A fantasy videogame that teaches programming (within the game referred to as magic) to kids, and especially girls.
http://codemancergame.com
It's cool for many reasons.
1. It's a game, so that's cool.
2. Magic is programming (and vice versa)! I invented a minimal visual programming language for the game.
3. The current cultural context for technology is forbidding to some, so pulling the skill-building out of that context, and into a fantasy world, is more inclusive than most ways of getting started in programming.
4. An author is working on a companion book to go along with the game.
5. I've also promised an online course, 'Python for Codemancers' that will help people who beat the game transfer their skills into a real-world programming language.
It's cool for many reasons. 1. It's a game, so that's cool. 2. Magic is programming (and vice versa)! I invented a minimal visual programming language for the game. 3. The current cultural context for technology is forbidding to some, so pulling the skill-building out of that context, and into a fantasy world, is more inclusive than most ways of getting started in programming. 4. An author is working on a companion book to go along with the game. 5. I've also promised an online course, 'Python for Codemancers' that will help people who beat the game transfer their skills into a real-world programming language.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bobbylox/codemancer-a-f...