Building casual game SDKS for teaching CS1/2: a case study
Kelvin Sung, Rob Nash, Jason Pace · Journal of computing sciences in colleges · 2016
Wikipedia defines as: a videogame targeted at a mass audience of casual gamers typically distinguished by simple rules and requiring no long-term time commitment or special skills to play. A casual game Software Development Toolkit (SDK) for teaching introductory programming courses (CS1/2) is composed of samples and tools for teaching and building relevant courseware materials based on a specific casual game. We are building a series of custom casual games and the corresponding SDKs to support the teaching and learning of CS1/2 concepts, with a focus on allowing faculty to integrate the content into their existing classes with minimal disruption. Our games are innovative twists on popular casual genres, and each game is designed explicitly for teaching specific CS1/2 concepts (e.g., conditionals, arrays). The accompanying SDKs include classroom-ready teaching materials and a corresponding Application Programming Interface (API) for each game. Based on these materials and the APIs, faculty can demonstrate and build small game-themed examples to explain CS1/2 concepts, and students can further explore the material through engaging gameplay mechanics. This paper focuses on discussing the details of the recently released Space Smasher SDK and the lessons learned from an initial adoption of the materials in the classroom.