Developing a game model for computational thinking and learning traditional programming through game-play

In this paper, we discuss the problems students face when learning computer programming and describe our ongoing work that enables students to learn programming through the use of puzzle solving game-play. Learning how to program is difficult and has been identified as a potential reason for the high attrition rates within the Computer Science discipline. There is a need to develop a new way for students to learn programming that incorporates motivational challenges, timely and relevant feedback whilst still remaining focused on their learning outcomes. The game model presented here incorporated these fundamentals and grounded them at an abstract computational thinking level while providing a direct connection between game-play and programming constructs