Mobile Gaming and the Zune
William Birmingham
ASEE Conference
June, 2010
Louisville, KY
Grove City College
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Key points
• Mobile gaming classes are popular and covers many CS areas
– Math, physics
– Software engineering, UI design
– Networking
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Game classes are technically challenging
Zune is a great platform for mobile gaming
Software (Visual Studio and XNA) are free and well designed
Students enjoy using the platform
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Zune HW
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Mobile and Pervasive games
• Important and rapidly growing market
• Traditionally owned by specialized hw devices
– Sony PSP
– Nintendo DS
• Increasingly driven by smartphone
– iPhone and iPad
– Android
• Becoming a general technology and game play
driver for the industry as a whole
– Support for (fix) console/mobile gaming coming soon
(XNA)
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Gaming and CS education
• Uses much of CS student’s education
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Math and physics
Software engineering/project management
Object-oriented design and advanced programming
Real-time programming
Data structures and algorithms
Graphics
UI design
Networking
Projects
• Game design
– Building a great experience
– Developing multimedia (audio and video assets)
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Gaming and CS education
• Most programs based on Windows PC platforms or
specialized engines
– Not useful for mobile gaming
• Special hardware (devkits) from Nintendo, Sony
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Hard to get (must be licensed)
Expensive
Proprietary programming environments
NDA and other legal issues
• Other platforms, especially smartphones
– Still relatively expensive
– May have NDA and licensing requirements (e.g., Apple)
– May require cellular data contracts
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Gaming curriculum
• Games 1
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2D Gaming (graphics, physics and AI)
Art and craft of creating compelling games
Students create “arcade-style” games
Microsoft XNA and PCs
• Games 2
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3D gaming (graphics, physics)
Camera
Significantly more mathematically complex
AI learning
Students use Agile methods to create sophisticated games
Microsoft XNA and PCs
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Gaming curriculum
• Games 3
– Console
– Multiplayer
• Multiple cameras
• Synchronization issues
– Networked
– Game design methods significantly different
– Advanced use of multimedia
• FFT data for game play
• Using “album art” to populate game
• XNA, Zunes, Xbox 360
– Professional devkits available for students who want to use them
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Networking
• Significant element of Games 3, particularly for mobile
games
• XNA provides a gaming abstraction for the network
– Players
– Network object
– Latency and throughput are controllable
• Explore latency and packet loss issues
– “teleporting” vs interpolation
• Game issues
– How do you start?
– How do you end?
– Mechanics of mobile games, screen size and using device on
the run
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ABET course outcomes
(c) An ability to design, implement, and evaluate a Students will write specifications for the games they create, with emphasis on good game play and a
computer-based system, process, component, or sophisticated gaming experience. Students will develop games—including code, artwork, sound
program to meet desired need
effects, and music—to realize the specifications.
Students will develop the software for their games for the Microsoft Zune and the Microsoft Xbox 360
using Microsoft XNA 3.1. The Zune games will be implemented in c#.
To run their games, students will use the Zune and the Xbox 360 as attached, development hardware.
(i) An ability to use current techniques, skills and tools In other words, games will not run on Windows machines, and thus must be loaded and debugged on
different hardware. These techniques are common for embedded computer applications, mobile
necessary for computing practice
device applications, etc.
In addition, students will read papers from the games literature to find the latest techniques and best
practices.
This class will use a significant amount of mathematics and sophisticated algorithms for implementing
console games. Physics, collision detection, and AI algorithms, particularly for console applications, rely
(j) An ability to apply mathematical foundations, on good implementations that balance memory usage and speed. Since memory is limited on consoles,
algorithmic principles, and computer science theory in and there is little memory management support, memory/speed tradeoffs are important.
the modeling and design of computer-based systems in a
way that demonstrates comprehension of the tradeoffs In addition, students will study the tradeoffs in memory, processing power, and assets storage on
different console device, the Zune and Xbox 360. While maintaining a similar programming model,
involved in design choices
these devices have vastly different performance that directly affects the games that can be run on
these devices.
(k) An ability to apply design and development principles Students will need to develop a variety of games, from relatively simple ones for homework
in the construction of software systems of varying assignments, to complex ones for projects. Applying principles of object-oriented design, as well as
complexity
other techniques, will be important to complete the projects.
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Evaluation
• Used Zune for two classes over two year
• Approximately 20 students total
• CS Students reported:
– Skeptical at first due to form factor (screen and input
devices)
– Most end up liking the device
– Some do not like it (too limited)
– Good experience in networking (but there’re some
problems)
– Produced excellent games in about four weeks
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Evaluation
• Zune HD should help with most problems
– Increased screen size
– Better input modes (especially in a touch-based
world)
– Networking seems more reliable
• Students continue to use the device after class
– Campus tour
– Games
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Curriculum Issues: Support materials
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Hardware
– Zune HD
• Touch and accelerometer
– Zune 4G, 8G, 16G, 30G, 120 G
• Three buttons and an analog “joystick”
• Software
– Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 or 2010
– Microsoft XNA
– Microsoft Creators Club Website
• Starter kits and tutorials
• Message board
– Image and audio creation and editing software
• Syllabus and course materials available
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Summary
• Zune is a capable device for game development
– We’re moving to Zune HD this year
• The Zune ecosystem is excellent
– Support for education is excellent
– Even supports professional (indie) development
– “App” store for game
• Requires minimal investment
• Fun and popular
• Willing to share all class materials (syllabuses,
projects, homework, exams,…)
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Acknowledgements
• Supported in part by the Grove City College
Swezey Fund
• Portions of the work reported here were
contributed by Justin Kabonick and Adam
Kaufman (GCC CS ‘10)
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