CS101 is Washington University's introductory computer science course. The course has a long tradition of teaching fundamental computer science concepts, introducing students not only to programming, but also to deeper intellectual issues. This year, for the first time, the course was taught using Java. As the last project in the course, students were asked to implement the game Breakout. Students were supplied with a "game canvas" that included a paddle and an area on which to create graphics.
Students entered the programming contest by putting their games on the web as applets. Prizes, provided by Sun Microsystems and the Department of Computer Science, were awarded by a panel of judges who evaluated the entries on the basis of quality and originality. The programming contest rules stipulated that the game be implemented as an applet, but very few other constraints were imposed.
Creativity and originality were encouraged. Ken Goldman, the instructor for the course, was overwhelmed by the energy and enthusiasm shown by students throughout the course, and particularly on their contest submissions. He was also pleased with the way Java facilitated teaching fundamental computer science concepts throughout the course. "Although there's a lot of hype surrounding this language, there's also a lot of solid programming language design behind it."
The contest judges were consistently impressed by the quality and originality of the submissions. For many students in CS101, this was their first programming course! About Jason Ginchereau's first place entry, one of the judges remarked, "This could be one of the fastest-coded weekend projects in history. He should honestly sell advertising on his page!" At the bottom of his submission page, Jason writes, "Whoever said Java is not a video game language?"
Play the games! Links are provided below.