TheCodePlayer

Overall Opinion: There's never been more resources available to the aspiring developer than there are today. Between computer science programs, coding bootcamps, and a wide range of free and paid online learning tutorials, the tools are available to people working on any budget. But every student learns differently, and TheCodePlayer brings a level of direct immersion and interactivity that many competitors like CodeCamp and FreeCodeFights neglect. While many of these alternatives are project based, they tend to be more focused on teaching the fundamentals with a lack of context or focusing on relying on personal research to find elegant solutions to common, if sometimes esoteric, solutions. TheCodePlayer puts practical efficiency front and center by offering video tutorials that guide you through solutions to very specific problems. Whether you're an experienced coder trying to learn more about the ins and outs of the language you use or an amateur who benefits from learning by doing, TheCodePlayer can be an effective resource. In terms of the languages TheCodePlayer focuses on, the results are a bit more narrow than many of the other courses and sites on the market. The focus is almost entirely on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. This makes it a valuable tool for people whose focus is in web development but of little value to those looking to dig more deeply into more advanced notions like data analysis and deep level app development. But it's a practical style that works well for TheCodePlayer's central philosophy. These languages are fundamentally more visual than languages like Python and Ruby, and placing attention squarely on web development languages allows them to zero in more squarely on a wider range of interrelated principles. While coding courses and tutorials often offer the same lessons, the method of presenting that information is often very different. TheCodePlayer's approach is pretty unique for the market. Some people have described it as "looking over a developer's shoulder", as each video shows the code being entered in real time and the resulting output on screen. It might not be a form of learning that works effectively for everyone, but it fills a pretty important need for those who do or are just looking for an additional resource to add to their coding tool kit. TheCodePlayer places a focus on "cool stuff being made", and the end result is a collection of videos that are more about the bells and whistles of what can be done with these languages rather than the fundamentals that underpin the languages. As such, it exists as more of a supplementary tool for a coder, a way to take a break from the fundamentals and play around with some of the more thrilling options available to them.

Pros: Provides a unique approach to learning that mimics the way real coders work Hundreds of videos available for the curious programmer All courses are available free of charge

Cons: Focuses entirely on the three core languages of web design Isn't a great method for learning the fundamentals Search function is bare bones and offers little in the way of filtering options