Interactive Programming and Game Design as a Recruiting Tool

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Interactive Programming and Game Design as a
Recruiting Tool 

• Carlotta EatonProfessor of Information
  TechnologyNew River Community College
• IT Peer Conference - October 2006

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Session Description

• Learn how to leverage the game industry to
  recruit students. The game industry revenue
  exceeds 30 billion per year worldwide and has
  surpassed movie box office revenues in the U.S.,
  making games the fastest growing segment of the
  entertainment market and an excellent field for
  career advancement.  We will explore Game Maker
  as one way to teach object oriented programming
  in a very visual exciting way.   Students love to
  create computer games and learn OOP at the same
  time.

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Agenda

• Information Gathering
• Game Design at NRCC
• ITP xxx Introduction to Game Design
  Development
• Game Maker
• Game Development Essentials

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Information Gathering

• Last 4 years various conferences
• Working Connections 2006 May 06
• Digital Game Xpo - June 06
• IGDA Chapter in Raleigh 2006
• Austin Game Conference Sept 06

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Working Connection _at_ RU

• Intro to Game Design Development
• Farhad Javidi, Program ChairSimulation Gaming
• Central Piedmont Community College, Charlotte, NC
• Spent 500K and 2 years on Game Research

www.javidi.com/sgd
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Digital Game Xpo

• Walter Rotenberry Lead InstructorSimulation and
  Game Developmentemail wdrotenb_at_waketech.edu
• Wake Technical Community College, Raleigh, NC
• June 2006 www.dgxpo.com

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IGDA Triangle Chapter

• Dana Crowley, Coordinator
• Scott Johnson, Emergent Game Technologies
• Attend meetings in Raleigh, NC

www.igda.org/nctriangle/
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Austin Game Conference

• September 2006
• Over 2400 attendees
• 3 tracks
• Game Writers
• Casual Games
• Game Audio

www.gameconference.com
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Austin Game Conference

• Microsoft CasualGames
• Austin Community College
• CMP Game Developers Conference
• Emergent Game Technologies
• XEO Design

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ITP 1xx Introduction to Game Design
Development

• Fall 06 for pilot class
• VCCS Course proposal
• Course site at www.nr.edu/itp195
• 3 textbooks
• Intro to game
• Gamemaker
• Alice

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Game Maker software

• Free software developed under a grant
• Easy to use for beginners
• Get the book (see next slide)

www.gamemaker.nl
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The Game Makers Apprentice

• By Jacob HabgoodMark Overmars
• ISBN 1-59059-615-3
• 336 pp.
• Published Jun 2006
• Price 39.99

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Game Development Essentials

• By Jeannie Novak
• Publisher Thomson Delmar Learning 1 edition
• ISBN 1401862713
• Currently used by
• NRCC
• WTCC in NC
• CPCC in NC

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Game Maker demo
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Game Design at NRCC

• 2 Degrees with Game specializations
• Information Technology
• CAD
• 15 credit hours
• Cross-discipline approach

• Core Courses
• ITP xx Intro to Game Design Development
• DRF 238/239 Computer Aided Modeling I II
• ITD 112 Creating Web Graphics
• ITD 212 Interactive Web Design

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Press

• Roanoke Times
• Wall Street Journal

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Join the Fun

• Programming games is a great way to teach object
  oriented programming
• Planning
• Design
• Development
• Testing
• Game Maker is
• easy to use and free
• used by Microsoft Casual Games division
• Learn from your students

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For More Information

• Carlotta Eaton
• Professor of Information Technology
• Director, Game Technology Programs
• www.nr.edu/eaton or
• www.nr.edu/itp195
• [phone] x4250

nreatoc_at_nr.edu