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CODEREALM: A STORY-DRIVEN GAME FOR LEARNING
PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
Ronald B. Fe nandez
P o esso , College o Compu ing S udies, Uni e sidad de Manila, Philippines
Jhon Micheal Ayson, Ma y Jane Coching, Jaspe John Dalmacio, Jayma Ma ińo, Les a Salaza
College o Compu ing S udies, Uni e sidad de Manila, Philippines
ABSTRACT
This s udy occupies a sizable gap in p og amming educa ion aised by educa ional pla o ms using ex only,
like W3Schools, which lacked engagemen and p ac ical use. CodeRealm is ou answe o his challenge, a gami ied,
s o y elling lea ning game, which uses imme si e ques s, in e ac i e puzzles, and eal-wo ld code challenges o each
p og amming languages (Ja a, C++, Py hon, Ja aSc ip ). CodeRealm is used o assis he use in unde s anding and
e aining abs ac p og amming concep s such as syn ax, loops, and unc ions by placing hem wi hin a an asy and
science ic ion (sci- i) heme. Playe s will ake on he ole o No a, a young code whose job is o eco e he los
code sc olls and hwa he des uc i e desi es o a ogue AI called Omega-0, and i is se in a u u is ic uni e se.
The mode n digi al wo ld has inc eased he demand o p og amming exponen ially, bu he con en ional
way o lea ning ails o g ab he a en ion and keep he s uden s in e es ed. A lo o lea ne s ind i a ha d ask o ollow
a u o ial ha is ex -in ensi e and only eaches syn ax bu no p ac ice. Wi h he help o he Flow Theo y and sel -
de e mina ion, CodeRealm c ea es an engaging en i onmen whe e lea ne s can le el up, gain ewa ds, and
collabo a e.
This wo k will u he he ield o digi al pedagogy by demons a ing how gami ica ion h ough na a i e
could u n he eaching o coding in o a un, ac i i y-based expe ience. Ne e heless, CodeRealm cu en ly has
limi a ions because i a ge s only IT s uden s and beginne s.
Keywo ds:
Gami ica ion, P og amming Educa ion, In e ac i e Lea ning, CodeRealm, IT S uden s.
INTRODUCTION
P og amming knowledge is nowadays equi ed mo e han e e be o e and mos o he s uden s do no enjoy
lea ning how o code h ough he con en ional eaching me hods. In e ac i e echnologies ha e become mo e ele an
in lea ning due o he ac ha he adi ional lea ning p ocesses canno cap u e he a en ion o he s uden s, in a
subjec like p og amming. The s uden s who mos ge los a e he ones whose heo e ical concep s o coding a e augh
using he ex based, s anda d u o ials and hey he e o e lose hei in e es and no hing applies o hem.
The main aim o his pape is o see how gami ica ion enhances he lea ning o coding by u ning i in o an
in e ac i e, exci ing and an e ec i e expe ience. Unlike o he mo e adi ional pla o ms like W3Schools which use
ex -based ins uc ion, CodeRealm is a na a i e based in e ac i e pla o m in which he s uden s a e pu on a ques
and encoun e p oblems which hey ha e o esol e h ough coding. CodeRealm s i es o close he gap be ween
heo e ical knowledge and p ac ice wi h he addi ion o lea ning con en and in e ac i e play.
A challenge o IT educa ion is ha s uden s ind i di icul o memo ies pu ely heo e ical cou ses, which
hwa s hei abili y o ans e p og amming echniques o p ac ical scena ios. In e na ional Socie y Technology in
Educa ion (ISTE, 2023) epo s ha by inco po a ing gameplay and lea ning con en , lea ning ools ha e a powe ul
po en ial o imp o e lea ning e en ion and acquisi ion o p ac ical skills. The s a egy is consis en wi h he g owing
impo ance o di e en ypes o ins uc ion ha ensu e be e unde s anding and memo iza ion o ac s.
In his s udy, he esea che aims o de elop he p og amming li e acy o s uden s by iden i ying he
weaknesses o he adi ional app oach o eaching s uden s code, and in oducing a gami ica ion me hodology ha
will imp o e lea ning expe ience and make i mo e in e es ing, ele an , and accessible o u u e p og amme s and IT
wo ke s.
