Game Development As A Pathway To Information Technology .

Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ)ISSN: 1545-679X14 (4)July 2016Game Development as a Pathwayto Information Technology LiteracyMark Frydenbergmfrydenberg@bentley.eduComputer Information Systems DepartmentBentley University,Waltham, MA 02452, USAAbstractTeaching game development has become an accepted methodology for introducing programmingconcepts and capturing the interest of beginning computer science and information technology (IT)students. This study, conducted over three consecutive semesters, explores game development using agaming engine, rather than a traditional programming language, as a means not only to introduceprogramming concepts, but also to promote the development of information and communicationstechnology (ICT) literacy skills among first-year business students. The paper argues that in additionto learning programming concepts, completing the steps involved to develop and publish an originalgame requires students to demonstrate a variety of ICT skills. To be successful, they must be proficientat creating and editing multimedia, interacting with multiple operating systems and mobile devices,performing research online, transferring files from one machine to another, and uploading the files fortheir games to an app store and the web.Keywords: game development, ICT skills, information technology literacy, app development,programming.1. INTRODUCTIONTeaching technology literacy to non-technicalstudents has changed greatly since John Kemenyand Thomas Kurtz, creators of the BASICprograming language at Dartmouth College,introduced the notion of computer literacy in1964. Kemeny recognized that that "somedaycomputer literacy will be a condition foremployment, possibly for survival, because thecomputer illiterate will be cut off from mostsources of information." (Kemeny, 1983)Computer literacy then was achieved by usingtime-shared teletype terminals connected to acollege mainframe to create simple BASICprograms as a way to develop algorithmicthinking. "By making the BASIC environment sofriendly, [Kemeny and Kurtz] created a safe placefor people to play and explore. The computergame movement came from BASIC. Peopleshared their games, long before there werenetworks, by printing the programs [in computermagazines] for others to enter in and enjoy."(Claburn, 2014)Today, the computing tools, languages, anddevices have evolved, but creating games as apathway to achieving technology literacy hasremained constant. The author's previousresearch (Frydenberg, 2015) examines howgame development provides an authenticlearning experience. This paper examines bothprogramming and general information andcommunication technology (ICT) concepts thatstudents may learn as a result of developing andpublishing their own computer games to an onlineapp store and the web.Computer literacy has expanded to include digitalliteracy and ICT literacy. The ability to writeprograms is only one possible outcome oftechnology literacy today. Equally, if not moreimportant than knowing how to program is fortoday's studentsto have proficiency with 2016 ISCAP (Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals)http://www.isedj.org; http://iscap.infoPage 54

Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ)ISSN: 1545-679Xpersonal productivity and collaboration tools,email, the World Wide Web, social media, mobiledevices and the cloud, and to know when and howto use these tools responsibly. (Frydenberg &Press, 2009) (Press, 2011) "Digital literacycomprises effective problem-solving skills, criticalthinking and communication skills, creativity, andself-regulation along with an understanding ofculturally and contextually based practice in theuseof,andengagementwithdigitaltechnologies." (Burton, Summers, Lawrence,Noble, & Gibbings, 2015, p. 152)The Partnership for 21st Century Living (2015)describes ICT literacy as the ability to applytechnology effectively, including: Use technology as a tool to research,organize, evaluate and communicateinformationUse digital technologies (computers,PDAs, media players, GPS,etc.),communication/networking tools andsocial networks appropriately to access,manage, integrate, evaluate and createinformation to successfully function in aknowledge economyApply a fundamental understanding ofthe ethical/legal issues surrounding theaccessanduseofinformationtechnologies.Game Development and TechnologyLiteracyA current trend in both high school and collegeintroductory computing courses is to incorporatethe use of visual development tools to enablestudents to build apps and games with little or noprogramming required. (Catete, Peddycord III, &Barnes, 2015), (Abelson, Mustafaraj, Turbak,Morelli, & Uche, 2012) (Thomas & Blackwood,2010). Popular game development tools includeAlice (Carnegie Melon University, 2015), Scratch(Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT MediaLab, 2015), App Inventor (MIT, 2015), and GameMaker (YoYo Games Ltd., 2015). One reason forthis interest among faculty is to "better attractand retain students in the computer sciencemajor." (Bayliss, 2009, p. 337)From an information technology educationalperspective, creating games presents te their proficiency as able participantsin a world based on technology literacy skills.Games allow students to turn their ideas into realapplications that they can play on their ownlaptops and mobile devices.14 (4)July 2016While game development in and of itself is aworthwhile exercise for students studyingprogramming, this paper argues that informationtechnology and business students also candevelop additional ICT literacy skills andunderstand IT concepts through the process ofcreating computer games.Research QuestionsThis study shares results after offering a gamedevelopment experience to beginning informationtechnology students. The study addresses thefollowing research questions: How does game development fit withinthe topics of an introductory informationtechnology course?Which ICT skills do students findimportant while creating computergames?Does creating and publishing a computergame allow students to apply theirknowledge of IT concepts and developICT skills?2. LEARNING IT CONCEPTS THROUGHGAME DEVELOPMENT WITH CONSTRUCT 2This study describes the use of Construct 2 (ScirraLtd., 2015), a game development tool for ss students in an information technologycourse. Construct 2 does not require learning aprogramming language and allows for rapidprototyping of computer games, so it is quitesuitable for beginners to create a functional gamewith no prior programming skills. Construct 2includes a development environment to design agame and specify its rules of play, and a GameCreator to export completed games as web ormobile apps. Construct 2 was chosen for thisstudy because its Game Creator generatesHTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript files that can bepublished on the web, as well as native apppackages for Windows Phone, iOS, and Android,that can be published on the Windows, Apple, andGoogle Play app stores and marketplaces.The sections that follow discuss the programmingconcepts to which students are exposed whiledeveloping their games, and the IT skills that theydevelop while creating the game's multimediaelements, and publishing their games on the weband to an online app store. 2016 ISCAP (Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals)http://www.isedj.org; http://iscap.infoPage 55

