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The Games Programmers Play
An anonymous reader writes "Cort Stratton, a developer who has worked on graphics code for many first-party PS3 games, wrote an article about the kinds of games that appeal to programmers. He covers coding-friendly games of varying depth, mentioning basics like RoboRally, RoboSport and Frozen Synapse before moving on to more complex options. Quoting: 'On the surface, SpaceChem has nothing to do with programming; it's merely a futuristic puzzle game in which you build factories that convert one or more input molecules into one or more output molecules. Each factory contains a pair of independent molecule manipulators (the game calls them "waldos") which follow a fixed path through the work area. Waldos can grab, drop, and rotate molecules, make and break chemical bonds between atoms, request new input molecules and submit output molecules. ... Don't be fooled! This isn't a game about chemistry; it's actually the closest thing I've ever seen to a low-level SPU programming simulator! Each factory is an SPU running a single task. The two waldos are the SPU's dual execution pipelines. Moving and editing molecules is analogous to reading, writing and operating on data in local store.'"
I'm a programmer, and I play first person shooters. Not everybody likes to solve the same problems on their downtime as they do at work.
https://www.eff.org/https-everywhere
Wikipedia and TV Tropes have more examples of these "programming games". But they forgot to mention WarioWare DIY, a tool for creating four- to eight-second microgames that runs on a Nintendo DS. The "dojo" missions are to complete the last line of a game's logic.
Knuth proved over thirty years ago that four-cell Mastermind can be minimaxed in five turns or fewer.
So odd... As you said, when a programmer (like me) wants to program. We CODE!
Games I have played in the last year (which I don't think have anything to do with me being a programmer) in no particular order:
I think I play those games for reasons non-programmers play them: they suit my taste & temperment. I think each programmer will have their own list of games they enjoy to play which, again, have nothing to do with being a programmer. 'Cause we can CODE if we want to scratch that itch. ;-)
The bitter lessons of a veteran coder: http://bitterprogrammer.blogspot.com
I am a game programmer and I generally prefer console games, as hammy as possible (if things explode gratuitously, bonus points)..more like arcade genres, such as shmups, beat'em-ups, platformers and fighting. Although I play roguelikes as well, if that counts as programmer games (do they?). And I don't care if it's kiddy stuff, I indulge in pokemon when I get the time. I used to like console puzzles like Tetris, Puyopuyo or Panel de Pon, but I don't see anything new on the field since that Puzzle Quest thingy.
Then again, the type of games I make are either roguelike-ish or arcade-ish, and things do explode gratuitously, so maybe there's a relation there.
First "programming game" I think I ever played was the MECC classic, Robot Odyssey When I went to play it a number of years back it just made me recall how easy games are these days - I think I was able to get through this one faster as a kid than as an adult. Then again I was playing around a lot more this time instead of just trying to beat the game... Don't forget that Frozen Synapse is currently headlining the Humble Frozen Bundle! with about 4 days left to purchase!
"There are people who do not love their fellow human being, and I _hate_ people like that!" - Tom Lehrer
Thanks for reading! A few clarifications:
My goal for this article was simply to draw some attention to a handful of games that distill some of the art of programming into an enjoyable gameplay mechanic. I never meant to imply that these are the only games programmers should ever play, and that if you don't love them you don't deserve to call yourself a REAL programmer. Believe me, I regularly play a pile of not-even-remotely-programming-related games; I've clocked more time into WoW and LoL than I care to admit. If you'd rather spend your downtime with an FPS, or an RPG, or maybe even IRL, great!
Nor was the list meant to be exhaustive. Don't get upset if I forgot your favorite programming game; instead, post a link! I've already been introduced to at least a dozen new games since the article was first posted.
Nethack or GTFO!
Part of the Second American Revolution!
You cannot mention programming games without bringing up Core Wars. The original programmers game.
Coding is a game. It's a great big puzzle of interlocking pieces and shifting requirements that make a Rubik's Cube look like the primitive toy it is.
I enjoy what I do. Programming is far more challenging and fun than any artificial gaming environment I've ever encountered (despite many years of FPS gaming.)
That said, I've no interest in actual puzzle games. They have all the frustration of a debug session without the satisfaction of delivery to the users.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
I play progress quest cause i don't have to do anything
The guy who made SpaceChem released several other free games, mostly flash games. He calls the series "games for engineers". Very geeky cool.
The codex of alchemical engineering where you program robotic arms to assemble molecules.
The sequel: The codex of alchemical engineering magnum opus challenge
Bureau of steam engineering where you use steam valves and pipes to build control logic for steampunk battle robots.
A downloadable EXE game Ruckingenur II (requires Microsoft's DotNET 2.0 to be installed). The idea is that you use logic probes and stuff to hack electronic circuits. It's kinda cool and it's pretty realistic, but your options are fairly limited. It's more of a puzzle game than a simulator.
And then there's my favorite:
Kohctpyktop engineer of the people.
This one is definitely the geekiest and most intellectually sophisticated of them all. The idea of the game is that you have to build transistor circuits. You are given a blank playfield to draw circuitry, and the game does a full electric/logic simulation of your circuit. If the game board were arbitrarily large you could literally build an entire working CPU in there! If you manage complete the game you will have a very deep understanding of how computers work at the transistor level.
Unfortunately Kohctpyktop has almost no instructions, the help tab is a link to a tutorial video that is only marginally helpful, and it has a seriously steep learning curve. If anyone wants to give it a try be sure to use pause during the help video, it goes by really fast. You also need to know that you need to hold shift to switch from red to yellow silicon, and in delete mode hold shift to delete metal. For further help look for me in the Echo Hall chatroom on Kongregate. If I'm not there you can try asking for Kohctpyktop help in general chat - there are several Echo Hall regulars who know the game.
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"The Schemaverse is a space-based strategy game implemented entirely within a PostgreSQL database. Compete against other players using raw SQL commands to command your fleet."
Is anyone out there playing it?