A game that lets players experience the process of software development can be an excellent way to introduce programming concepts and concepts in coding, such as loops and conditional statement. Games that allow this include Zachtronics Shenzhen I/O which puts players in the shoes of dissatisfied engineers working for an uninteresting chip maker and must design computer chips by hand. The circuits they have to design get more difficult beginning with making lights flash in a certain pattern.
The game’s interface is similar to the one is found in browsers, and it is a great way to teach scripting. Another excellent example is Screeps which incorporates JavaScript programming and massively multiplayer online gaming to create self-sustaining colonies. Both games excel at teaching basic concepts, and gradually introducing other players.
