Code Like the Pros - Unity C# Programming Course - Code a Custom Endless Runner

In this class, students will learn how to use the Unity Programming Platform by engaging in a series of 2D Game Design competitions where students learn coding skills in a inquiry based environment. Unity is a professional game design platform used to develop 1000's of games and applications both web-based and actually mobile apps. We will be coding in C# using Visual Studio, a free Microsoft product. While no experience is necessary, any prior use of Unity is definitely a plus. 

After learning the basics of the software, students will be provided with a working 2D game design template and the challenge to redesign the game with the elements they would like to add. The code provided in this template is designed for students to experiment and manipulate leading to important lessons about problem solving and debugging.  Each week's lesson will be based upon the specific questions that students ask to help them to design their game. The games themselves can be as elaborate as a student's ambition leads them to create. The goal of our class will be for each student to have a fully functional game that reflects their newfound skills. All finished games will be uploaded to my website so they can be shared with classmates, family and friends.

The software for Unity and Visual Studio (C#) are free and instructions will be provided to explain to students how to download and install the software prior to our first week. The most important requirement about this class is for students to come to class ready to learn. This is not a cookie-cutter class and depends students willing to push their abilities to their limits and ask questions and problem solve to overcome coding obstacles. This will be an exciting class and I truly look forward to our first week!

IMPORTANT: While working on our Unity projects and coding, it is very difficult for students to work in a split screen setup. Students should have a 2nd display so they can see my screen and theirs simultaneously. Logging into the Zoom meeting with a 2nd device also works well to allow this type of a setup. 

Each day of the course will focus on a specific Unity component or coding skill:
Day 1 Introduction to Unity - Exploring the platform's layout and experimenting with sprites
Day 2 Sprites and Animations - We will learn how to add custom graphics(Sprite Sheets) and transform them into animations
Day 3 C# and Visual Studio - Students will learn how to write and modify and implement code in Visual Studio
Day 4 Prefabs - Students will learn how to "Instantiate"(Create) objects using code and variables
Day 5 Colliders - We explore how objects in the game can "sense" collisions
Day 6 Points and Powerups - We learn how variables can be write to keep track and display the score
Day 7 Game Publishing and wrap-up - students will learn how we export completed games and celebrate their success