[game_edu] Reasons TO teach game dev

[Gregory Walek]

I read what you had written below, Ted, and saw some things which threw up red flag for me.  I hope my insights can help you. 

In regard to student frustration, I can place some of the issues on the fact you are using the Platformer kit.  So on top of all the work you need to do to have your students learn and use XNA, you then place the burden of using a considerable code base. The platformer on a student's first go-around is a considerable amount of code and assets to wade through.  Ultimately, what they produce is a product which is only a derivative of the Platformer kit.  

Another red flag is that you call XNA an "Engine". Than that's flat out wrong. It's a framework that is designed to be genre neutral. What I have found and honed in my own XNA course is to approach XNA is as a lego set for making games in C#.  So I get down to basics. I explain the game loop. Render a texture and then Move it around. Walk them through creating a Sprite Class. Get User Input. Play with Sound. Do Collision Detection.  This ends up being the second lab in this course. Granted, this does take me 2 weeks to get through this in my Freshman Course. 

What isn't evident in your description below if your course is a first or second term course. In my case XNA is a Second term course after taking a standard introduction C++ course and an Introduction to Game programming using Adobe Flash Platform with Actionscript. If your course is a first term course, then the approach you need to take will be more like our Game Programing Introduction course. You have to easing them in teaching programming fundamentals along the way. (Here's what's a variable, Here's how to generate random numbers, Here's an if statement). 

We maintain all our course files on a web server, if you (or anyone else for that matter)  would like to explore our Freshman Classes and curriculum, please contact me off list directly so I can provide you with the information. 

Greg

Gregory Walek
Professor AGGP 
NHTI, Concord NH 
________________________________________
From: game_edu-bounces at igda.org [game_edu-bounces at igda.org] on behalf of pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu [pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 8:40 AM
To: IGDA Game Education Listserv
Subject: Re: [game_edu] an undetermined number of reasons NOT to teach game dev

One big reason not to teach "game development" is that "it's hard".

I teach two Freshman classes, one is "Intro Programming" a 'hard' course
for CS majors the other is "video game development" intended to be
a 'fun and easy' course to get people interested in Computer Science.
In the majors class I use Java in the game course I use C#/XNA.
It turns out that there is a lot of complexity with using a sophisticated
game engine. The VS/C#/XNA tools and support are great, but the power
comes with a price. In the regular majors class, I have them do projects
like "pong" or "tetris" or a simple dungeon crawler - which everyone should
program at some time in their lives. The students in the video game
class do more sophisticated projects (customizing a 2D platformer) but
they seem more frustrated because they don't have as deep a
fundamental understanding of how it works. So, video game
development courses may scare students away from CS because of
the difficulty.

The second reason not to teach "game development" is that it's
multidisciplinary.

When I get Freshmen wanting a course in game
development I now tell them that there is no such thing. In order
to develop games you need strong skills in Computer Science, but
also in media studies (which is in our English department), Studio
Art & Art History, Music, and Business. (Wow - just like what we
used to call "a well rounded liberal education" - surprise!).
I help them put together a four year plan that emphasized their
personal strength, but informs them in the other areas. (And of
course, they need to build games as projects.) They wind up as well
prepared for the video game industry as a formal education can get them,
but they also are ready for other career choices. They get a real general
education, not a "game specific" education. So, the second reason not
to teach game development is that it's too narrow a topic for a good
formal education.

Yours,

Ted


Thaddeus F. Pawlicki, Ph.D.
Undergraduate Program Director
Computer Science Dept.      (585) 275-4198
University of Rochester       FAX (585) 273-4556
Rochester, NY  14627-0226   pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu
http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/pawlicki/


''One of the most difficult tasks men can perform, however much others may
despise it, is the invention of good games and it cannot be done by men out
of touch with their instinctive selves.'' - Carl Jung 1977






> Ian, several on your list are already in the first draft! Not worded in

> quite the same way, but really good to know others are on the same

> wavelength as me!

>

> This is going to be for #altdevblogaday and I normally just write from the

> hip, but my confidence took a beating last post, when I got savaged in the

> comments section. So thanks for the sounding board of suggestions, as I

> feel I'm on the right track. Yes, these lists are generalisations, but

> like all stereotypes the underlying truth often needs airing to be truly

> scrutinised.

>

> Mike

> _______________________________________________

> game_edu mailing list

> game_edu at igda.org

> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/game_edu

>


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