A Game-Based Approach to Teach Basic Python Programming

Abstract : This paper presents an innovative and interactive game-oriented educational platform employing the Unity game engine and C# scripting. The aim of this interactive 2D platform is to impart fundamental programming skills, specifically focusing on the Python language. This platform comprises of four challenging levels, each increasing in difficulty, providing a captivating and dynamic learning experience. The distinctive feature of the proposed platform is the usage of string matching with regular expressions to instantly evaluate the accuracy of the code entered by users, enabling them to develop their coding skills in a practical and interactive manner. The visually appealing graphics of this platform offer the user the ability to see the real-time effects of their code, rendering it more intuitive and user-friendly with real-time feedback. This platform is designed to be accessible to a diverse audience, including children and adults, making it an inclusive learning tool for people of all ages and backgrounds. The proposed platform is employed to instruct Python programming to a group of undergraduate students and the achievement of course outcomes (CO) is evaluated and contrasted with a traditional learningapproach. The comparative results are presented. The levels of attainment of COs experienced a notable improvement, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed learning platform, making it a valuable educational tool for coding novices. K e y w o r d s : G a m e d e v l o p m e n t ; p y t h o n programming; serious games