Gameblox Flexidor : adding flexibility to blocks based programming environments

Abstract

Gameblox is an online, graphical programming environment currently being developed by the MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program as a means of making game development more accessible to students with little to no programming background. Through direct manipulation, users can create complex games by simply dragging objects onto specified screens, and attaching blocks as executable instructions. Users can create, modify, and test their games, all in one environment. However, certain users, such as beginners or students, may find that a scoped editor with only a subset of Gameblox features would be easier to use and still fulfill their goals. This thesis outlines the design and implementation of a new tool within Gameblox called the Flexidor Builder, which will allow any user to selectively restrict the view of the full Gameblox editor to create custom Gameblox editors with only a subset of features. This restricted editor is called a flexidor.