A Star Wars Game Designed to Teach Kids to Code

Getting your kids interested in coding might be as easy as saying “Hey, do you like Star Wars?” 

Code.org, a nonprofit invested in expanding the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in computer science, introduced the Star Wars tutorial this week as part of its Hour of Code. The organization's program contains one-hour intros to the basics of coding made for classroom use—just in time for Computer Science Education Week in early December.

This year, the tutorial stars Princess Leia and Rey, a new character from the upcoming Star Wars film The Force Awakens. The game allows you to drag-and-drop basic codes to solve puzzles, enacting commands like directing a droid to pick up scrap metal. Last year’s Hour of Code involved a Frozen-themed tutorial, also designed to make coding feel accessible to kids who can’t necessarily see themselves as a character in The Social Network, but might want to be Elsa. 

Image Credit: Screenshot via Code.org

Anyone who knows JavaScript can write games in the tutorial, or kids can drag and drop pre-written code.

Play it here. 

[h/t: Wired]