The Effectiveness of Games as Assignments in an Introductory Programming Course
Daniel C. Cliburn · 2006
Computer games are an often cited motivational tool used as assignments in introductory programming courses. This paper presents the results of a study that attempts to quantify the effectiveness of computer games as programming projects over non-games. Students completed five major programming assignments during the semester in an introductory programming course. For each assignment, students were given an option between two programming projects, a game and a non-game. Throughout the term, 78.9% of the assignments submitted by students were the game option. The average grade, however, on game assignments was 89.1%, while the non-game average was 95.1%. In a post-term survey 84% of student respondents answered "yes" to the question, "Did the games provide any extra motivation for you to complete the projects with a high level of quality?" Results suggest that games do indeed provide psychological motivation and increase course enjoyment, even though they may not improve students' scores