Spieleentwicklung – Motivation Gratis ;) Dr. Mathias Lux ITEC – Universität Klagenfurt

2 Agenda ●Why teaching computer games? ●Basic game development ●Microsoft XNA Game Studio ●Create a game - Little Big Planet

3 Why teaching computer games? ●Commercial relevance o Games are a big business ●Research and technology o Games lead to innovation ●Application of knowledge in game dev. o Maths, physics, algorithms, data structures o Project management & planning o Self reflection and team work Image (cc) by

4 Why teaching computer games? ●Many people … o play games themselves! o assume they are experts! o think they can do better! Image (cc) by

5 Impact on Industry

6 Games as part of our culture …

7 Games as part of our culture … ●Human TETRIS Performance o GAME OVER Project o ●Real Life Donkey Kong o Bam Margera o ●Real Mario o Gordon College o

8 Agenda ●Why teaching computer games? ●Basic game development ●Microsoft XNA Game Studio ●Create a game - Little Big Planet

9 Topics ●Arcade games o Typically 2D, lots of historical examples ●Puzzle games o Simple graphics, focus on logic ●Mobile games o Realistic scope & deployment scenario ●Educational games for kids o Topic based, more weight on story

Aspects ●Programming skills o Learning by doing ●Hands-on with tools o GFX (Gimp, Blender …), SFX (Audacity …) ●Soft skills o Teamwork, discussion, coordination, creativity ●Specific topics in different areas o Physics, geometry, linear algebra, AI, …

Project Milestones 1.Planning & Design 2.Implementation 3.Testing & Evaluation 4.Deployment 5.Post mortem

Typical Basic Elements (I) ●Game Loop o Painting current state to screen ●Sprites o Moving objects, animated ●Level o The playground ●Score o The achievement & reward system

Typical Basic Elements (II) ●Collision Detection o Check if objects interfere ●Sound o Background & SFX ●Game AI o Some “intelligence”, dynamics or adaptation

Agenda ●Why teaching computer games? ●Basic game development ●Microsoft XNA Game Studio ●Create a game - Little Big Planet

Microsoft XNA Game Studio ●Set of game development tools ●Based on.NET Compact Framework ●Available in version 3.1 o Free 2 use ●Programming in C# o Help in MSDN / Knowledgebase

Out-of-the-Box Game

Experience with XNA ●Students find their way fast o Workshop (1 day) for first tutorial based game ●Students are occupied for hours o Hours of adaptations Graphics and sounds Gameplay and levels Testing and tuning ●XNA is very powerful o With necessary limitations

Experience with XNA ●Team members have different roles o Sound & 2D Design o Implementation & Testing o Planning & Coordination ●Learning programming along the way o How can we rotate/scale/translate a sprite? o How can we add a loop for …?

Summer Camp ●Arcade game development in teams of 2 o Students of age o Basic knowledge of programming (Java) ●Duration: 5 Days with ~ 3 hours each ●Results o Steep learning curve o 2 (out of 5) very innovative projects Design & Gameplay o Students programmed in their spare time

VK Uni Klu ●Goal: Arcade (Casual) Game o In 6 weeks of development time o With planning and self reflection o In teams of 3 with max. 40 h of work each ●Results o All but one projects finished o Everyone put a lot more effort in than 40 h

Proposed Format 1.One day workshop as introduction o Basics on games o Basics on game development o Self directed learning through tutorials 2.Multiple units of self directed (but tutored) game development. o Based on the outcome of the tutorial 3.Final presentation of the outcome

Resources ●XNA Creators Club o Lots of tutorials and game samples o ●Visual C# Express Edition o Free 2 use version of visual studio o

Agenda ●Why teaching computer games? ●Basic game development ●Microsoft XNA Game Studio ●Create a game - Little Big Planet

Little Big Planet ●Basically a 2.5-D platformer ●Extensive physics engine ●Cute graphics ●Additional „community features“

Links … Slides (pptx, pdf, cc) available at: ● == Contact: ●Mathias Lux,