Game Design as an Engagement Strategy for Teaching
Computer Science

Imagine that you are a high school student who:
 Is intimidated by math
 Thinks that computers are for eggheads
 Has little personal experience with computers
 Thinks she “sucks at computer stuff”
Which of the following assignments would
interest you more?



Write a program that adds up the squares and
cubes of integers from 1 to N, where N is entered
by the user:
 Upper Limit: 5
 The sum of Squares is 55
 The sum of Cubes is 225
Use just one loop that generates the integers.
Add these formulas to your program and print
out their results as well as that of the explicit
summations.


Create a video game or interactive story, alone
or with one partner.
Your product must have:
 Conditional logic and broadcast events
 Variables and mathematical operators
 Backgrounds, sprites, and sound effects
 Movement and collision/obstacle detection
 Originality and creativity!

Can video game design be used to teach core
computer science concepts effectively?

Can game design projects help attract and
retain underrepresented students more
effectively than traditional CS curricula?

Teachers of high school computer science:
 Developing curricula for newly created CS
programs
 Wanting to expand diversity of students in
current programs
 Interested in new engagement strategies for
teaching core CS concepts

Traditional computer science programs attract a
limited demographic audience

Computer fluency is becoming an entry
requirement for many professions!

Lack of computer science skills disenfranchises
underrepresented groups from lucrative and
expanding job markets, higher education tracks

Even students who don’t like to play video
games often enjoy actually making games,
especially if it’s a partner project.

Students can learn core programming concepts
through exploratory projects such as digital
interactive story-telling and game design.

Introducing CS through syntax-light languages
such as Scratch is less intimidating and builds
confidence.

Introduction to Computer Science lesson plan:
 Video game design project requirements and
rubric
 Training assignments in Scratch with demos
 Block lesson plan including suggested
interventions, pacing, and weekly reflections
 Exemplar games demonstrating concepts and
requirements
 Examples of student work

The “alpha group”-- 18 boys, 50% ELL (two
moved to continuation school during project)

Started with small, instructional assignments to
familiarize them with coding environment

Surveyed classic arcade games as a “hook” and
to manage expectations

Threw them into the game project quickly

Most students were very engaged and
enthusiastic about project and results.

Students effectively applied core computer
science concepts to their designs.

Students are carrying the experience forward
into easier understanding of more complex
programming languages.
 Provide rubric, exemplars, and demo
code earlier in project cycle
 Formalize development process and
higher accountability for weekly
progress
 More structure is needed to support
lower level students through the
development process

Sequence, rubrics, requirements prepared and
fine-tuned for next year’s “beta” group

Effective introduction of CS concepts

Increase and sustain interest and enrollment of
previously under-represented students

Develop a culture of inclusion, cooperation, and
creativity in a new CS program
1. Scratch Development
Environment:
Intro to Scratch Practice project
2. Student Work Samples
“I had fun working with scratch. I found it really easy
once you understand what everything you’re
doing. I was easy enough that my 7 year old
brother could understand scratch’s syntax. Even
though scratch was easy it really helped me
understand the logic and syntax of programming.
While I was making my game I had fun trying to
find how to do different stuff in scratch. It was not
too hard to find and fix bugs. In my opinion scratch
was a good use of time.”
-Emmanuel
“I think this project should definitely be repeated
next year or presented to sophomores and push
the whole curriculum back a year so that when
they are seniors they are pros. This project was
definitely lots of fun and I enjoyed it because there
was lots of freedom in our project ideas. I think for
being the first year that this unit has taken place; it
went very smoothly. It was definitely better than
last year. I learned not just how to code but more
of how to do computer logic and plan different
things.”
-George
“I had really fun with this project. I learn a lot of stuff
of programing a game. When Gustavo and I were
programing the game but it really suck so I started
out fresh making the game. Michael Jackson was
going to be in the game but there were a lot of
problems of cropping him so I change the
character to evil Ryu. I learn a lot from scratch and I
think I’m going to make another game. Our game
is so fun that im going to play it right now.”
-Marcos
“I really enjoyed this project. I didn't learn a lot
but what I did learn is useful. This was a very
productive project. It was a bit challenging and
frustrating but in the end I am proud of what we
accomplished.”
-Fernando