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Teaching Game Programming in an Upper-level Computing Course Through the Development of a C++ Framework and Middleware
(The Eurographics Association, 2024) Hooper, Steffan; Wünsche, Burkhard C.; Denny, Paul; Luxton-Reilly, Andrew; Sousa Santos, Beatriz; Anderson, Eike
The game development industry has a programming skills shortage, with industry surveys often ranking game programming as the top skill-in-demand across small, mid-sized, and large triple-A (AAA) game studios. C++ programming skills are desired, however, educators can perceive C++ as too difficult to teach due to its size and complexity. We address the challenges of teaching C++ in an upper-level Game Programming course and demonstrate how learners are up-skilled in C++ game programming, providing insights and reflections on the course. We show how through careful educational-design choices, combined with scaffolding a C++ framework and contemporary middleware, it is possible to transition learners to C++ for game programming.