Parents' Guide to

CodeCombat

By D T, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Defeat enemies with your newly learned programming skills.

Website https://codecombat.com/
CodeCombat Poster Image

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age 9+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Nebby
Nebby Adult
December 4, 2021
age 7+

May be fine for younger kids who have help

I've been using CodeCombat to introduce my 6-7 year old to coding concepts. He couldn't complete many exercises independently yet but he's engaged and contributing when we work through them together. It seems to be more engaging than Scratch, I think because it's more directed and provides the player with a motivation. The fantasy combat/violence may trouble some younger kids. In our case Minecraft as a precursor has meant it's no big deal. I'm troubled by the in-game currency and nags to sign up for premium, mainly because of other more toxic games that employ those mechanics, but they probably aren't an issue if they're contextualised appropriately.

This title has:

Too much consumerism
JEAN S.
JEAN S. Adult
May 28, 2017
age 12+

Great way to learn code!

Children in no time can lean coding basics and have fun at the same time. Highly recommended.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
See all 3 parent reviews

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What’s It About?

Set in a medieval land of knights, ogres, wizards, and warriors, CODECOMBAT skips most of the mythical narrative to get right to the task at hand: defeating your opponent. Players write short JavaScript, Python, or other featured programs that instruct characters on where to walk, what to do, and when to fight. Learning to code new behaviors makes the player more effective, whereas simply writing scripts that send warriors screaming into battle usually ends up in a messy loss.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (2 ):

At its best, this programming game integrates JavaScript, Python, and other coding so effortlessly that players will be programming before they know it. CodeCombat will motivate kids to want to learn more about computer programming, but it also focuses on writing programs. Without some additional support and training, don't expect to take your CodeCombat programming skills and create the next hit iPhone app. The important principles of coding and the syntax of the various included programming languages are an important first step in leading the life of a coder. And this is where CodeCombat excels.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how programmers create the behavior of characters in video games such as CodeCombat. Do you think it's easy to create unique traits for characters in games? How easy would it be to change these characteristics once you learn how to program?

  • How does solving a problem, such as beating a game level, force you to approach it in separate parts? Can this apply to every problem, or are there some problems that can't be broken into pieces?

  • The game includes multiple languages you can learn. Why learn one language over another? What is similar or different about the various program languages included in the game?

Website Details

  • Subjects: Arts : playing, Hobbies : building
  • Skills: Thinking & Reasoning : applying information, decision-making, defining problems, hypothesis-testing, logic, problem solving, solving puzzles, strategy, thinking critically, Creativity : combining knowledge, Self-Direction : achieving goals, Emotional Development : persevering, Communication : asking questions, Tech Skills : digital creation, using and applying technology
  • Genre: Educational
  • Topics: Magic and Fantasy , Adventures
  • Pricing structure: Free to try (30-day trial then it's $99 per year for self-paced learning, or $219 per month for weekly private classes or $399 per month for twice weekly.)
  • Last updated: October 15, 2021

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