Santa Skiing with AdMob and Leaderboard

Introduction

Are you a game developer looking to monetize your mobile game with ads and create a engaging experience for your players? Look no further! In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of integrating AdMob and a leaderboard into your Santa Skiing game.

What is AdMob?

AdMob is a mobile advertising platform provided by Google that allows developers to monetize their mobile apps by displaying ads. AdMob offers a variety of ad formats, including banner ads, interstitial ads, and rewarded videos, among others.

What is a Leaderboard?

A leaderboard is a feature that allows players to compete with each other by submitting scores or achievements. Leaderboards can be used to create a sense of competition and engagement among players, which can increase the overall experience of your game.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, make sure you have the following:

• A basic understanding of Android Studio and Java programming
• A Santa Skiing game project set up in Android Studio
• The AdMob SDK installed in your project
• A Google Play Games account set up

Step 1: Setting up AdMob

To start using AdMob, you need to set up an AdMob account and create a new ad unit. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the AdMob website and sign in with your Google account.
2. Click on the "Create an app" button and select "Android" as the platform.
3. Fill in the required information, such as your app name and package name.
4. Click on the "Create" button to create your app.
5. In the "Monetize" tab, click on the "Ad units" button and select "Banner" as the ad format.
6. Fill in the required information, such as the ad size and ad format.
7. Click on the "Create" button to create your ad unit.

Step 2: Adding AdMob to your Santa Skiing game

To add AdMob to your Santa Skiing game, follow these steps:

1. Open your Santa Skiing game project in Android Studio.
2. In the "res" folder, create a new folder called "admob".
3. Inside the "admob" folder, create a new Java file called "AdMobManager.java".
4. In the "AdMobManager.java" file, add the following code:

   
   import com.google.android.gms.ads.AdRequest;
   import com.google.android.gms.ads.AdView;
   import com.google.android.gms.ads.MobileAds;

public class AdMobManager { private AdView adView;

public AdMobManager(Context context) {
    MobileAds.initialize(context, "YOUR_AD_UNIT_ID");
    adView = new AdView(context);
    adView.setAdSize(AdSize.BANNER);
    adView.setAdUnitId("YOUR_AD_UNIT_ID");
}

public void loadAd() {
    AdRequest adRequest = new AdRequest.Builder().build();
    adView.loadAd(adRequest);
}

public void showAd() {
    adView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
}

public void hideAd() {
    adView.setVisibility(View.GONE);
}

}

Replace "YOUR_AD_UNIT_ID" with the actual ID of your AdMob ad unit.

5. In your game's main activity, add the following code to initialize the AdMob manager:
```java
AdMobManager adMobManager = new AdMobManager(this);
adMobManager.loadAd();

1. To display the ad, add the following code to your game's main activity:

   adMobManager.showAd();

   To hide the ad, add the following code:

   adMobManager.hideAd();

   Step 3: Creating a Leaderboard

To create a leaderboard, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Google Play Games website and sign in with your Google account.
2. Click on the "Create a game" button and select "Android" as the platform.
3. Fill in the required information, such as your game name and description.
4. Click on the "Create" button to create your game.
5. In the "Leaderboards" tab, click on the "Create a leaderboard" button.
6. Fill in the required information, such as the leaderboard name and description.
7. Click on the "Create" button to create your leaderboard.

Step 4: Integrating the Leaderboard into your Santa Skiing game

To integrate the leaderboard into your Santa Skiing game, follow these steps:

1. In your game's main activity, add the following code to initialize the Google Play Games API:

   Games.initialize(this, "YOUR_GAME_ID", "YOUR_CLIENT_ID");

   Replace "YOUR_GAME_ID" with the actual ID of your game and "YOUR_CLIENT_ID" with the actual ID of your client.

2. To submit a score to the leaderboard, add the following code:

   Games.getLeaderboardIntent("YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID").resolveIntent(this);

   Replace "YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID" with the actual ID of your leaderboard.

3. To display the leaderboard, add the following code:

   Games.getLeaderboardIntent("YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID").resolveIntent(this);

   Replace "YOUR_LEADERBOARD_ID" with the actual ID of your leaderboard.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have shown you how to integrate AdMob and a leaderboard into your Santa Skiing game. By following these steps, you can monetize your game with ads and create a engaging experience for your players. Remember to replace the placeholders with your actual AdMob ad unit ID and Google Play Games IDs. Happy coding!