Course Spotlight

Programming 2: Game Development

Instructors:

Ellen Bruce and Matt Trost

Credit:

Students are required to take two semesters of computer science before graduation. The first semester is completed during freshman year with Introduction to Programming. Game Development is one of three Programming 2 options. Advanced Java and Web Development are also available to fulfill this requirement. It is also possible to take all three Programming 2 classes for those who are particularly interested in Computer Science.

Course Description:

Students will continue their object oriented foundations via video game models, examples, exercises and projects. The course culminates with students planning, coding, testing and playing their own video game. Visual Basic .NET is the programming platform. The nature of the course requires students to implement collision detection algorithms and basic physics concepts. Basic algebra skills are helpful but not required.

Course Work:

The semester is spent building up skills which students will need for the final project. The students spend the last 2-4 weeks working on a game of their choosing. Examples of past work include: Flappy Bird, Frogger, Asteroids, Breakout, Pong, Tank, Space Invaders and a variety of takes on various 2D retro games.