Platforma: a modular and agile framework for simplified platformer game development

Abstract

Research on game development frameworks has been extensively conducted; however, most frameworks are still too general. Conventional game frameworks are challenging for students who are new to game development, especially with their limited information and skills. Beginner game developers should ideally be guided by a practical and specific framework to help them better understand the structure of game development in a more directed manner. This paper proposes platformer modular and agile framework (Platforma) that specifically designed for platformer game development. The framework is built based on the atomic design model, breaking down each minor feature of a platformer game element and grouping these features into more specific modules. The framework was tested on three teams of students. Each team was tasked with developing a platformer game with a minimum of 15 levels of the reach game goals typology. Testing results involving 100 respondents using the game experience questionnaire (GEQ) indicated that the games developed had a positive aspect score of 3.48 and a negative aspect score of 2.65. Overall, these results suggest that the Platforma can serve as an effective guide for beginners in developing platformer games.