I've always thought there should more games that do a good job teaching people to code…
I've always thought there should more games that do a good job teaching people to code, even if it's only teaching people about specific concepts, e.g. CSS Grid Garden or @channingallen's Flexbox Defense.
People love these games, especially when they're simple. The challenge is monetization. But if you teach enough concepts and package the games as a "course", I'd bet people will pay, just like they pay for courses and books from @wesbos and others.
#free-ideas
Yes! One of our students has done very well selling his mastery games focused on front end developer https://stackingthebricks.com/success-stories/dave-geddes-gridcritters-borded-job-success/
vim-adventures.com is an excellent example of a learning game that charges a subscription to access it.
Do any IndieHackers out there have recommendations for KIDS to learn to code? I have 4 of them (ages 6-13). I would love to get them into coding with something fun and education. I would really appreciate any recommendations.
Are you thinking more along the lines of MUDs/Minecraft/Factorio or games where code is explicit, like TIS-100 or Lightbot?
I have found CodinGame (https://www.codingame.com/) quite helpful in the past as they can sync into your IDE (Chrome Extension Auto Uploads).
They use free games and then users pay for additional levels and power-ups.
Thanks for sharing Courland. I hadn't looked into CSS Grid previously, and after 10 minutes playing CSS Grid Garden, I have a firm understanding of the fundamentals (and value).
As someone who hasn't coded for 15 years, the UX was approachable and enjoyable. I bookmarked Flexbox Froggy and Defense for later and look forward to playing more.
In other words, I would be into this concept as an self-driven course.
Great idea!
There's a pattern for monetization there: Packaging, rationalizing, and increasing the utility of various pieces into something that as a whole provides value worth paying for. That's partially my strategy with the new product I'm working on.