‘Rabbids Coding’ teaches young gamers basic programming concepts

We've seen plenty of games that teach kids the basics of coding, but it's rare to see the big game publishers embrace the "edutainment" sector. The latest coding game, though, comes from Ubisoft, the creators of the Assassin's Creed and Rainbow Six franchises. Rabbids Coding -- which features those demented, titular creatures that are somehow both annoying and cute -- tasks players with creating routines that will repair the Rabbids' malfunctioning spaceship.

Rabbids Coding was designed for gamers aged seven and up. Players select each bit of code from a menu, drag them into the play area, arrange the bits in the right order and then trigger the instructions. If the programming results in an error, you can try different pieces of code or rearrange the sequence and try again.

The game includes 32 levels that teach various aspects of coding, such as loops and conditions. Young gamers will not only learn the basics of programming, but will also develop an eye for economic coding: "All skills and concepts will help the player optimize their program by making their coding sequence as short and as efficient as possible," says Ubisoft.

Rabbids Coding was developed by Ubisoft Montreal and is out today on Windows via Uplay, Ubisoft's game launcher. Aspiring coders looking for more of a challenge may want to check out Kano's new Star Wars-themed The Force Coding Kit, which uses programmable motion sensors to manipulate on-screen objects. College students, meanwhile, can learn advanced game development skills with Ubisoft's own online course, Game Creators' Odyssey, which launched last month through select schools.