An effective IT training method based on the GameJam principle has been developed.

Andris Ivanov, a lecturer at Novgorod University, has created and developed a training program for beginner programmers in the format of a "game jam" (a competition where participants create a complete software product from scratch within a limited timeframe). The uniqueness of this approach lies in its restriction against allowing students to use external examples and hints, thereby teaching them to independently and collaboratively solve unconventional problems.

2024-12-10 10:01:32https://naked-science.ru/article/column/razrabotana-effektivnaya

Today, in the era of advanced IT technologies, creating a video game is possible even without knowledge of programming languages. For instance, with the help of modern game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine. However, this automation of the software development process significantly harms the skills of IT specialists, according to Andris Ivanov, a lecturer at the Polytechnic College of Novgorod University. The issue arises when certain tasks that should be handled by programmers are instead solved by algorithms or artificial intelligence, leading to a phenomenon known as cargo cult—blindly copying actions without a deep understanding of the process. This results in mistakes and an inability to solve assigned tasks without external prompts or assistance.

Developed by Andris, the educational program allows participants to create a game for the old PlayStation 2 console, which requires unconventional approaches to programming (there is little information available online) and is not supported by any modern game engine. In this approach, only personal knowledge and creative thinking can provide assistance.

“I personally faced the issue of cargo cult when, as a novice specialist, I wanted to create a game for PlayStation 2. I spent over six months solving a simple problem,” commented Andris Ivanov, the method's developer. “Among young programmers, this is indeed a common phenomenon where code snippets are copied without understanding how they work. This leads to spending more time fixing errors in the code than actually developing it. As a result, specialists lose the ability to program products without platforms that utilize automated algorithms.”

Training based on the developed methodology takes place in teams of up to five people. Each team comes up with a game they would like to create. Using the C programming language, a small reference guide, and a minimal set of tools (a notepad and a terminal for development), they write a software product from scratch within a limited timeframe. This collaborative game development process allows students to tackle the challenge they set for themselves with minimal reference support. They must adhere to strict deadlines and delegate tasks among themselves (which is also an essential skill for teamwork).

As Andris noted, the idea of learning through GameJam is not new and is applied in many educational processes in the field of IT and high technology. However, when looking at similar methodologies in the field of video game development, it becomes evident that they are all tailored to modern gaming platforms, which facilitate product creation with smart built-in technologies, alleviating some of the developers' burdens.

Currently, the intensive courses for creating video games through PlayStation GameJam are successfully implemented at Novgorod University and its college, receiving positive feedback from students. Andris plans to develop a training program for creating games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, a 16-bit console released even earlier, in 1991. This will involve the use of the Assembler programming language, which is currently utilized for microcontrollers in various fields of life.