WORLDCOMP'07 Tutorial

Game Programming is the latest buzzword in computer science curriculum. It is also one of the more popular jobs in the industry which pays high wages even for entry level game programmers because computer and video games are no longer used just for entertainment they are used for more serious purposes such as training and in education, hence the need for many game developers. In addition the salary range for a game programmer is between $53,000 to $220, 000 per annum. To meet this demand and the interest of the current generation of students to learn game programming many educational institutions are including game programming as part of their computer science curriculum. However introduction to game programming can be a daunting experience with a big learning curve. This tutorial will use game development as the context to present a quick introduction to some basic aspects of game programming which include game design, game programming with interactivity, collision detection and response, adding sound and game testing all of which are intricately related to computer programming. Macromedia Flash 8 will be the primary game programming tool for 2D game programming, followed by a quick introduction to 3D game studio for the 3D game development. Participants can have access to the tutorials by email upon request.

1. Introduce major aspects of game development: The educational goals of this tutorial are to introduce the major aspects of game development (Prayaga, 2005) with a simple game created with Flash 8. The aspects of game development include creating game assets such as graphics, sounds, animation, collision detection, and using a game loop to render the game. The tutorial will also introduce 3D game programming with 3D game studio.

2. Instructors can illustrate how introductory computer programming concepts, which include the use of variables, iterative structures and decision structures are used in the design and development of games.

1. Instructor for introductory game programming with Flash and introductory 3D game programming courses.

This tutorial is presented in three phases:
• Game Design
• Game development and coding
• Testing
  
The tutorial provides flexibility for students to design the game assets based on their artistic abilities. Instructors can use such a tutorial to emphasize the importance of team work in game development by allocating specific tasks (graphics, animations, sounds, story line) of game development to different members of the team. Students can thus experience how the different aspects of game development come together in completion of the game.

Lakshmi Prayaga is an instructor in the computer Science Department at the University of West Florida, Pensacola, Florida. Her research interests include Use of Games in education, Computer assisted Visual aids for teaching purposes and Web development. Lakshmi along with Co ?Pi?s from the University and the Escambia County School District in Florida, has recently been awarded a 1.5 million dollar mathematics partnership grant, ?Math Matters ? A new Vision for Florida? to develop educational games to teach middle school mathematics. The games will be designed with themes that relate to career tracks such as STEM, architecture, Telecommunications etc and will demonstrate that Math Matters to succeed in these careers.