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Mobile Gaming and the Zune

Mobile Gaming and the Zune. William Birmingham ASEE Conference June, 2010 Louisville, KY. Grove City College. Key points. Mobile gaming classes are popular and covers many CS areas Math, physics Software engineering, UI design Networking Game classes are technically challenging

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Mobile Gaming and the Zune

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  1. Mobile Gaming and the Zune William Birmingham ASEE Conference June, 2010 Louisville, KY

  2. Grove City College ASEE 2009: SDR

  3. Key points • Mobile gaming classes are popular and covers many CS areas • Math, physics • Software engineering, UI design • Networking • Game classes are technically challenging • Zune is a great platform for mobile gaming • Software (Visual Studio and XNA) are free and well designed • Students enjoy using the platform ASEE 2009: SDR

  4. Zune HW ASEE 2009: SDR

  5. Mobile and Pervasive games • Important and rapidly growing market • Traditionally owned by specialized hw devices • Sony PSP • Nintendo DS • Increasingly driven by smartphone • iPhone and iPad • Android • Becoming a general technology and game play driver for the industry as a whole • Support for (fix) console/mobile gaming coming soon (XNA) ASEE 2009: SDR

  6. Gaming and CS education • Uses much of CS student’s education • Math and physics • Software engineering/project management • Object-oriented design and advanced programming • Real-time programming • Data structures and algorithms • Graphics • UI design • Networking • Projects • Game design • Building a great experience • Developing multimedia (audio and video assets) ASEE 2010

  7. Gaming and CS education • Most programs based on Windows PC platforms or specialized engines • Not useful for mobile gaming • Special hardware (devkits) from Nintendo, Sony • Hard to get (must be licensed) • Expensive • Proprietary programming environments • NDA and other legal issues • Other platforms, especially smartphones • Still relatively expensive • May have NDA and licensing requirements (e.g., Apple) • May require cellular data contracts ASEE 2010

  8. Gaming curriculum • Games 1 • 2D Gaming (graphics, physics and AI) • Art and craft of creating compelling games • Students create “arcade-style” games • Microsoft XNA and PCs • Games 2 • 3D gaming (graphics, physics) • Camera • Significantly more mathematically complex • AI learning • Students use Agile methods to create sophisticated games • Microsoft XNA and PCs ASEE 2010

  9. Gaming curriculum • Games 3 • Console • Multiplayer • Multiple cameras • Synchronization issues • Networked • Game design methods significantly different • Advanced use of multimedia • FFT data for game play • Using “album art” to populate game • XNA, Zunes, Xbox 360 • Professional devkits available for students who want to use them ASEE 2010

  10. Networking • Significant element of Games 3, particularly for mobile games • XNA provides a gaming abstraction for the network • Players • Network object • Latency and throughput are controllable • Explore latency and packet loss issues • “teleporting” vs interpolation • Game issues • How do you start? • How do you end? • Mechanics of mobile games, screen size and using device on the run ASEE 2010

  11. ABET course outcomes ASEE 2010

  12. Evaluation • Used Zune for two classes over two year • Approximately 20 students total • CS Students reported: • Skeptical at first due to form factor (screen and input devices) • Most end up liking the device • Some do not like it (too limited) • Good experience in networking (but there’re some problems) • Produced excellent games in about four weeks ASEE 2009: SDR

  13. Evaluation • Zune HD should help with most problems • Increased screen size • Better input modes (especially in a touch-based world) • Networking seems more reliable • Students continue to use the device after class • Campus tour • Games ASEE 2010

  14. Curriculum Issues: Support materials • Hardware • Zune HD • Touch and accelerometer • Zune 4G, 8G, 16G, 30G, 120 G • Three buttons and an analog “joystick” • Software • Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 or 2010 • Microsoft XNA • Microsoft Creators Club Website • Starter kits and tutorials • Message board • Image and audio creation and editing software • Syllabus and course materials available ASEE 2009: SDR

  15. Summary • Zune is a capable device for game development • We’re moving to Zune HD this year • The Zune ecosystem is excellent • Support for education is excellent • Even supports professional (indie) development • “App” store for game • Requires minimal investment • Fun and popular • Willing to share all class materials (syllabuses, projects, homework, exams,…) ASEE 2009: SDR

  16. Acknowledgements • Supported in part by the Grove City College Swezey Fund • Portions of the work reported here were contributed by Justin Kabonick and Adam Kaufman (GCC CS ‘10) ASEE 2009: SDR

  17. ASEE 2010

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