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Doctor Who To Teach Kids To Code

DCFC writes: The BBC is releasing a game to help 8- to 11-year-old kids get into coding. Based on Doctor Who, it alternates between a standard platform game and programming puzzles that introduce the ideas of sequence, loops, if..then, variables and a touch of event-driven programming. Kids will get to program a Dalek to make him more powerful. (Apparently the BBC thinks upgrading psychopathic, racist death machines is a good idea!)

20 of 164 comments (clear)

  1. It's not every day you get to... by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apparently the BBC thinks upgrading psychopathic, racist death machines is a good idea!

    Doesn't everybody?

    --
    That is all.
    1. Re:It's not every day you get to... by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

      In the USA we call them "drones"

    2. Re:It's not every day you get to... by weszz · · Score: 2, Informative

      Daleks aren't machines though... Those are the cybermen.

      A Dalek is a living being inside the armor.

      not sure which would be better to meet, but I would pick the Dalek if I had the choice. Cybermen either upgrade you to a cyberman, or they delete you. There isn't middle ground, while ad Dalek doesn't ALWAYS destroy and kill, they will use people as leverage too.

  2. Re:Branching by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    Then kids may mistake Daleks for Ents.

  3. At least by El+Puerco+Loco · · Score: 2

    they aren't trying to teach kids screenwriting.

  4. Britain only by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sorry, CBBC games and videos can only be played if you're in the UK.

    Commonwealth citizenship apparently grants no privileges.

  5. Doctor Who got me into coding as a kid in 1982 by idji · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The 5th Doctor story Castrovalva was based on "recursive occlusion" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C... and taught me the basics to loops and recursion.

  6. They did so! by idji · · Score: 2

    The BBC most certainly did teach kids screen writing with Doctor Who!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D...

  7. Re:In time by idji · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Make them watch the 1982 Doctor Who story Castrovalva to learn about loops http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C...

  8. Alien Space Amazons by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wait, how do you know a Dalek is a "him"?

    The eye-cock, the raygun-cock, the plunger-cock, the scrotum bumps, ...

    Actually, makes more sense that it's a woman then. They are essentially female beings with extreme cases of penis-envy who have given up their original bodies and put their brains into "strap-on" suits (armor) that give them the Alpha power and have all the "alpha male" symbols protruding from them in the extreme in order to create the emotional impact they desire.

    These alien Space Amazon Feminists have had it and are now going to out do the males they so envy by destroying everyone that is male and all females that "co-conspire" with the males (by allowing them to exist). Which means they are trying to exterminate everyone but themselves.

    And here comes the "Doctor", the arguably most ALPHA of the ALPHA Males in the entire universe.. Of course they would be obsessed with HIM and with destroying him.

    -- My god.. I started writing this as a joke.. but now it actually makes sense. It fits everything perfectly.. The series needs only to reveal that Davros was actually a woman, a woman who hid the fact that she was a woman in order to attain the access and power necessary in her society to create her augmented Superior Female Race..

    I wish I could post this under my account instead of as A.C. but this is too hot.

    1. Re:Alien Space Amazons by TheRaven64 · · Score: 2

      The Dalek suits were originally inspired by female dancers gliding along the ground in long skirts, so there may be even more to it than you think...

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  9. Code.org by DrXym · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The code.org site is a great resource for teaching kids to program. Personally I'd have liked to see the BBC contribute their project to that where it would likely enjoy a lot more popularity.

  10. Re:UK Only? by danknight48 · · Score: 2

    At the moment it appears that this is only accessible in the UK. Are there any plans for it to be released elsewhere (without having to circumvent location blocking)?

    British Broadcasting Commission.
    And yes, they block all non-UK IP addresses from accessing the BBC websites. Anyone in the UK who watches live TV must pay a TV license, which all goes to the BBC. So in effect, only we (the UK) pay for the service, and, are given access to it.

    You'll either have to wait for BBC worldwide to take it on, or, get yourself a VPN in the UK.

  11. Re:"racist" - LOL by nedlohs · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You're an idiot.

    Though Daleks are more speciest than racist, given their goal is to exterminate all non-Dalek life from the universe, the racist is the equivalent term for their beliefs from our current perspective.

  12. Can't get to it outside of the UK by laird · · Score: 2

    Like many BBC products, this game appears only to be accessible within the UK. I'm in the US, and i'd happy buy a copy / access - this game would be a huge hit with my family! When I tried to go there, they directed me to the BBC Store site, which only sells physical goods. Come on, BBC!

  13. the latest in a fine tradition of programming game by SABME · · Score: 2

    I will definitely get this for my kids, especially since we are Dr. Who fans. I have great memories of playing Robot Odyssey, which had logic gates that you could "solder" together. Later on, I played RoboSport by Maxis, which wasn't as sophisticated but was still fun. Any others that people out there remember?

  14. Screw you, BBC by satan666 · · Score: 2

    Screw you, BBC. My little girl is in tears you idiots. I live in NYC and I am the proud Dad of a 7 year old Dr. Who fanatic. As soon as I saw this I told my little girl and we were both so excited to play this game. Then, we got the stupid "you must be in the UK" message.

    Really BBC? I am so disappointed. There are hard core Dr. Who fans who live outside the UK.
    Don't do this to your fans!

    1. Re:Screw you, BBC by Richy_T · · Score: 2

      Now she gets to learn about networks and VPNs

  15. Re:The Doctor by neminem · · Score: 2

    The show is called Doctor Who. This game is an extension of the show. You are being correctly pedantic about the name of The Doctor, but you're overcorrecting. Let's replace "code" with "count", and "Doctor Who" with "Sesame Street": "Sesame Street teaches kids to count". Would you complain because there isn't a character on the show (or associated computer game) named "Sesame Street" teaching kids to count? No, because that would be dumb.

  16. You just know what this is going to lead to.. by levork · · Score: 4, Funny

    10 EXTERMINATE
    20 GOTO 10