teaching
CMSC 336
Games Systems: Platforms, Programs & Power (S2022)
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This course studies games using the lens of computing systems;
exploring the design and implementation of historic and modern
computing systems for games, including the hardware, software, and
their interface. For more than the sake of automation or
communication, games have exploited a unique affordance of computers,
the ability to simulate & ask questions of "what if?" This course
will go beyond only creating games, and will challenge students to
critically reflect on how the architectural and programming choices in
games can encode inequality and particular worldviews procedurally, as
much as other game elements like visuals, audio and narrative. We will
cover the low-level aspects of games platforms: graphics programming,
networking, and peripherals; mid-level concerns: software engineering,
design patterns, concurrency, and interfaces; and higher-level issues
related to emulation, ethics, platform studies and media
archaeology. Prerequisites: CMSC 201, Data Structures.