CODINGJOB: A SERIOUS GAME TO ASSIST IN C PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE SUBJECTS
Serious Games. C Programming Language. Digital Games. Constructionism
Among all the subjects of courses in the computing area, those that involve programming are seen as vital to the academic and professional progress of students. However, these subjects are highlighted in several surveys as complex and generally have a high dropout and/or failure rate. The factors that cause this problem to occur can be several, from a deficient basic education in logic and mathematics, lack of interest in exercises, lack of time to practice outside the classroom, difficulties in abstracting syntax from a programming language, among others. Given this scenario, it is believed that the development of a tool that motivates students to practice programming outside class hours and that has a more playful and less formal content, such as a digital game. Digital games have been used in education with varying degrees of success for decades. Currently, serious games are known for uniting the playful and programmatic content of several disciplines, with the possibility of being used inside and outside the classroom. Observing this possibility, this work aims to build a digital game in a serious game format, which should
help its players to practice C programming in a simple and safe environment for the student’s practice and exploration. Based on constructionist concepts, the game aims to use features of a micro world, a concept developed by Seymour Papert, in which the student has a study environment provided with tools that allow him to explore the content, producing solutions and building knowledge.