[game_edu] Reasons TO teach game dev

[Siobhan Thomas]

Have you tried Unity + C# / javascript?

You can embed small scripts into gaming environment, but very quickly get games and physics up and running.

siobhan


On 23 Nov 2011, at 05:55, pawlicki at cs.rochester.edu wrote:


> 

> Greg,

> 

> I do appreciate your insights. Both my courses are for first semester

> students. So, my comparison is based on equally novice students.

> What we wanted was a way to attract students to CS with a "learn

> to make a video game course". I don't intend to be a total Negative

> Nancy - the course is going ok, for the most part. My point is/was

> that there is really no way to avoid the conceptual complexity of

> development. Building a game is a hard task - harder in fact than

> the simple programming tasks in a traditional course. There are just

> a lot of concepts.

> 

> TFP

> 

>> 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

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>>> game_edu at igda.org

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>>> 

>> 

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> 

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