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I see there's a website for Code with interactive examples (in another thread), I wonder if he has a perspective on using interactive games for teaching this ki

by hcs 4y ago

I see there's a website for Code with interactive examples (in another thread), I wonder if he has a perspective on using interactive games for teaching this kind of "build a computer from logic gates" material. Examples are the recent "Turing Complete", goes back at least to Rocky's Boots on the Apple II. Has he seen any of these he thought were effective, does he think it's a useful approach?

localhost 4y ago
Oh wow. I didn't know about the Turing Complete game on Steam[1] I just watched the trailer. Added to my list of questions. Thanks! [1] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1444480/Turing_Complete/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1444480/Turing_Complete/
- hcs 4y ago
  Turing Complete is quite rough around the edges (still in early access), but it's very ambitious. In my opinion these don't tend to succeed well as games, even puzzle games. The steps they need to take you through can feel very arbitrary and dull, they tend to bog down in wire routing, and they can be very difficult if you don't know the relevant digital logic already (and boring if you do, or if the game tutorializes it heavily). I'd prefer something that more rapidly ascends in abstraction, embedded in a context where it's natural for players to puzzle out the solutions themselves, e.g. how embodied and gamelike Rocky's Boots was, even if it didn't go far in building up anything complex. Some more examples: - Silicon Zeroes, focus on clocks and speed: https://store.steampowered.com/app/684270/Silicon_Zeroes/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/684270/Silicon_Zeroes/ - Prime Mover, at a somewhat higher data packet level, freer hierarchical structure: https://store.steampowered.com/app/693700/Prime_Mover/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/693700/Prime_Mover/ - ComPressure, continuous signals in steam machines! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1528120/ComPressure/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1528120/ComPressure/ - MHRD, code in an HDL, avoids the routing issue but text can be unappealing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/576030/MHRD/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/576030/MHRD/

by hcs 4y ago

localhost 4y ago

Oh wow. I didn't know about the Turing Complete game on Steam[1] I just watched the trailer. Added to my list of questions. Thanks! [1] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1444480/Turing_Complete/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1444480/Turing_Complete/

hcs 4y ago
Turing Complete is quite rough around the edges (still in early access), but it's very ambitious. In my opinion these don't tend to succeed well as games, even puzzle games. The steps they need to take you through can feel very arbitrary and dull, they tend to bog down in wire routing, and they can be very difficult if you don't know the relevant digital logic already (and boring if you do, or if the game tutorializes it heavily). I'd prefer something that more rapidly ascends in abstraction, embedded in a context where it's natural for players to puzzle out the solutions themselves, e.g. how embodied and gamelike Rocky's Boots was, even if it didn't go far in building up anything complex. Some more examples: - Silicon Zeroes, focus on clocks and speed: https://store.steampowered.com/app/684270/Silicon_Zeroes/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/684270/Silicon_Zeroes/ - Prime Mover, at a somewhat higher data packet level, freer hierarchical structure: https://store.steampowered.com/app/693700/Prime_Mover/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/693700/Prime_Mover/ - ComPressure, continuous signals in steam machines! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1528120/ComPressure/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1528120/ComPressure/ - MHRD, code in an HDL, avoids the routing issue but text can be unappealing: https://store.steampowered.com/app/576030/MHRD/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/576030/MHRD/