Incremental game development in an introductory programming course

Abstract

The enthusiasm students have for playing computer games can be used in an introductory programming course to increase the enthusiasm and attention that students have for developing problem solving and programming skills. This paper reports on a successful experience using incremental development of two computer games, Master Mind and Minesweeper, in the programming assignments of such a course. By the end of one semester of programming instruction the students are able to design and implement programs of functionality equivalent to well-known commercial games. The incremental game development technique can be used either in a procedure-oriented course or in an object-oriented course; assignment sequences for both type courses are presented.