With a seemingly endless list of mobile applications available for smartphone users at N.C. State, students have all the information they need at their fingertips. The TransLoc app helps students navigate the University’s bus system, while the N.C. State Sports app keeps students and fans updated on the latest Wolfpack scores.

Richard Hopper, a junior in computer science, built an app for the moments between classes.

The game is called Broken and was developed by Thaasophobia Games, which was founded by Hopper in 2009. Thaasophobia refers to the fear of being idle, or as Hopper put it “the fear of boredom.”

Even though Hopper is majoring in computer science, he said he taught himself at the time he was designing and building the app.

“The framework I used did not have a great deal of support behind it,” Hopper said. “I essentially had to learn a lot through trial and error at the time.”

Looking for more than just a classroom software experience, Hopper said he used Broken as a way to independently broaden his horizons.

“I made this game primarily because I wanted to try my hand at app development,” Hopper said. “I knew I could do standard school assignments, but actual software development is a completely different game.”

Once Hopper learned how to use the framework, he said it took about four months to finish the app. Hopper also said he saw building an app as an opportunity to get a leg up on the competition.

“I also wanted to work on an independent project to set me apart when the time came around to apply for jobs or internships,” Hopper said. “Even if the game was not a commercial success, it would still stick out on a resume alongside other computer science students.”

Hopper said computer science majors or people with an interest in games should consider building an app. Hopper said he found the construction of the app an enjoyable learning experience.

“The game itself is a variant of Breakout that I decided to take in a new direction using the gyroscopic technology present in the iPhone and the iPod Touch,” Hopper said. “I changed the mechanic of the game so that the paddle flowed in a circle around the blocks instead of a more linear layout found in other games like it.”

The game has a basic layout and features instructions for first time users. Much like Breakout, the player aims a ball toward a center construct to slowly break away pieces until they reach the center.

The game features multiple levels that players can access once they have beaten the previous level. Each level becomes slowly more difficult in the size and shape of the construct and the speed of the ball.

Throughout each level, a player can hit special bricks that will give the player a power up option. A player can also go faster, slower or even increase the size of the paddle by hitting certain blocs.

“I developed the game using a third-party, game-oriented development framework from a company called GarageGames,” Hopper said. “This framework used its own proprietary language for coding, which compiled down to native Objective-C to be run on iOS devices.”

Hopper has released a few updates for Broken since releasing it and a lite version is also available. Hopper will continue working on new apps, but he will not be releasing them through Thaasophobia. The app can be bought through an app store for 99 cents.