CodeCombat

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CodeCombat is a game-based approach to teaching coding. To begin, teacher users must register with the website and create a class. Once created, teachers can click the “View Class” option and invite student users by sending them the class code or providing them with a link. Student users will then need to register with the website. Once they are registered, student users can begin playing the game and teacher users can monitor their progress from the “Class View” screen.

To play the game, student users will select an avatar and type code to guide their avatar past threats, through courses, and around obstacles to collect gems and complete stages. To support student users, CodeCombat provides guidance in writing the code and it models how to do so as student users complete new tasks throughout the game. For teacher users, they can click the “Course Guides” option to learn about the different modules and skills student users will complete and learn as they progress through the game’s different stages. In addition, the “Resource Hub” and “FAQ” sections provide teacher users with support for utilizing this game effectively in the classroom.

Please Note: A limited amount of content is available for free on this site. Student licenses will need to be purchased to access all of the website’s content.

Instructional Ideas for CodeCombat

1. As an independent learning activity, teachers can have students play this game for a period of time (e.g., 15, 30, 45 minutes). Afterwards, teachers can have students write a summary of the different skills they learned and what they accomplished using Evernote, which can be sent to their teacher for grading.
2. After students learn a coding skill from playing this game, teachers can have them view a variety of websites with the purpose of identifying that piece of coding being embedded into the website and explaining its functionality. Students can analyze the complexity of the code, reverse engineer that code based on their observations, and make suggestions about how the code might be improved to enhance the website. Students can complete this activity in small groups and then each group can present the website and their findings to the class.
3. To further ensure students have an understanding of the code, teachers can create a grid on the floor using tape and place obstacles on the grid. Next, teachers can print out handouts with arrows and computer coding commands on them. Students will then have to select a classmate to stand on the grid and then use the handouts as “code” to move their classmate through the grid without encountering an obstacle. The goal is to simulate the coding process in the game.

Screenshots of CodeCombat