Course:
CMSC 493: Senior Game Project
Professor:
Marc Olano, CSEE Associate Professor
Course Description:
The computer games capstone course is designed to allow students completing the computer science games track to engage in a complete group project development experience. This will help them to integrate the various technical concepts they have learned in earlier courses. The course aims to impart a foundation in team leadership and project management ability that will allow graduates to function effectively within multi-disciplinary teams.
What makes it special:
This course brings together Computer Science students and Visual Arts students to collaborate on the development of a playable video game. Since the teams are cross-disciplinary, students learn that they cannot just pick up the slack for a lagging team member since each team member brings a different set of skills to the game. Throughout the semester, teams have the opportunity to present their games to industry professionals and the final exam is a presentation of the finished games for 10-20 pros at a networking reception. The core things (in addition to game development) the students learn during the class include working effectively with others with very different skills and backgrounds, scoping and planning development for a large project, and effective presentation skills through multiple presentations to the class and to outsiders.
Pictures:
Below are screenshots from SLUG, a 2D flash game created by a team of Computer Science and Visual Art students in CMSC 493. In the game, the player must help a pink slug collect acorns while avoiding enemies: bees, birds and frogs. It was a winner at the 2010 West Virginia Flash Festival.
Videos:
Check out the trailer for the SLUG video game below.