Seminar: Hardware game programming on FPGAs

In this seminar, we will develop a game that runs directly on the hardware of a field-programmable gate array (FPGA).

Participants will develop the game using the provided game engine on FPGAs, which will also be provided. We’ll start by brainstorming initial ideas for the game (e.g., is it a platformer or a racing game?) and then evaluate whether it can be implemented using the game engine. If necessary, participants will need to extend the engine to support, for example, more sprites or additional input and output.

The game engine is written in the Chisel language.

Requirements for passing the seminar:

• Implement a game idea in the hardware description language Chisel
• Present the game to all participants at the end of the semester
• Meet all deadlines for assignments announced in Stud.IP and/or Moodle
• Write a summary of the game implementation, including any changes made to the game engine
• Attend all seminar sessions during the semester.

The FPGAs to be used will be provided by the course organizer.

Students may complete their projects in German or English. The language used in the required reading is English. The seminar will be conducted in English or German, depending on the participants.

The presentation of the developed games will take place toward the end of the semester.

Only a limited number of participants are accepted (usually 5). At least three spots are reserved for bachelor’s students.

• Documentation for the game engine, including introductory exercises, available as a PDF on Stud.IP
• “Digital design with Chisel,” Martin Schoeberl, ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1689336031
  available for free as a PDF on the author’s GitHub page