Game On!

Computer science major Jonathon Bowyer has been an avid gamer since the age of five, and as a middle school student, he recalled purchasing a book on game programming to design his own space invader video games.

“My parents knew I was addicted to games from the get-go – they had to drag me away from them, kicking and screaming,” he said. The self-taught programmer’s advanced skills have included designing a 3-D dodgeball game for fellow students in the University’s game design program, as well as gaining experience with various software technologies through an internship with Eagle Informatics.

Another computer science major, Jake Swanson, remembers gaming from a very early age. “I learned to count coins on a Mario Brothers game when I was in kindergarten,” he said.

Georgia Southern’s College of Information Technology (CIT) is getting into the game with the launch of a new design program ranked as one of the country’s “Top 50 Game Design” programs by The Princeton Review.

The first students completing the program through the Department of Computer Science are slated to receive their certificates during the Spring 2011 graduation ceremonies. Students armed with the certification will be qualified to pursue careers with corporations that develop games for systems such as PlayStation and Xbox.

“Game programming is a ‘hot area,’” said Bob Cook, computer sciences department chair, speaking about the increasing popularity of the multibillion dollar gaming industry. According to a 2010 survey of the gaming industry by the Entertainment Software Association, 67 percent of U.S. households play computer and video games. “Georgia Southern’s game design and programming track is one of a handful offered in the state,” he said.

Since the curriculum requires a fundamental knowledge of mathematical analysis and systems programming, only computer science majors are eligible to receive a certificate upon completion of three courses. One required course is game programming, along with a choice of two other courses including human-computer interaction, computer graphics or computer animation. Students can complete the requirements to receive the specialized certificate in just two semesters.

“Gaming is such a powerful experience, and it’s moving from entertainment to education.” – Jim Bradford

During the program of study, students work in a state-of-the-art game programming lab, which houses eight wireless Lenovo computers, equipped with Xbox and PlayStation 3 gaming systems to produce their own individually designed programs.

Last fall, the first course, human computer interaction (HCI), rolled out, creating a wave of interest among CIT students. Taught by professor Jim Bradford, HCI compares how human beings perceive the world, think, remember and solve problems to the design of complex computer software.

“This study is part computer science and part psychology – basically, how do people interact with computers?” he said. Bradford’s theory is that computer systems should be easily understood for the user. In computer terminology, this is called a transparent user, meaning that the play should be effortless. “Producing good user interfaces for games is so hard – it’s where all of the best research is happening. A player doesn’t want to think about anything except the game they are playing, and it’s important that technology not distract from the gaming experience,” said Bradford.

The game programming class, taught by Jim Harris, is extremely complex, with a portion of the grading process requiring students to create and design both 2-D and 3-D games. Part of Harris’ classroom instruction involves the introduction of Blender software, which allows users to download online drawings or models to use within their games.

Harris said that many objects can be constructed with the computer program. “The 2-D Paint program can be used very simply to draw a fish, and then complex details may be added such as scales, skin and bones, or even texturing the object. Then the design can be used to move the fish back and forth,” he noted.

“Game programming is very hard and requires a lot of math. You must have an understanding of linear algebra and calculus to take this class. The most important part of game design is how you illuminate objects. You won’t be able to move objects in programming if you don’t know the mathematical formulas,” Harris revealed.

Creating excitement-filled games is a mainstay of the industry and Georgia Southern’s CIT is equipping students with the knowledge and skills to take advantage of potential career opportunities. “Our college provides an excellent training environment for systems developers. The knowledge that students acquire here translates well into other design areas,” Bradford said.

“New games cost nearly $20 million dollars for a corporation to develop, so large teams including specialists, producers, artists, sound engineers, designers and composers are needed. Our students will have the gaming development knowledge to work for one of these corporations when they receive this certificate,” he said.

“Gaming is such a powerful experience, and it’s moving from entertainment to education,” said Bradford. In fact, he has merged his extensive knowledge in game development with his interest in the field of healthcare IT to create an interactive game that would help diabetic children take care of themselves. Bradford has the support of a local nurse and physician who will assist him with medical terminology, and he plans to bring this concept to the classroom as well. “I have introduced this project to my students, so they can assist me in the game design,” he said, speaking about the positive experience they will gain from working on the development.

Bradford’s concept is only one of many new components introduced to CIT’s game design track, revealing the future of game programs at Georgia Southern, and with the expansion of the gaming industry and development of new technologies, he hopes to see the University’s gaming certificate grow into a graduate program.

“Game programming is only going to gain in popularity,” agreed Harris. “The structure of our programs continues to get better as we go along.”

–Mary Beth Spence