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OBJECTIVES
The p ima y goal o his p ojec is o c ea e CodeRealm, a lea ning game based on in e ac i e s o ies o lea n
p og amming languages and undamen al coding concep s. In pa icula , he p ojec aims o c ea e and design an
imme si e game en i onmen ha enhances s uden s lea ning h ough p og amming lessons p esen ed in he o m o
a s o y, wo ks as a way o engage s uden s be e h ough he inclusion o ac i e elemen s, like puzzles and ques s,
and de e mine he e ec s o coding h ough gami ica ions on use engagemen , knowledge e en ion, and de elopmen
o p ac ical p og amming skills.
METHODOLOGY
This esea ch design and es ed CodeRealm, a p og amming language based educa ion game using bo h
de elopmen al and expe imen al me hodologies. The de elopmen model adop ed was he Agile De elopmen Li e
Cycle (ADLC) ha gua an eed i e a i e design, apid p o o yping, cons an eedback, and p og essi e sys em
e inemen . The phases o ADLC applied we e as ollows:
Figu e 1 Phases o he Agile De elopmen Li e Cycle o CodeRealm
The ADLC phases implemen ed we e as ollows:
1. Planning – De e mining p ojec scope, lea ning objec i es, and de ining he sys em equi emen s and
an icipa ed ou comes.
2. Design – C ea ing wi e ames, s o y elemen s, game low, and coding challenges in eg a ed in o ques s.
Use in e ace designs and in e ac ion models we e also inalized.
3. De elopmen – Implemen ing he game mechanics, in eg a ing he eal- ime coding edi o , and de eloping
modules such as ques p og ession, sco ing, and eedback.
4. Tes ing – Conduc ing usabili y es s, debugging, and e alua ing sys em s abili y and unc ionali y.
5. Deploymen – Launching he p o o ype o pilo es ing wi h selec ed IT s uden s and beginne s.
6. Re iew – Ga he ing use commen s, in e p e ing indings, and making sys em imp o emen s. The
esea che s de eloped a game en i onmen in he de elopmen al app oach, which inco po a es na a i e-
based lea ning h ough in e ac i e asks o coding. The p og amming concep s ha we e p esen ed as s o y-
based p og essi ely in he ques s included syn ax, loops, and unc ions.
C. Da a Ga he ing
The esea ch was based on he collec ion o p ima y and seconda y da a o acili a e CodeRealm de elopmen and
assessmen . P ima y da a in ol ed su eys, ques ionnai es and in e iews wi h IT s uden s and no ice p og amme s
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o e alua e hei lea ning needs, use expe ience, and ex en o engagemen when using he sys em. These eac ions
we e c ucial in e ining he sys ems. The seconda y da a was collec ed h ough ela ed esea ch, schola ly jou nals
and a ailable gami ied lea ning websi es, which we e used as he e e ence ma e ial o de elop an e ec i e and
educa ionally aluable game-based coding en i onmen .
D. Tools and Technologies
To make CodeRealm as unc ional and accessible as possible, a mix o mode n echnologies was used. F on end o
he sys em was de eloped using Reac .js and HTML and CSS ha made i in e ac i e and use iendly. Node.js
(Ja aSc ip ) was used o implemen he backend o do game logic, APIs and da a communica ion. Fi ebase was used
as he main base o s o e use p o iles, p og ess, and achie emen s and also eal- ime sync. The play engine was done
in web b owse o do coding es s and in e ac i e ques s. Gi Hub was used o handle e sion con ol and collabo a ion,
and he pla o m was olled ou as a web-based applica ion o achie e accessibili y among de ices.
E. E hical Conside a ions
The de elopmen and e alua ion o CodeRealm ollowed e hical s anda ds. The objec i es o he s udy we e
communica ed o all he pa icipan s in he su eys and use es ing and hei consen was ob ained be o e hey
pa icipa ed. Anonymi y o he esponses and sa e s o age o eco ds p o ec ed da a con iden iali y. The game was
designed wi h accessibili y guidelines so as o suppo a ious lea ne s such as hose who a e i s ime use s and hose
wi h lowe echnical knowledge. Mo eo e , he lea ning ma e ial was ho oughly es ed o be accu a e in p og amming
concep s, and o enhance ai ness, inclusi i y, and in eg i y in he lea ning expe ience.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This sec ion p esen s he indings ob ained om he de elopmen , es ing, and ini ial deploymen o he CodeRealm:
A S o y-D i en Game o Lea ning P og amming Languages. The esul s a e s uc u ed o add ess he s udy’s
objec i es ega ding unc ionali y, usabili y, and e ec i eness.
