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The Beginning Game Programming with C# course is all about learning how to develop video games using the C# programming language. Why use C# instead of C++, Java, ActionScript, or some other programming language you may have heard of? First, using C# lets us use the open-source MonoGame framework, which help us quickly develop games for Windows, Android, iOS, Mac OS X, and others. Second, the Unity game engine is very popular with indie game developers, and C# is one of the programming languages you can use in the Unity environment. And finally, C# is a really good language for learning how to program.
That learning how to program comment is important because this course doesn't assume you have any previous programming experience. Don't worry if you've never written code before; we'll start at the very beginning and work our way up to building a small, complete game by the end of the course. Throughout the course you'll learn core programming concepts that apply to lots of programming languages, including C#, and you'll also learn how to apply those concepts when you develop games: drawing all the entities in the game world, updating the game world based on user input and simple physics, playing music and sound effects in your games, and so on.
Computer programming is really fun in general, and programming games is even better!
Caution: Beginning (assuming no prior programming knowledge) is not the same as easy (not hard to do). Learning to program IS hard to do, especially since this course is essentially a freshman-level college course. Meeting the course challenges while you master the material will be rewarding to you, but doing that will require hard work and maybe even a few expletives along the way.
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Course Introduction, First C# Program, and Storing Data
Learn about the course structure, the course programming environment, and Dr. T; Learn how to write a C# program; Learn how we use data types, variables, and constants to store data in our programs; Complete and submit Programming Assignment 1
Classes and Objects, MonoGame/XNA Basics
Learn some foundational Object-Oriented concepts; Learn the basics of MonoGame/XNA; Complete and submit Programming Assignment 2; Complete and submit Peer Review of Programming Assignment 1
Strings and Selection
Learn about using C# strings; Learn how we make decisions in our code; Complete and submit Programming Assignment 3; Complete and submit Peer Review of Programming Assignment 2
Recovery week
Reflect on previous course material with no new material this week; Complete and submit Project Increment 1; Complete and submit Peer Review of Programming Assignment 3
MonoGame/XNA Mice and Controllers, Arrays and Collection Classes
Learn how to use mice and controllers for input; Learn how to store larger amounts of data; Complete and submit Programming Assignment 4; Complete and submit Peer Review of Project Increment 1
Recovery week
Reflect on previous course material with no new material this week; Complete and submit Project Increment 2; Complete and submit Peer Review of Programming Assignment 4
Iteration
Learn how to do things multiple times; Complete and submit Programming Assignment 5; Complete and submit Peer Review of Project Increment 2
Recovery week
Reflect on previous course material with no new material this week; Complete and submit Project Increment 3; Complete and submit Peer Review of Programming Assignment 5
Class Design and Implementation
Learn how to design and implement classes; Complete and submit Programming Assignment 6; Complete and submit Peer Review of Project Increment 3
Recovery Week
Reflect on previous course material with no new material this week; Complete and submit Project Increment 4; Complete and submit Peer Review of Programming Assignment 6
MonoGame/XNA Audio, MonoGame/XNA Text IO
Learn how to play music and sound effects in MonoGame/XNA; Learn how to process keyboard input and display text in MonoGame/XNA; Complete and submit Project Increment 5; Complete and submit Peer Review of Project Increment 4
The Final Week
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