Make your programs compete and watch them play in the Code Colosseum

Games have a role in many aspects of science, technology, and society. Also, games attract humans' interest and offer unique learning opportunities. Indeed, the role of games in education has a long tradition. In this paper we introduce Code Colosseum, a platform that takes competitive programming in the direction of games, instead of problems. By taking this direction, we aim to create a more engaging environment for students to compete in. The platform allows programs written by the contestants to compete in a realtime multiplayer game. The platform also allows to spectate the matches between the programs. The design and implementation of Code Colosseum has been kept as simple as possible, to facilitate participation, maintenance and setup. To assess the effectiveness of the approach, we organized a tournament with 16 students, from both high schools and universities, as a pilot experience for Code Colosseum. In this tournament they created programs to play the Royal Game of Ur, a board racing game. The feedback from the students about the experience was positive, and the suggestions received will be implemented for future experiences.