Review by David Thomas, Common Sense Education | Updated June 2014

Beta

Bite-size coding, novel interface challenge novice game developers

Subjects & skills

Grades This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.

6–12

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Tutorial puzzle levels help players learn the Beta code system.

Adding features makes levels more challenging.

Pros: Polished interface and rich coding platform open up game programming to beginners.

Cons: Often-confusing interface can stymie eager new coders.

Bottom Line: Offers a promising new direction in the world of code-learning tools, but offers its own unique language rather than a standard one, so expect some quirks.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Beta offers a reasonably rich set of tools for game development that should work well as part of a game-development class or club. The depth of the tool set, and the fact that players can easily load levels created by the Beta team and others, will provide users with plenty of challenges as they improve their coding skills. Because Beta has its own programming language, however, and uses a sometimes awkward interface, teachers might find they have to spend more time than they would like supporting the idiosyncrasies of the tool. Ultimately, though, Beta makes coding easy, which will draw students in and get them started.

What Is It?

Beta provides a candy-colored, block-shaped world ready for some Super Mario Bros.-style running and jumping action. The polished graphics and simple style draw the player in. But into what? Moving around on the screen, players soon discover they'll take on the role of coder: writing short, simple scripts to control an on-screen world.

Moving, jumping, and shooting in this world provide a familiar gaming context. As the player soon discovers, writing short code commands, such as "add crate" or "add platform x:3 y:5," provide the depth in the game. Tutorial levels help players learn the game's codePOP program environment, offering puzzle-like challenges that require programming code snippets to modify each level.

Patient players who stick with the game long enough to become versed in the terse codePOP terminal can invest their skills in designing new game levels that they can store and share through the Beta network. But everyone who plays Beta will learn at least a little code as they program to play.

Is It Good for Learning?

Many educational programming games feature go-as-you-play formats. What sets Beta apart is the proprietary codePOP environment. Blending concepts from code scripting and object-oriented programming makes writing codePOP commands fairly simple. Because of this, a teacher who wants to encourage kids to try out coding will find Beta an easy way for students to dip their toes in the water. Since the code approach itself is somewhat novel, however, students may have some difficultly translating their Beta learning to more traditional programming languages.

Also, while the game offers a seemingly endless stream of alerts, pop-up code tips, articles, and how-to YouTube videos, it can still be a little hard to learn. Teachers should count on spending time walking students through the basics of the game, the interface, and the codePOP language before letting students go off on their own.

Rating Details

Overall Rating

Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

A game-building system that turns tweet-sized code commands into on-screen actions sounds like a perfect fit for young game developers. In practice, Beta gets confusing fast, leaving players more intrigued than engaged.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Beta's "type code and see the result" approach to game building and puzzle solving will immediately connect with teachers looking for a way to bring programming to life.

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Despite tutorial levels, a wiki, and lots of walk-through videos on YouTube, Beta needs an easy place to ask questions and a more formal curriculum to help teachers get up to speed and frame a series of classroom activities.

Common Sense Reviewer

David Thomas Director of academic technology

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