Games programming as a programme core

In 2003, Northumbria University ran its "Computer Games Software Engineering" BSc for the first time. One of the features of the degree was that programming would be taught in the context of games programming and would use games examples wherever possible. This would require an extensive re-write of teaching material and would significantly alter the style and content of the delivery. Since degree courses specific to games programming are a recent innovation, it was important to consider whether it is effective to teach programming in this way. While designing the course, we considered the effects of these changes, both to determine if the changes would justify the resources required and to anticipate problems that were likely to be caused.

This paper discusses the educational and practical rationale behind teaching programming in this way, our initial thinking on the advantages and disadvantages and the discoveries that have been made in the last two years of teaching.