Without a doubt, coding is one of the most important and highly sought-after skills in this age of information technology. With each passing day, the need to use software applications is increasing. The number of software applications available in the market to serve various purposes is also rising rapidly.
Such a situation has made coding a fundamental skill. So, everyone has to learn to code. Even kids can benefit vastly from learning coding. Some people might assume that learning to code might be boring. That might be true, if not for the coding games. Who doesn’t love playing games? And what if you can learn to code just by playing amazing games?
More and more, educators are learning that gaming can be effectively used for learning. Complex subjects like STEM topics can be visualized and simplified through animation and gamification. Coding is no different.
Yes, beginners can learn to code in one or multiple programming languages by playing interactive games. It is different but it’s a fun and interesting approach. A large array of games are available in the market for you to pick and get started with coding right away. Here, in this article, we are going to discuss some of the best ones.
Best coding games for beginners
1. CodinGame
CodinGame is a free, and very user-friendly game that makes learning programming easy for you. Java, PHP, JavaScript, Ruby, and more than 25 programming languages are supported in this game. You can choose to learn all of them just by playing this single game. CodinGame not only enables you to learn and practice coding but also allows you to participate in international contests to show your coding skills.
Learning a programming language, its tricks, and its algorithms is easy with CodinGame because the courses here are designed by the best developers in the world. You have to make a profile in the game before playing it. Your profile is strengthened as advance in the game. You can also opt to enable tech companies to check out your profile.
The best thing about this coding game is that it can act as both a collaborative as well as an independent platform, depending on your requirements.
2. CodeCombat
No matter what your age, if you are a beginner in the coding arena then you should try out CodeCombat. The game is available for free trial and then can be used with a premium plan that can cost you $9.99 per month.
With a free account, you can learn all the must-knows of programming including variables, loops, conditionals, and functions. It is claimed that this game has over 20 million learners/users around the world.
CodeCombat is a very interactive and engaging coding game for beginners that offers an immersive learning experience to players. The game hosts a fantasy-themed world that the players have to navigate by solving challenges and defeating enemies. And those tasks are done by writing code.
You can pick any programming language you want to play with or learn from a wide range of options available in CodeCombat. The good thing about this game is that it supports all the popular programming languages like Java, JavaScript, and Python. The game offers a visually engaging environment for the players that enables them to immediately see the results of their code.
3. Scratch
Scratch is a block-based programming game that helps you learn about the variables, conditionals, events, and more. This is not entirely a game but a sort of framework built by MIT for beginners to enable them to build their animations and games using various programming languages.
Scratch renders a variety of backgrounds, sounds, and sprites that can help learners understand the basics of programming and start coding their creations. This programming game is so popular and effective that it is even used in Harvard’s CS50: Introduction to Computer Science course during its first week.
4. LightBot
If you think a game of puzzles can’t teach you coding, think again. LightBot is a puzzle game that teaches you various concepts of coding like functions, conditionals, and loops. It is considered one of the most ideal platforms to learn programming as the game comes with simple yet intuitive graphics.
The game includes challenges that users have to solve using code and logic. As they advance into this coding game online, the challenges become more difficult and they would increasingly need more skills and expertise for coding. In this way, the users won’t be only solving the problems at different levels but will also be learning about various concepts of programming.
This game is so relaxing and entertaining that even kids can learn to code without feeling it a burden like some kind of school assignment. This game is available to play as an app for Amazon, Android, and iOS devices.
5. Ruby Warrior
This coding game is specifically designed to teach beginners, the way of Ruby, the programming language. It also helps you master AI technology in a fun and interactive manner.
In the game, you will have to play a warrior who is on a quest to find a precious Ruby hidden at the top level of a tall tower. As you start climbing, you will face new challenges on every level where you either have to rescue hostages, defeat enemies, or even reach the stairs. You have to write a script in Ruby programming language to complete these challenges.
You can also modify your code even after clearing a level. The reason behind this is to allow you to try out different ideas before you move on to the next level. It’s an ideal game to learn to code in Ruby.
6. Swift Playgrounds
Learning the basic elements of coding is easy with Swift Playgrounds. It’s a game for beginners, especially for kids above age 10. The game provides various puzzles and minigames for kids to increase their curiosity to learn programming.
All the puzzles are very interactive. Swift Playgrounds also enables the kids to experiment with their code while learning the basic functions and terms of coding. It covers a wide range of topics to teach like commands, parameters, conditional coding, and more.
This puzzle game of coding for kids and beginners is very captivating as you can use more creativity and experimentation with the increase in game levels. The game is even free to use. But the only drawback is that it is only available on the iOS platforms and devices.
7. Flexbox Froggy
Flexbox Froggy is one of the free and simple coding games available in the market. Players can use this game to learn how to write CSS code. This game helps users learn the intricacies of the CSS along with aligning the page elements with Flexbox.
You can play this game with your friends. There are a total of 24 levels in this game and the level of difficulty rises gradually. By the time you reach the last level, you will be skilled enough to work on your next project with Flexbox. FlexBox Froggy is an intuitive and easy-to-play coding game for beginners.
Final words
The top 7 coding games we discussed in this article can help beginners start their journey to become master programmers. And this journey would never have been so interesting and enjoyable if these interactive games weren’t there. Such coding games make the expression “learn for fun” true.
This is just a teaser, there are many coding games available out there, and you can try and test them out to learn and sharpen your programming skills.
But coding isn’t the only educational theme available in games today. Here at Nerd’s Magazine, we want everyone to be a lifelong learner, so here are some suggestions for your next read!
- How to Effectively Use Games for Learning
- 10 Best Online English Learning Games for Young Learners
- Top 10 Fun Art Games Online
