Hello ;
For my 12 years old son , i am looking for a platform to learn coding.
I am interested in two platforms. Tynker and Code Combat. And At this point, not sure which platform is better for a 12 years old young man.
Tynker also looks good. But ,Code Combat lloks more usefull. Not sure if Tynker is more childish.
Any ideas are welcome.
Best Regards.
Hello @Muratssu,
Thank you for expressing an interest in CodeCombat! As I am not yet 12 (turning 12 soon though!), female, and already in the middle of the CodeCombat course, my opinion may be slightly different than that of your son, but this is just from my experience.
I learned about Tynker and CodeCombat in fourth grade through https://code.org, and after completing a block-coding Hour of Code campaign, I started browsing the website and came across Tynker and CodeCombat. CodeCombat was more to my interest, so I began that first. I started as an anonymous user, and after a few days decided to register. It suited me well, and it was the only thing I did on the Internet for a while. I later decided to try Tynker out just to see what it was like. It did interest me, but not as much as CodeCombat. It felt a bit less like learning to code for me, and I felt that CodeCombat was both more fun and more educational.I still do Tynker once in a while, but CodeCombat is more my thing. With many new updates, multiplayer levels where users can go head-to-head against AIs and other users, a level editor where users can create their own levels and edit others, and even the promise of a new dimension and heroes, and many more, CodeCombat is growing steadily more popular (I think), and I think it could be the best for your son.
I do not know for sure, but I think that the best option is just to let your son try both courses out for a bit and see which is more to his taste. This is the best advice I can give you, and I hope it helps. (Also, if he can’t decide or isn’t too interested in either, SoloLearn is a great course if he wants to try more realistic aspects of computer programming.)
Thank you again for being interested in CodeCombat, and I hope that the path your son takes will start him on an unforgettable journey.
Best wishes!
Hellenar
Hello Hellenar ;
Thanks for your interest and also for your advices.
Actually we were ready to subscribe to Tynker but yesterday we tried the “codecombat” and FELT LIKE Tynker is a very good platform but fits more to 7-12 years old. But Code Combat looks like for a little older children. I dont know if it is true. In any case both platfomrs are looking good and usefull.
I also try the “solo learn”. It is also looking good.
Thanks for your help.
Best Regards
Murat
Dear Hellenar ;
We finished the trial section and became a premium member after chatting with you . We are moving on Python way slowy now.Already finished the level32.
What i want to ask is , we are currently learning Python language but i hope this is not only for coding GAMES. I expect to be able to write at least short codes in daily life after finishing this program.
As you are more experienced, are you able to write ordinary codes , or only for gaming?
All of us are trying to learn coding but only a few of us are interested in create games.
A second question is , after having more experience, if we also want to learn Javascript, we need to play all these games with Javascript language. Right? Is this how it should be? And which language to move second you advice? And ofcourse when ?
Best Regards from Turkey
Murat
Hello @Muratssu
I have too 12 years and I am using Python, it is easy and educative. If you pay you can have more content to create webs our games, and have more level of everything!
Good luck 
Let me break it down for you.
Some of the features in this game, are mostly game related. hero.moveRight or hero.attack are not real “commands”. They were programmed by the developers to create a function. However, most of the code in this game can be applied to real life coding.
As a guy who has been coding for close to 3 years, many of the skills your son will pick up such as problem solving and coding syntax are all very important in the development. You will learn for and while loops, object literals, vectors, and how to use variables.
Recently, I helped a friend of mine who was working on creating a website add a new feature into his website, which required me to create a function that can sort out and filter many information.
CodeCombat is helps people who are just starting out, like your son, quickly learn the programming language they want. As for your second question, the second language to learn is without a doubt, Javascript. Python and Js are the two most popular browser development languages right now.
You do not have to redo all the levels for each language. Just go to heroes, and click on the one you want to use. Then, in the dropdown towards the bottom, select JS instead of Python and select Save. Now, go into any level that you have done, and click Play. Then, in the top right hand corner, click on the Refresh button, otherwise the computer will try to read the “python” code when you have switched to JavaScript. You should be all set to go!
As for when, I’d suggest your son complete at least the 3rd or 4th world (Desert / Mountain) before advancing to JavaScript. First pick up one language before you learn the next, being a jack of all trades in coding is not good. By desert or mountain, your son will have learned quite a few of the problem solving skills and coding skills he will need in a real working environment. Make sure you start from the beginning every time you choose to do a new language, as starting right in the middle might make your son confused. While Python and JS are very different, much of the syntax structure is the same.There are still while and for loops and variables etc. So once you learn one language, picking up the second one is much easier. After taking 2 years to really get down JS, it only took me a couple months to get down Python. (I started with JS first)
Thank you for taking the time to read this very long message.
P.S. ~ I assume you are a programmer?
Thanks for your help Fernandez.
I am sure that you will be a good programmer in the future.
Hopfully one day , my son can be like you .
Regards to your family.
Murat
Hello ;
First of all thankyou for your long and comphensive message… They are exactly the answer of my questions.
Its good to know that these commands do not exist in real language. As i guessed before, these are only to show about the logic of coding the student.
As i am adult, i examined the directly teaching web sites instead of teaching like a game.
For example, i checked sololearn. Its not like a game. its teaching directly. Actually, it gets really boring.
I bear in mind about Javascript to be the second language. Thanks.
I also bear in mind not to jump to a second language before finishing (Desert and Mountain) levels.
PS: I am a 40 years, experienced engineer. But to tell you the trurt , i am basic level at programming.
Trying to carry the next generation one step ahead
Murat