Computer Camp 2006/Description

From MCIS Wiki

About Computer Camp 2006

Our computer camp gives students a chance to use computer gaming technology to explore computer programming, math, and physics. We are not trying to turn our students into game programmers - rather, we are using the technology developed for computer gaming to learn about a wide variety of subjects.

There is a lot of mathematics inside computer gaming - we need to understand how to design three-dimensional characters, make them move through space, and interact with their environment in a physically realistic way. You don't have to be a math whiz to handle this but we won't be hiding all of the math required to make the game engine work.

We won't be learning any conventional programming languages like C++ or Python - rather, we'll use simple, powerful languages developed specifically for this camp that will allow you to program at a very high level without having to learn about the many details of a full programming language.

We won't be using "game in a can" sort of technology. Although there are many systems that allow you to build games using drag and drop / canned behaviors, we would rather get under the hood and build games from "first principles". This means that we won't be able to create the next Doom or World of Warcraft in just a week's time but we will find out how games are built and what sort of things they can do.

You won't need to be a gamer to have fun in this camp. You can use game engines to do a lot of things that aren't really games - you can create music videos, tell stories, or just build little worlds for the fun of it.

Besides computing, we'll be taking outdoor recreation very seriously at this camp. We'll be getting outdoors every day to enjoy the mountains around Gunnison. Be ready to do more than just sit in front of a computer all day.