Code Arcade

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🕹️ Learn how to program with Code Arcade:

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Background

I joined the GameDev.tv Game Jam 2024, but the theme was Last Stand and I decided not to use it.

I wanted to create a game that could teach programming fundamentals—something like Untrusted but more beginner-friendly.

I chose Kaboom.js as the game engine because:

  1. the API is easy-to-use and learn
  2. the library has a flexible component system
  3. the functions are injected into the global namespace

I created a prototype in Replit where I rendered a CodeMirror editor next to a game canvas. I added a button to “Run” the code from the editor.

But because the game keeps rendering in the same window, the game starts lagging after a few playthroughs due to memory leaks.

So I moved the code to GitHub and refactored the game to render inside an inline iframe to fix the performance issues.

I then added 20+ levels and playtested it with a bunch of people. I iterated on their feedback and adjusted the level difficulty and added hints.

Finally, I submitted the game to the game jam. Let me know what you think!

Credits