10 best coding games to improve your skills
Do you remember the distant days from your childhood, when you spent the whole day, and sometimes even did not eat all day, to play games on Nintendo? (Ah, the days of Mario and Contra !!!)
Since that time, games have undergone gigantic transformations and the sphere has become more extensive. This is no longer just a hobby. There are many programming games available on the Internet right now and you can use them to learn and hone your skills in a fun way. What’s more, these games can help you improve your problem solving skills as you have to solve problems of varying difficulty, as well as compete with other experienced programmers around the world. Especially for the start of new course streams Fullstack Python developer, development in C # and Java development, in this article we have selected several such games, playing which you can simultaneously download yourself.
1. Untrusted
The Adventures of Dr. Eval!
Untrusted is an online adventure game designed for people who want to practice and test their JavaScript skills. In this game, you are required to guide Dr. Eval through the machine continuum and alter his reality in order to gain freedom. The game provides you with a rogue-like gaming environment and a JavaScript console window. You will have access to all the source codes, but in order to be saved, you need to make the necessary changes to this code.
The game has several levels, such as cellBlockA, where you will generate and remove walls, theLongWayOut, in which you need to create a new exit, and much more. The game is a pretty fun journey if you have a good knowledge of JavaScript concepts and programming. The game interface looks like this:
2. Robocode
It would be great to learn programming, and create battle robots-tanks (sounds fun, right?).
Yes, you can do it in the famous game – Robocode. Robocode allows you to develop a robot battle tank using Java or .NET to combat other tanks. You need to write an AI for the robot so that it knows what to do and how to react to events taking place on the battlefield.
The game is very useful for learning and practicing several programming languages such as Java, Scala, and C # … It will also help you get into the realm of artificial intelligence. What’s more, Robocode provides you with a complete development environment: it has its own installer, built-in robot editor and Java compiler. Plus, Robocode is an open source project and you can all come up with your own add-ons or modes to showcase your development skills.
3. Elevator Saga
Elevator Saga helps you demonstrate your JavaScript skills in the context of programming elevator movements to transport people efficiently. The tasks are very different, starting with simple ones: transporting 15 people in 60 seconds or less, etc., and they gradually become more complicated. You need to come up with an optimized algorithm to reduce the waiting time for passengers. The game is really very useful for working on your JavaScript skills and algorithm optimization approaches.
Plus, Elevator Saga’s interface is pretty simple, all you need to do is enter your code in the input box and hit the “Apply” button to start the challenge. Some of the code examples for the Elevator Saga are listed below to give you a general idea:
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to tell the elevator to move to the 1st floor: elevator.goToFloor (1);
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to stop the elevator if it is moving: elevator.stop ();
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to get the floor number the elevator is currently on: elevator.currentFloor ();
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and many others.
4. Vim Adventures
If you often have difficulty with VIM, then Vim Adventures is definitely for you !! Vim Adventures is an online game that allows you to learn VIM hotkeys and other well-known concepts in a fun and engaging way through a Zelda-like gaming environment. This game makes it easy to learn and understand the powerful text editor Vim, which will later help you become a more efficient programmer.
At the beginning of the game, you can only move in four directions (left, right, up and down), and as the game progresses, you encounter other aspects such as talking to people, collecting items and keyboard buttons, etc. Each keyboard key is added to a set of commands you can use until you become a VIM expert. In addition, whenever you pick up a key, the game explains its purpose for better understanding.
5. CodeCombat
CodeCombat is mainly recommended for those people who have little or no coding experience, as the game not only helps you practice your skills, but also provides a wonderful learning experience in a playful format. You can learn various programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, Lua, etc. through the game. You will need to write code in any of these languages to tell the character what to do. Moreover, the game starts with simple puzzles and tasks, and then the difficulty level gradually increases. And, yes, the game also includes various tutorials to help you master the syntax of the language.
