Programming has come a long way from when I was dragged kicking and screaming through my C++ course in college. There are more languages to choose from and more ways to learn than by just reading a book. With so many STEM jobs now requiring at least some programming expertise, there was a gap that needed to be filled in the Edutainment realm.
The team at Zachtronics has taken that need and carved out a nice little niche with their puzzle games that all focus around programming and efficiency in some way. Now they are giving their games away to public and non-profit schools for free to help any latent programmers latch onto the trade at an early age. Included in the offer are TIS-100, Infinifactory, Exapunks, Shenzen I/O, and Opus Magnum.
Schools that are interested may get more information at Zachademics. The process seems simple enough with some small information needed before approval. This type of altruism is always nice to see coming out of the gaming industry as educational games are few and far between at this point, so when those rare developers make it as easy as possible for schools to get their games, it’s a great thing.
For those of you not in school, all Zachtronic games are available currently for PC, with Infinifactory available for PlayStation 4 as well.
Source: Destructoid Developer of TIS-100 and Opus Magnum is giving their catalog of programming games to schools for free