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This paper outlines an innovative game-based approach to learning introductory programming that is grounded in the development of computational thinking at an abstract conceptual level, but also provides a direct contextual relationship between game-play and learning traditional introductory programming. The paper proposes a possible model for, and guidelines in support of, this games-based approach contextualized by an analysis of existing research into the issues of learning programming and game based learning approaches. Furthermore, the proposed game-based learning model focuses not only on procedural and applied knowledge and associated skills acquisition in computational thinking, but also provides contextualised theoretical knowledge on Computer Science concepts. By way of illustration, the authors introduce a game prototype currently being developed to combine a puzzle solving game-play that uses Computer Science concepts as the game elements.

Psychomotor skills are a series of cognitive abilities often linked with physical movement, coordination and speed that individuals use, to progress through cognitive stages in order to demonstrate fine motor skills. This paper investigates whether or not playing a video game could potentially influence and improve the psychomotor skills of adolescents, particularly their eye-hand coordination, visual response and attention competence, the aim being to provide statistical evidence that video games can be potentially used to enhance psychomotor skills. A total of 62 participants were invited to participate in an experimental study where these participants were divided into two groups, the control group and the experimental group. The participants were aged between 16 and 19 years, and they were asked to complete a building block task that is closely associated with using psychomotor skills, and they did not have any prior experience of. A prepost study design was used in both groups in order to measure participants' level of confidence in using their psychomotor skills. Furthermore, the study investigated if the participants in the experimental group integrated elements of video game play into intentional and automatic real-life reactions within the building block task they undertook. The findings of the study suggest that those participants who played the video game were more confident in using their eye-hand coordination and visual response, and managed to complete the natural building block task faster and more accurately than the participants who did not play the video game. INDEX TERMS psychomotor skills, video games, eye hand coordination, game-play and skill acquisition, game-play behavior and cognitive skills