Alan Eappen, Verrazzano Class of 2021, completed major in Computer Science
My capstone experience creating a game was very exciting. I
wanted to develop a fully functional game and experience the whole process
before I graduated. I was fortunate enough to be part of a special gaming class
CSC523 in the fall of 2019, where I got the inspiration for my idea. Dr.
Deborah Sturm (who was also my mentor for this capstone), taught us about
serious games. Serious games have a strong focus on learning concepts in a
specific industry such as education, science, or engineering.
My capstone “Haunted Decoder” is a binary conversion game. It helps teach players a specific concept in computer science that is important in the curriculum. Using the model of a 2D role -playing game, many design patterns and tools are applied to facilitate a modern gaming experience. It also includes an original story to help players feel engaged and more immersed in the game as well as many unique game mechanics such a decoding messages and riddles.
I collaborated with Dr. Sturm on the assessment design for the game. She helped me understand different ways that a player could learn the basis of binary conversions and how well we could explain it to people that do not know the concept, and I created an intuitive design based on her advice. The design not only explains the process in getting the right answer, but also players can interact with the design to get an understanding of the concept.
This capstone journey was amazing. I learned a lot about game development from programming to designing, as well as serious games and their great impact for many people. I will cherish this moment in time as I embark on new projects in the future.
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