A former programming student is celebrating reaching the next level after his video game was downloaded more than 3,000 times.

Saif Hossenbaccus, a graduate student at Middlesex University, in The Burroughs, Hendon, devised the Generic Space Shooter for his second year degree project.

The game is a traditional top-down 2D shooter game, challenging users to survive for as long as they can in the face of an ever growing onslaught of alien spaceships.

Since he created it, more than 3,000 gamers have downloaded it from the Xbox Live Platoform.

Saif, 21, said: “The game is quite tough. You only have three lives before you die and the enemies get harder all the time, but the longer you play the more points you get as the game rewards you for staying alive.

"I called it Generic Space Shooter because that's what it was. As I developed it further, it got a bit more complicated and it's not really a generic space shooter anymore, but I decided to keep the name for comedic purposes."

Despite his previous experience developing software - including a programme which enabled the NHS hospital where he worked to more efficiently manage their staff rotas - developing a game posed completely new challenges.

After submitting the game for his coursework, Saif spent the summer before his third year developing it further so that it was capable of being published on Xbox Live.

Popular game distributor Humble Bundle - which allows users to purchase packs of games at a price of their choosing, is now selling it.

He said: "I'd had experience of programming, but making games is completely different.

"You need art, music and animations. So I put my head down and learned how to do it.”