Information Systems Education Journal (ISEDJ)ISSN: 1545-679XLearning Programming Concepts throughGame DevelopmentTo develop a game in Construct 2, one begins bydesigning the game's screens, layouts, andobjects (characters, platforms, projectiles,sounds, and so on), and their properties. Figure 6shows the Krazy Kopter game during play. Thegame was created by a student in this study. Theobject of the game is to fly the helicopter withouthitting an upper, lower, or middle obstacle. Theheights of the obstacles are generated randomly.Helicopter(object)Score14 (4)July 2016Construct 2 uses a visual syntax to describeevents that occur during game play (such asscreen taps, key presses, and collisions) and theactions to take in response to them. Identifyingthese steps writing the instructions introducestudents to basic input/processing/output andpromote algorithmic thinking. Students learn thatthey must initialize variables at the start of thegame (such as setting constant values for speedsor starting values for the game score), anddescribe the steps to follow when events aredetected at each iteration of the play loop, or"tick" of a timer, that continues until the game isover.ObstacleObstacleFigure 7. Expressing properties in Construct2.Figure 6. The object of Krazy Kopter is tofly the helicopter and avoid the obstacles.Appendix 1 Figure 1 shows the game's startscreen, and the how the game's play layout isdesigned using Construct 2. The developer canassign properties to each object in the game.Expressing objects and their properties in termsof real world objects, such as a helicopter'sposition or speed, is a natural way to introducethe concept of objects. As with coursesintroducing objects through Alice and Scratch,Construct 2's environment allows students todevelop "a good sense of objects." As Stephen,Dann, and Pausch write, "Everything in astudent's virtual world is an object!" (Stephen,Dann, & Pausch, 2003, p. 193). The maincharacters of their games, whether flyinghelicopters or flapping birds, are all objects.Figure 7 shows some of the properties of thehelicopter object.Students find that expressing rules in naturallanguage is often helpful before constructingthem using Construct 2. For example, one couldsummarize the conditions for ending the game as"When the helicopter collides with an upper,lower, or middle object, return to the Start screen(because the game is over)." Figure 3 shows howto express this rule in Construct 2.Figure 8. Specifying the end-of-game rulein Construct 2.Figure 2 in Appendix 1 shows all of the rules forthe Krazy Kopter game, annotated with briefcomments describing what they do. Table 4below summarizes the programming conceptsthat are used the Krazy Kopter game design.Specifying the game play in Construct 2introduces students to fundamental programmingconstructs, including creating instances of 2016 ISCAP (Information Systems and Computing Academic Professionals)http://www.isedj.org; http://iscap.infoPage 56