Clever Geek Handbook

10 games for programmers to improve your skills



Planning to learn Java, C ++ or Python but not sure where to start? What about games for programmers?



Yes exactly.



While gaming has traditionally been associated with entertainment, emerging trends show that gamification can significantly improve the speed at which information is absorbed. In many areas of knowledge, including in programming courses, many educational games have appeared.



Let's find out how gamification helps us learn better and what games can help us become a programmer!



What is gamification?



In a literal sense, gamification refers to the introduction of game elements into some kind of activity, such as teaching, shopping, marketing, or even performing financial transactions. It can be complete - a game as a way to achieve a goal, or partial, when game elements complement other activities.



The following applications are prominent examples of gamification:



  • Duolingo language learning app
  • Starbucks My Starbucks Rewards Promotional Product
  • BBVA Game of BBVA bank, which is also intended for advertising services
  • Environmental Initiative Simple Energy
  • and many others


How does gamification help you learn new skills?



Play is the most natural way for humans to learn , and this is confirmed by many studies. Research shows that game learning performs better than traditional lecture-based learning because this is how we are inherently accustomed to accepting new information. Playing, experimenting, trying and failing alone or with friends is always more fun than reading books, code, or formulas for hours on end. Even as we grow up, the situation does not change.



On the other hand, reading and cramming - the more familiar approach used in schools, universities and at work - is more difficult for the human brain. However, the traditional approach has its advantages and therefore it is always best to combine the best of both systems.



10 best games for programmers to improve your development / programming skills



So, if you want to take the first steps in programming in the easiest and most interesting way, which game should you choose or where to start? Let's list the best games!



CodeGym





CodeGym is an interactive Java learning platform with over 600 mini-lectures and 1200 tasks to help you learn from scratch. Keep in mind that Java is one of the most popular programming languages ​​for beginners, so CodeGym can be a great start to your career.



Programming languages : Java



Pros:



  • Practical and applicable exercises
  • Convenient combination of theory and practice
  • Friendly learning style that's easy to understand
  • Simple interface
  • Ideal for beginners


Minuses:



  • Java only


Price: Free zero tier, then $ 49 / month or $ 499 / year.



CodeMonkey





Code Monkey is a popular interactive puzzle game that helps you intuitively learn to code. It provides basic knowledge of coding practice, as well as real programming languages, and has levels of increasing complexity.



Programming languages: CoffeeScript (similar to JavaScript) and Python



Pros:



  • Very easy to get started and understand the basics
  • Accessible for children (from 7 years old)
  • Localization in 20 languages


Minuses:



  • Sometimes theory is lacking
  • Only 90 lessons


Price: Starts at $ 6 per month



Code hunt





Code Hunt is a Microsoft Research educational game that lets you learn the C # and Java programming languages. This is a browser application. Students go through a short tutorial on each part and then select snippets of code to get the desired passing score.



Programming languages: Java and C #



Pros:



  • This way of learning helps you find truly elegant solutions and use them in your future work.
  • Code Hunt has a large, friendly community


Minuses:



  • Too practical (lack of theory)
  • Can't skip levels


Price: Free



CheckIO and Empire of Code





CheckIO is a JavaScript learning strategy game. This is a web game that allows you not only to learn yourself, but also to use other people's solutions to improve your score.



Empire of Code is a new CheckIO project. It is a world building game where you can defend your base by solving different types of challenges.



Programming languages: JavaScript and Python



Pros:



  • Very addicting games with great tasks
  • Good tool for preparing for developer interviews
  • Users can share their experience in problem solving
  • Support for more than 10 languages


Minuses:



  • According to some user reviews, slow
  • Navigation is not always easy
  • It's best to learn the basics before you start.


Price: Free



CSS Diner





CSS Diner is a simple yet fun game to get you started with CSS selectors.



Languages: CSS



Pros:



  • Very easy to start and learn
  • Simple interface that you learn quickly


Minuses:



  • This is a simple game to learn just a few aspects of CSS.


Price: Free



CodinGame





CodinGame is a collection of games, puzzles and challenges to help beginners, experienced and even professional programmers hone their skills in the most fun way, and gain community recognition.



Programming languages: more than a dozen



Pros:



  • Different types of tasks and assignments
  • Ability to play with friends
  • Excellent supportive community with experienced mentors
  • Used by companies to find and recruit developers


Minuses:



  • Doesn't teach good skills
  • Not for beginners (requires at least basic knowledge)


Price: Free



Robocode





Robocode has a simple interface that lets you create your own robot tanks and engage in real-time battles with other players.



Programming languages: mostly Java, but other languages ​​are also available (e.g. Kotlin, .Net, Scala).



Pros:



  • A fun and relaxing way to learn programming and hone your skills
  • Ability to play with friends


Minuses:



  • Quite primitive (only tank battles are available)
  • Doesn't teach good skills


Price: Free



CodeWars





CodeWars allows you to start from scratch and train to the level of an experienced programmer. You can improve your skills and reach higher levels. The game mimics the Japanese martial arts called "kata", you will need to write code to convert certain inputs into outputs. The best thing about CodeWars is that it rewards your decisions based on the level of optimization, since each problem has several possible solutions. The higher the difficulty level, the higher your rank.



Programming languages: 29 main and 26 additional languages



Pros:



  • Adaptable to your level and desired programming language
  • Exciting quests and rank system
  • Share your solution with others and compare it to improve your skills
  • Used by companies to hire developers


Minuses:



  • Doesn't teach good skills
  • Not for beginners (at least basic skills are required)


Price: Free



Cyber ​​dojo





Cyber ​​Dojo is like a real dojo where you practice and improve your skills. This web application allows programmers and development teams to think through coding practices and achieve high skill levels and improve coding skills.



Programming languages: over 35 programming languages



Pros:



  • Very simple interface
  • Supports a large number of programming languages


Minuses:



  • Doesn't teach good skills
  • Not for beginners (at least basic skills are required)
  • Limited number of tasks


Price: Free (donations are possible).





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