Announcements

  • The course’s final project specification has been posted.
  • The twelfth and final lecture, Portal Problems, a guest lecture presented by our friends at Valve Software, has been posted.

Description

This course picks up where Harvard College’s CS50 leaves off, focusing on the development of 2D and 3D interactive games. Students explore the design of such childhood games as Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, and Portal in a quest to understand how video games themselves are implemented. Via lectures and hands-on projects, the course explores principles of 2D and 3D graphics, animation, sound, and collision detection using frameworks like LÖVE2D and Unity, as well as languages like Lua and C#. By class’s end, students will have programmed several of their own games and gained a thorough understanding of the basics of game design and development.

Table of Contents

Pong

  1. Complete the sectioning and office hours preferences form no later than .
  2. Complete the CSCI E-23a Software Form no later than .
    • Note that you will not be able to submit Project 0 until you complete this form!
  3. Watch Lecture 0 on or after Mon 8/30.
  4. Optionally attend office hours.
  5. Work on Project 0, due .

Flappy Bird

  1. Watch Lecture 1 on or after Mon 9/6.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 1, due .

Breakout

  1. Watch Lecture 2 on or after Mon 9/13.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 2, due .

Match 3

  1. Watch Lecture 3 on or after Mon 9/20.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 3, due .

Super Mario Bros.

  1. Watch Lecture 4 on or after Mon 9/27.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 4, due .

Legend of Zelda

  1. Watch Lecture 5 on or after Mon 10/4.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 5, due .

Angry Birds

  1. Watch Lecture 6 on or after Mon 10/11.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 6, due .

Pokémon

  1. Watch Lecture 7 on or after Mon 10/18.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 7, due .

Helicopter Game 3D

  1. Watch Lecture 8 on or after Mon 11/1.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 8, due .

Dreadhalls

  1. Watch Lecture 9 on or after Mon 11/8.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 9, due .
  5. Review the final project specification and start thinking about your Proposal.

Portal

  1. Watch Lecture 10 on or after Mon 11/15.
  2. Attend one or more sections.
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on Project 10, due .

Portal Problems

  1. Watch Lecture 11 on or after Mon 11/22.
  2. There are no sections this week!
  3. Optionally attend office hours.
  4. Work on the final project, due .