Teaching Programming Concepts by Developing Games

TL;DR

This paper explores teaching programming concepts through developing a simple Tic-Tac-Toe game in C++, emphasizing engaging methods for students to learn object-oriented programming.

Contribution

It proposes using a familiar game and C++ to effectively teach core programming concepts, highlighting an engaging educational approach.

Findings

Students find game-based learning engaging

Using familiar games simplifies understanding of programming concepts

The approach enhances motivation and comprehension in programming education

Abstract

Learning to program could possibly be analogous to acquiring expertise in abstract mathematics, which may be boring or dull for a majority of students. Thus, among the countless options to approach learning coding [1-14], acquiring concepts through game creation could possibly be the most enriching experience for students. Consequently, it is important to select a lucid and familiar game for students. Then, the following step is to choose a language that introduces the basic concepts of object-oriented programming really well. For this paper, we chose the game of Tic-Tac-Toe, which is straight-forward for most people. The programming language chosen here is C++.