Programming Mechanics in Commercial Games: A Multiple Case Study

Abstract

Game based approaches to programming education have shown themselves to be effective at engaging students with the subject matter. The potential has been recognized since the creation of LOGO in the 1960s, and the field has seen a notable expansion since then. The most common approach these games use to teach is level by level maze navigation puzzles. In these games, players write code or place blocks to control the properties and behaviors of entities in the game. Parallel to the increase in educational games, there has been a growing niche of commercial games using programming as the main mechanic. To stand out in a saturated market, some of these games adopt novel and engaging approaches to incorporating programming into their game mechanics, going beyond simple maze navigation. This points to complementarity between educational and commercial games about programming: the former tend to be better pedagogically grounded and aligned with curricular requirements; while the latter offer more innovation and often provide a more engaging player experience. As such, learning from commercial titles could inspire new approaches in educational games about programming and make them more engaging and appealing. To this end, this paper presents a close reading of commercial programming games, with the goal of identifying potential novel directions that educational game designers could follow. Two game were chosen for the analysis: GLADIABOTS, and The Farmer Was Replaced. This article explores how they employ novel approaches to integrate programming with other mechanics and aspects of gameplay, and the learning that affords. More specifically, it looks at how the design of the game allows for the incorporation of sound computing education approaches into the core gameplay loop. As a result of the analysis, the paper presents design recommendations that can contribute to future efforts in creating engaging games for programming education