Coding

Students love to play games, but few ever get the chance to see what goes on behind the screen. In the Gaming and Coding intensive, students were introduced to some of the basic procedures involved in developing games for the computer.

Students were introduced to the idea of algorithms, and were shown how, in their daily lives, they are surrounded by them. With this in mind, they wrote procedures to play one of the first video games: Pong. With the game broken down into its components, students used the drag-and-drop programming of Scratch to code their first game.

With their experience in Scratch under their belt, the boys moved on to looking at creating games using Construct 2 gaming software. The graphics were much better than Pong, and they enjoyed creating something that looked more "real."

When they saw a simple game like Pong programmed in an actual coding language, they understood why we were looking at the concepts of coding the games and not focussing on a specific language. The days passed so quickly and boys were so focused on the coding that mandatory breaks were enforced. They were, literally, kicked out of the room and told to get some fresh air.

Of course, the week would not have been complete without taking turns playing the VR games, and all the boys loved the HTC Vive. With new eyes, they examined the game to determine what was going on behind the screen. Many found a new appreciation for the games they loved. Now they wonder: what's involved in creating them?

Teacher: Bill Bedard