In addition, CodeCombat is an open source project and you can not only learn and play, but also contribute to the source code to add new features, fix bugs, etc. to improve your coding level. What else is needed?
6. Flexbox Defense
Flexbox Defense is truly one of the best ways to build your CSS Flexbox knowledge and skills! This is a tower defense game in which you have to prevent the approaching enemies from passing through your defenses by moving the towers so that the turrets can shoot at the invading enemies before they pass through you. You need to use the ‘justify-content’ property in the container to position your towers. A few of the most common values accepted by the justify-content property are as follows:
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flex-start: group items at the start of the main axis
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flex-end: group items at the end of the main axis
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center: group items in the center;
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space-around: distribute items evenly along the main axis so that there is equal space around all items.
There are many other CSS Flexbox properties that are used in the game, such as align-items, flex-direction, order, and a few others.
7. Code Hunt
Another game on the list that can help you practice and improve your programming skills in a playful manner is Code Hunt. This is a programming game from Microsoft Research. The game is based on puzzles that you must learn using the given hints and test cases. First you need to define a template and then write a solution. Code Hunt allows you to master two well-known languages - Java and C #. The game is designed to teach you the basics of these two languages.
Because Code Hunt is owned by Microsoft, it is preferred by millions of students (and even professionals) around the world, and if you’re looking forward to strengthening your Java or C # skills in a more fun way, you can certainly give it a try.
8. CheckIO
CheckIO is a programming game that allows you to improve your skills, especially in two languages - Python and TypeScript. The game is recommended for both beginners and experienced programmers to improve their skills, as it provides you with many exciting challenges of various difficulty levels. Each set of these challenges is located on different islands, and users need to solve the required challenge or puzzle in order to move from one island to another. In addition, CheckIO’s enriching and supportive community helps you share knowledge and experience with different brilliant minds around the world.
You won’t believe that teachers and instructors use CheckIO in their curriculum or classroom to help students practice programming skills. Moreover, the game is highly customizable and you can always contribute to it.
9. Screeps
And here is another popular programming game for all programmers – Screeps! This is an online real-time strategy game that requires you to have at least some basic programming knowledge. In this game you need to create your own colony in a certain world accessible to all players. And the colony will be able to extract resources, create units and conquer territories. Moreover, it is necessary to program how the units react to events, and you can do this using the JavaScript programming language.
You also need to know that scripting Screeps is no different than writing any other JavaScript application. And you can also split your scripts into modules using Node.js syntax to make the game more convenient.
In addition, you can use other languages like C ++, etc., and you can also compile with WebAssembly. Screeps also allows you to contribute to the development of the game engine and change the behavior of game objects.
10. CSS Diner
Finally, CSS Diner is a programming game that helps you practice and improve your CSS skills. The game helps you manage CSS selectors at all 32 levels included in the game. And the difficulty level of each round increases as you progress through the game. The game consists of different exciting levels depending on several important attributes such as id, classname, empty, first-child, only-of-type and many others. Moreover, if you need a hint to solve a certain level, all you have to do is hover over the elements in the table and view the HTML markup.
The game will provide you with a better understanding for selecting specific elements in HTML and CSS and will subsequently help you navigate DOM elements when it comes to JavaScript. And the best part is that you can play CSS Diner in your browser without any cost or hassle like logging in, creating an account, etc.
There are several other games to consider as well: Codewars, SQL Murder Mystery, and Duskers. Needless to say, almost every tech enthusiast is addicted to gaming in one way or another. And with the coding games mentioned above, you can improve your skills in a more fun and adventurous way. However, you are not advised to compromise on the ongoing learning process and use these games for a limited time, as too much is always unfavorable.
If you have any useful game projects like these in mind, but not included in the list, share them in the comments!
We have shared the games, and now we will share the relevant training programs. Those who lack the “strong shoulder” of a mentor in mastering new things, which will help to bring what has been started to the end – welcome to our programs Fullstack Python developer, development in C # and Java development and may the force be with you.
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