TileCode: Creation of Video Games on Gaming Handhelds

ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) |

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We present TileCode, a video game creation environment that runs on battery-powered microcontroller-based gaming handhelds. Our work is motivated by the popularity of retro video games, the availability of low-cost gaming handhelds loaded with many such games, and the concomitant lack of a means to create games on the same handhelds. With TileCode, we seek to close the gap between the consumers and creators of video games and to motivate more individuals to participate in the design and creation of their own games.  The TileCode programming model is based on tile maps and provides a visual means for specifying the context around a sprite, how a sprite should move based on that context, and what should happen upon sprite collisions. We demonstrate that a variety of popular video games can be programmed with TileCode using 10-15 visual rules and compare/contrast with block-based versions of the same games implemented using MakeCode Arcade.

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TileCode

August 24, 2020

Design, code and play video games on MakeCode Arcade devices

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From player to creator: Designing video games on gaming handhelds with Microsoft TileCode

Today, billions of players around the world have helped propel the video game industry into a multibillion-dollar business. However, most gaming devices aren’t used to create games, a missed opportunity to learn computing fundamentals while exercising the imagination. With the new coding platform Microsoft TileCode, researchers aim to turn players of video games into video game creators.

In this webinar, led by Dr. Thomas Ball, Partner Researcher at Microsoft Research, and Stefania Druga, a PhD student at the University of Washington, learn how children and families are using TileCode to create retro video games on handheld gaming devices. You’ll gain an understanding of programming language design and the connections between video game mechanics and computational concepts. You’ll also learn how jointly designing new experiences benefits children and parents.

Together, you’ll explore:

  • How the TileCode programming model provides a visual means for specifying the context around a sprite, how a sprite should move based on that context, and what should happen upon sprite collisions
  • How the TileCode user interface enables the creation of video games on handheld gaming devices
  • Examples of video game designs from a series of family workshops hosted to learn about how children understand and execute game design

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*This on-demand webinar features a previously recorded Q&A session and open captioning.

Explore more Microsoft Research webinars: https://aka.ms/msrwebinars (opens in new tab)