AngryChipmunk

A video game that teaches you how to code

It’s that time of year when we all start making New Year’s resolutions. Why not learn how to code?

“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think,” Steve Jobs said.

But for a beginner, learning to code from scratch can be intimidating.

Enter CodeSpells. UC San Diego computer scientists developed this video game to teach people how to code. The story line is simple: You’re a wizard that uses spells (i.e. code) to navigate through the world, fight off foes, and solve problems.

While experienced coders can delve deep into the programming to create some truly devastating spells, newbies can easily experiment with the simple drag-and-drop coding interface.

If you’re into Minecraft, the CodeSpells team also has developed LearnToMod — a tool that teaches coding through Minecraft.

Looking for more resources?

Here are a few online courses, software and games to get you started.

Scratch — is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.

CodeAcademy — tutorials on HTML/CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PhP, Python, Ruby