The V4T - Videogames 4 Teachers project

Games

Translation:

This Section provides access to an Online database of:
• The best educational Videogames and mobile apps available on the market
• The most suitable Videogames and Apps that, even if not specifically designed for educational purpose, can be used as teaching or learning tools with students

Videogames and apps are categorized, analyzed and assessed in order to provide the teachers with all the necessary information and hints to make full use of the Videogames and Apps in teaching contexts.

Partners' Institution
FH JOANNEUM

Author
Erika Pernold

APPS/VIDEOGAMES

Product type
Educational videogame

Name of the videogame/app
CodeCombat

Name of the producer
CodeCombat

Year
2013

How to find it
To be Purchased

Direct link if available
https://codecombat.com/play

Main technical requirements
Windows

Other CodeCombat runs best on computers with at least 4GB of RAM, on a modern browser such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge. Chromebooks with 2GB of RAM may have minor graphics issues in later courses. A minimum of 200 Kbps bandwidth per student is required,

Native Virtual Reality Support
No

Single/Multiplayer
Single

Type
Adventure, Educational, Authoring tool

Target Audience
6-11 years, 12-17 years, 18+ years

Augmented Reality
No

PEGI Clasification
not indicated

Use in Educational contexts

Degree of required tutoring
Autonomous use after teacher introduction/explanation

Subjects involved
ICT

Educational Potential
CodeCombat is a platform for students to learn computer science while playing through a real game. Students write code and see their changes update in real-time. Getting students to typed code as quickly as possible is critical to learning programming syntax and proper structure. Gaming is a medium that encourages interaction, discovery, and trial-and-error. A good game challenges the player to master skills over time, which is the same critical process students go through as they learn. CodeCombat is a game that gives players agency and confidence with the robust typed code engine, which helps beginner and advanced students alike write proper, valid code. Students can learn Python or JavaScript.

Learning Object / Suggested activities with students
CodeCombat could be used as the main computer science curriculum in school. A set of curriculum resources in the Resource Hub is published, which includes lesson plans, exercises, activities and writing prompts to encourage reflection and retention. They also provide printable guides available for students to reference as they work through levels and they provide level solutions for every course so teachers can help spot and correct errors in students’s code as they come up.

You can find the following Classroom-in-a-Box Pacing Guides – see https://codecombat.com/teachers/resources:
• Elementary School Pacing Guide
• Middle School Pacing Guide
• High School Pacing Guide

Elementary School Pacing Guide suggestions:
1. Assign courses one at a time
2. Use curriculum lessons to introduce concepts
3. Pair up students of different levels
4. Assess mastery using projects and arenas
5. Give extra credit for practice levels
6. Refer to activity guides throughout the year

Skills and competences

Skills and competences acquired
CodeCombat’s curriculum can be used to learn programming in either JavaScript or Python, which teachers will choose upon creation of their classroom inside the CodeCombat platform.

Soft skills
Problem solving, Creativity, Resilience, Time management, Team working

2 Comments

Partners' Institution
FH JOANNEUM

Author of the comments
Andreas Schuch

This game looks very suitable for teaching students basic programming concepts in a playful manner. However, especially for the age group of 6-11, I feel I'd use an even more visual and basic tool like "Scratch" (https://scratch.mit.edu/) FIRST to introduce my students to certain programming concepts. Then, once basic programming concepts have been introduced, CodeCombat would serve as an ideal follow up to delve into the world of Python or JavaScript and go "deeper". I agree with Ignacio Pach

Partners' Institution
Xano Channel

Author of the comments
Ignacio Pachés Giner

I've tried this game and it's an excellent choice for students as the review says. There's another big thing about this game: Whereas we, teachers, know this is a learning tool, and powerful indeed; the students will perceive it simply as a game. The way they have to manage to succeed in every leve (writing code) is just another type of controlling the in-game character. For young players, it's just as if the game designers had come up with a new, challenging way of gameplay.

Additionally, The visual layout, artistic work, is as complete, detailed and beautiful as any similar web game. It simply doesn't feel a learning tool until you realize you need to code.