Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitPrerequisites
ITEC217 Programming Concepts orISYS217 Programming Concepts
Unit rationale, description and aim
Games design and development is in high demand by the information technology industry and has a wide range of applications in different domains. This unit aims to develop basic knowledge in 2D and 3D game application design and development. It integrates the knowledge and skills gained in the Programming Concepts unit to develop basic 2D/3D game applications. This unit introduces essential concepts, techniques, software tools and modern frameworks required for designing, creating and testing interactive 2D/3D game applications. It covers both theoretical and practical knowledge on a wide range of modern technologies used for designing and creating 2D/3D game applications, including programming for: 2D/3D computer graphics, raster/vector graphics, 3D computed frustum, 2D game development, and augmented reality (AR) applications. On completion students will be able to create a basic 2D game and understand the underlying concepts and ethical issues involved and human dignity where game-like competition is proposed.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Demonstrate basic working knowledge and understanding of foundational 2D game technologies and concepts, application development frameworks and toolkits (GA4, GA5)
LO2 - Apply the current architectures, frameworks and toolkits to develop 2D game applications suitable for real-world deployment (GA5, GA10)
LO3 - Critically evaluate design choices and investigate the consequences of key design decisions (GA5, GA8)
LO4 - Communicate effectively in writing, using technical language, with other IT professionals, reflecting on both technical issues of 2D game applications and their impact on human dignity where competition is involved (GA3, GA5)
Graduate attributes
GA3 - apply ethical perspectives in informed decision making
GA4 - think critically and reflectively
GA5 - demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information
GA10 - utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively.
Content
Topics covered:
- 2D/3D computer graphics
- raster/vector graphics
- computed frustum
- 2D game development
- AR applications and their impacts on human dignity where competition is involved
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit is offered in different modes. These are: “Attendance” mode, “Blended” mode and “Online” mode. This unit is offered in three modes to cater for the learning needs and preferences of a range of participants and maximise effective participation for isolated and/or marginalised groups.
Attendance Mode
In a weekly attendance mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in specific physical location/s. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) or lab demonstrators to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops, most students report that they spend an average of one hour preparing before the workshop and one or more hours after the workshop practicing and revising what was covered. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.
Blended Mode
In a blended mode, students will require face-to-face attendance in blocks of time determined by the School. Students will have face-to-face interactions with lecturer(s) to further their achievement of the learning outcomes. This unit is structured with required upfront preparation before workshops. The online learning platforms used in this unit provide multiple forms of preparatory and practice opportunities for you to prepare and revise.
Online Mode
This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of the essential knowledge associated with working with technology. Students can explore the essential knowledge underpinning technological advances and develop knowledge in a series of online interactive lessons and modules. Students are given the opportunity to attend facilitated synchronous online seminar classes with other students and participate in the construction and synthesis of knowledge, while developing their knowledge of working with technology. Students are required to participate in a series of online interactive workshops which include activities, knowledge checks, discussion and interactive sessions. This approach allows flexibility for students and facilitates learning and participation for students with a preference for virtual learning.
Students should anticipate undertaking 150 hours of study for this unit, including class attendance, readings, online forum participation and assessment preparation.
Assessment strategy and rationale
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements.
The assessment strategy for this unit allows students to demonstrate a critical mindset in evaluating the impact of computer graphics, game development and augmented reality and apply this knowledge to a variety of work situations. In order to develop this level of capability, the first assessment students will demonstrate their knowledge on developing 2D computer graphics (lines, viewports, transformations, materials, and the tree graph); in the second assessment students will demonstrate their knowledge on developing 3D computer graphics (rendering, and 3D matrix transformations). The final assessment in the unit allows students to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and understanding of work in a technology enhanced world through the development of an AR Android app. The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.
In order to pass this unit, students are required to
1. achieve an overall mark of at least 50%
2. attempt all three assessment tasks
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: 2D Computer Graphics This assessment consists of a series of weekly lab exercises in the development of some basic 2D graphics elements in java. This task requires students to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge and practical skills gained through the first four lab practical exercises. The feedback from this assessment will help students to apply the database concepts in the next assessment. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Lab Practical Task Artefact: Working Code Examples | 35% | LO1 | GA4, GA5 |
Assessment Task 2: 3D Computer Graphics This assessment consists of a series of weekly lab exercises in the development of some basic 3D graphics elements in java. This task requires students to demonstrate their theoretical knowledge and practical skills gained through the final lab practical exercise. The feedback from this assessment will help students to apply the database concepts in the next assessment. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Lab Practical Task Artefact: Working Code Example | 20% | LO2, LO3 | GA5, GA8, GA10 |
Assessment Task 3: AR Android App This assessment task consists of building an Augmented Reality Android application using Google’s Sceneform SDK. Student teams are required to apply core concepts, such as: using Gradle as the framework for compiling an Android app in Android Studio; accessing the camera permissions on an Android device and inserting a 3D model into the camera’s view by: adding a sceneform fragment to the layout, building the scene coordinates and adding the 3D object. The final part of this project is an individual proposal for how the app developed could be further developed as a game suitable for posting to an app store. What impact this has and the ethical considerations and human dignity in the context of game-like competition should be discussed in the proposal. Submission Type: Group/Individual Assessment Method: Practical task Artefact: Working code example and Written report | 45% | LO4 | GA3, GA5 |
Representative texts and references
Eck, D.J., 2018, Introduction to Computer Graphics, Graphicsbook (http://math.hws.edu/graphicsbook)
Hughe, J.f., Van Dam, A., Mcguire, M., Sklar, D.F., Foley, J.D., Feiner, S.K., and Akeley, K., 2014, Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice, Pearson Education, Inc.
Linowes, Jonathan., and Babilinski, Krystian., 2017, Augmented Reality for Developers: Build practical augmented reality applications with Unity, ARCore, ARKit, and Vuforia, Packt Publishing.
Lanzinger, Franz., 2019, Classic Game Design: From Pong to Pac-Man with Unity, Mercury Learning & Information.
Halpern, Jared., 2018, Developing 2D Games with Unity: Independent Game Programming with C#,
Apress.
Borromeo, N. Alejandro., 2020, Hands-On Unity 2020 Game Development: Build, customize, and optimize professional games using Unity 2020 and C#, Packt Publishing.
Tanaya, Michael., Chen, Huaming., Pavleas, Jebediah., Sung, Kelvin., 2017, Building a 2D Game Physics Engine: Using HTML5 and JavaScript, Apress.
Bourg, David., M., Bywalec, Bryan., 2013, Physics for Game Developers: Science, Math, And Code For Realistic Effects, O'Reilly Media.
Lee, Zhi E., 2015, Building a Game with Unity and Blender, Packt Publishing.
Lecarme, Olivier., Delvare, Karine., 2013, The Book of GIMP: A Complete Guide to Nearly Everything, No Starch Press.