FANG:About

From FANG

The Freely Available Networked Gaming (FANG) Engine is a Java gaming package designed for educational purposes. Students who have no prior programming experience can learn Java programming using the gaming engine in their first programming course. The gaming engine is fast, simple, easy to use and even networked. All of the gaming package source code is freely available, extensively commented and well designed. Both applications and applets may be written, and it is even possible to write networked applets if you have access to a static IP address.

The gaming package has been developed and used in classrooms since 2003. Student written games are available as well as individual examples of coding the different parts necessary to making games. Student written examples include side scrolling games, driving games, shooter games, and many others. The FANG Engine can be freely modified and games made using the package can be sold commercially (see license for full details). Enjoy using the gaming package in your courses and developing your games. If you are using the gaming package in your course, please email me a link to your course's web page so I can link it in the Courses Using the FANG Engine page.

The FANG Engine has been used very successfully in both online and traditional courses across a wide range of students. Students as young as 8th graders have taken the online course Java for Video Games and taken the Computer Science AP Exam. All students who have reported taking the AP Computer Science Exam after taking the Duke Talent Identification Program eStudies Java for Video Games course have scored a 5, the highest possible score on the exam. The material used in these courses is freely available from the Courses Using the FANG Engine page. The FANG Engine has also been used in computer science major and non-major courses as well as day long workshops for 5th and 6th graders.

The FANG Engine has been featured at the 2nd Annual Microsoft Academic Days Conference on Game Development Poster Session and the 3rd Annual Digital Games Xpo.