Figu e 2 CodeRealm Sys em Compounds Implemen a ion
De elopmen and Implemen a ion o he Sys em
The s udy success ully designed, de eloped, and implemen ed a ully unc ional gami ied lea ning pla o m o
p og amming educa ion. The sys em comp ised h ee co e componen s as p oposed:
1. S o y-D i en Game En i onmen whe e playe s emba k on coding ques s in eg a ed in o a na a i e s uc u e.
2. In-Game Code Edi o wi h Real-Time Feedback ha allows use s o w i e, es , and debug code wi hin he
game i sel .
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3. P og ess T acking and Rewa d Sys em ha p o ides expe ience poin s (XP), achie emen s, and le el
p og ession o ein o ce engagemen and lea ning ou comes.
Figu e 3. Sys em Pe o mance Me ics Ac oss CodeRealm Modules
Findings on Technical Pe o mance and Reliabili y
The s udy e alua ed he sys em’s echnical pe o mance h ough s uc u ed es ing p o ocols. The indings
a e as ollows:
1. Code Execu ion and Debugging Accu acy – Uni es ing con i med ha he in eg a ed in-game code edi o
success ully execu ed coding asks and e u ned accu a e ou pu s o Ja a, Py hon, and Ja aSc ip . The eal-
ime e o de ec ion ea u es consis en ly iden i ied and explained syn ax e o s.
2. Sys em In eg a ion – In eg a ion es ing e ealed seamless in e ac ion among he na a i e engine, coding
edi o , and p og ess acking modules. Da a on XP, ques comple ion, and achie emen s we e synch onized
in eal- ime ia Fi ebase wi hou e o s.
3. Pe o mance Unde Load – S ess es ing demons a ed ha he sys em could handle up o 40 concu en
use s wi h an a e age esponse ime o unde 2.8 seconds o code execu ion and eedback. This con i med
he pla o m’s eadiness o class oom-scale deploymen .
4. C oss-B owse Func ionali y – The web-based deploymen o CodeRealm was alida ed on Ch ome, Edge,
and Fi e ox. The sys em displayed consis en unc ionali y ac oss de ices and b owse s.
Figu e 4. Use Accep ance Tes ing Resul s o CodeRealm
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Findings on Use Accep ance and Usabili y
Use Accep ance Tes ing (UAT) was conduc ed wi h 30 pa icipan s composed o IT s uden s and beginne
p og amme s. The ollowing quan i a i e esul s we e obse ed:
1. Ease o Use – 90% o pa icipan s ag eed ha he in e ace was use - iendly and easy o na iga e.
2. Lea ning E ec i eness – 87% con i med ha coding lessons deli e ed h ough ques s and challenges
imp o ed hei unde s anding o syn ax, loops, and unc ions compa ed o ex -based u o ials.
3. Fea u e U ili y – The eal- ime debugging ea u e was a ed as “ e y use ul” by 88% o use s, while 85%
alued he XP and ewa ds sys em o mo i a ion.
4. O e all Impac – 89% o pa icipan s exp essed sa is ac ion wi h he pla o m, s a ing hey would p e e
CodeRealm o e adi ional u o ials o in oduc o y p og amming.
DISCUSSION
One o he bigges issues acing mos s uden s, especially no ice ones, is lea ning o p og am; hey ind i
di icul o lea n he abs ac concep s based on ex ual u o ials ha lack in e ac i i y. The esul s o his esea ch
p o e ha CodeRealm has bene i ed he in e ac ion wi h and unde s anding o p og amming ia gami ied, na a i e-
based lea ning, which is in line wi h he indings o Tacou i and Nagowah [7], who ound ha mobile game-based
lea ning inc eases mo i a ion and e en ion o he knowledge. CodeRealm o e ed a pla o m ha was unc ional and
easy- o-use, esponding o he same challenges inhe en in he adi ional lea ning p ocess, including insu icien
in e ac i i y, inabili y o main ain mo i a ions, and li le chance o eal- ime p ac ice. The sys em b ings a compelling
ool o digi al lea ning by me ging s o y elling wi h eal- ime coding, making i less dependen on adi ional s a ic
esou ces.
