International Journal of Serious Games (Jun 2021)

Using Greenfoot as a Tool for Serious Games Programming Education and Development

  • Stelios Xinogalos,
  • Margarita Maria Tryfou

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17083/ijsg.v8i2.425
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 2

Abstract

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Greenfoot is an educational programming environment that aims to motivate students in learning object-oriented programming (OOP) through the development of simple games and simulations. Several studies have presented positive results regarding the usage of Greenfoot as a tool for introducing novices to OOP. In this article, we propose using Greenfoot as a tool for introducing novices to (serious) games programming, as well as a tool for implementing serious games (SGs). As a proof of concept, the design and implementation of an SG for learning OOP utilizing Greenfoot and a survey on the perceptions of graduates that had been introduced to SGs programming with Greenfoot in the context of a relevant Master course are presented. The results show that Greenfoot, although not developed for this purpose, can be utilized both as a tool for introducing novices to (serious) games programming and as a tool for developing SGs.

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