4917: Machine Code For Kids - The Card Game
This is a card game for teaching kids how to read and write machine code, using a simple 4 bit computer with very simple instruction set, 2 general purpose registers and only 16 cells of addressable memory.
The cards have 54 small programs, illustrating various low level concepts such as:
- fetch execute cycle
- instruction arguments
- variables
- pointers
- self modifying programs
- self corrupting programs
- self referencing code
- integer overflows and underflows
- control flow and addressable memory
- code is data
- data ia code
- debugging
- print on a4: list of all 55 cards, shrinked to width=25% so that they printable on 7 sheets of a4 paper (landscape, no margins)
- code: 4917
- author: github.com/jackdoe
- co author: Jackie (11 yo)
- contact: b0000@fastmail.com
- price:
this game costs 15€ instead of 10€ because I printed only 100 decks instead of 300 like programming-time, as I thought less people would be interested in machine code than python. The shipping cost of 10€ high for Europe but low for US/Asia so it kind of evens out over all. 50 cents for envelope, 2€ for bus ticket and actual shipping cost for USA is actually 13.50€, but for The Netherlands its only 7€. I printed 100 decks and plan to sell no more than 50, the rest I will dontate to schools. [SOLD OUT]
- license: CC BY 4.0
The game is based on Richard Buckland's 4 bit computer
Note: When you play with your kid, install x64dbg and show them the actual machine code of a program as it is being executed. Another thing that is really helpful is if you write a small C program that does somewhat the same thing as a specific card to illustrate it better.
Also check out the other game we made: programming time teach your kids python, try to play few cards from each game at lunch or dinner.
Example cards (6 out of 55):