The bene i s o wo king wi h CodeRealm a e ob ious. In many cases, he adi ional u o ial allows he
lea ne o memo ize syn ax wi hou a lo o con ex and esul s in us a ion and non- e en ion. S uden s also ha e
p oblems ela ed o he abili y o use abs ac concep s when sol ing eal-li e issues. By compa ison, he ques s, coding
challenges and ewa ds o e ed by CodeRealm gua an ee eal- ime eedback, in e ac i i y and mo i a ion. In con as
o o he mo e adi ional online pla o ms, which end o be ex -hea y, he CodeRealm uses gami ica ion and
in e ac i e s o y elling o engage lea ne s. The ease o access o he web b owse s is also mo e inclusi e because one
does no need a speci ic ha dwa e o cos ly so wa e in o de o ake ad an age o he sys em. I s esul s also indica e
wide implica ions abou p og amming educa ion and digi al pedagogy. CodeRealm p o ides no only a good way o
enhance engagemen bu also a con enien p ac ice o coding concep s. No ices a e able o unde s and he logic o
p og amming be e by ollowing ques s, and, ins uc o s may make use o he pla o m o u he hei lessons. This
dec eases he eliance on con en ional exe cises and p omp s s uden s o look a coding as a c ea i e and un p ocess.
By enabling he lea ne o expe imen , ge ins an eedback and be ewa ded, CodeRealm p o ides a mo e s eamlined
lea ning p ocess and p omo es long- e m memo y.
The e a e some s udy limi a ions which need o be aken no e o as well. As CodeRealm was only es ed by
a small numbe o IT s uden s and no ice p og amme s, i is possible ha he esul s do no ep esen he expe iences
o mo e expe ienced lea ne s. The exis ing sys em also lacks suppo o mo e ad anced concep s and is limi ed o use
h ough web b owse s only. The e may be la ge ba ie s o sus aining highe -o de p og amming pa adigms, scale,
o cu icula in eg a ion. The o he disad an age is in e ne addic ion since, wi h weake ne wo ks, some use s can
become less esponsi e.
The limi a ion o he CodeRealm should be add essed as well as i s expansion capabili ies should be used in
he u u e. Running he pla o m on a ious ypes o lea ne s such as ad anced s uden s, p o essionals, and a ious
academic ins i u ions would gi e us some ne wo k on scalabili y and adap abili y. Upg ades would in ol e adding he
bene i o mul iplaye eamwo k, oice ecogni ion ins uc ion, and he ea u e o suppo lea ne s wi h disabili ies.
Mo eo e , he inclusion o mo e ad anced ma e ial like objec -o ien ed p og amming, algo i hms, and da a s uc u es
would make i mo e use ul in he long un. Adminis a o s and eache s migh also inco po a e analy ics o moni o
lea ning p og ess and cus omize lea ning ou es o di e en needs.
The ac ha echnology can make p og amming lea ning an a o dable, in e ac i e and un expe ience is
impo an . CodeRealm p o es ha gami ica ion, na a i e design, and eal- ime coding can be in eg a ed in o a sys em
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o help no only he pligh o no ice lea ne s bu also o e a iable answe on how o imp o e digi al pedagogy and
p og amming educa ion.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This esea ch s udy en i led “CodeRealm: A S o y-D i en Game o Lea ning P og amming Languages” would no
ha e been possible wi hou he in aluable suppo , guidance, and encou agemen o many indi iduals who con ibu ed
o i s success ul comple ion.
To begin wi h, he esea che s would like o exp ess hei hea el g a i ude o he College o Compu ing S udies a
Uni e sidad de Manila o p o iding he academic ounda ion and echnical guidance essen ial in ca ying ou his
p ojec . We also ex end ou deepes app ecia ion o ou p o esso and esea ch ad ise , P o . Ronald B. Fe nandez,
o his in aluable guidance, insigh ul eedback, and cons an encou agemen . His suppo inspi ed us o pe se e e,
hink c i ically, and gi e ou bes h oughou he de elopmen o his s udy.
As a i s exp ession o g a i ude, he esea che s a e since ely hank ul o he acul y, s a , and adminis a ion o
Uni e sidad de Manila o hei coope a ion and suppo , which ensu ed ha his p ojec aligned wi h he academic
and de elopmen al goals o he ins i u ion.
CONCLUSION
CodeRealm is a success ul applica ion ha combines gami ica ion and s o y- elling lea ning o sol e he
usual p oblems o eaching p og amming. I enhances in e ac ion, e en ion and hands-on coding p ac ice be ween
IT s uden s and no ices. In o de o inc ease i s e ec i eness, he u he de elopmen should lead o mo e
sophis ica ed opics o p og amming, he sp ead o pla o ms, and collabo a ion. CodeRealm o e s a po en ial
solu ion o make coding educa ion a un and use ul p ocess by add essing he gap be ween heo y and p ac ice.
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