With their power to make the world go round, programmers may seem likewizards. But learning to code doesn’t require supernatural abilities. Anyone can do it, and the game Human Resource Machine is one of the most charming and accessible ways to get started.
In the game, you’re a new hire on your first day at a big company. Corporate life starts at the bottom: the mailroom. To get promoted, write a "program" using simple commands to make your character complete logic-based challenges from your manager.
Run your routines to see where your program succeeds or goes awry. Experimenting and debugging are the key to success. If you get stuck, fret not! Your manager is there to help.
The game starts off easy, even for coding newbies, but gradually gets more difficult as you climb the corporate ladder. Tricky problems require you to think like a real programmer.
Human Resource Machine makes all of this learning feel like a satisfying game, not a computer science course. And although you won’t walk away with hardcore coding chops, you will learn the logic that programmers rely on to create their art.