers had to fill the forms in and it took them hours. Im not sure what method is used nowadays?
Thing is, university will cost me barely anything. The grant I get plus the loan will mean I'll barely pay anything even when I do get a job. People go on about tuition fees, but if the only reason you go to uni is to get a better job and more money, so therefore it's not unreasonable to ask for some of that money in return.
Still don't know what I'm going to do. I'm good at maths generally (do it at A2), but I find it uninteresting and for me the maths we study is pointless without further research, and I couldn't stand that.
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, lol so i been through all the above plus electronics 
