I’m a big fan of games that trick you into learning stuff without you realizing they’re teaching you. My favorite example is Human Resource Machine ($4.99), which is a fiendishly clever puzzle game on the outside but is actually a crash course in visual programming. That’s the sort of thing I’m looking for from while True: learn() from developer Luden.io. It’s a game that launched on Steam back in January and is based on the principles of machine learning. You see, your cat happens to be a coding genius, and so in order to find out what other amazing knowledge kitty has you set out to create a cat-to-human translator. In order to do that you’ll need to study the entire history of machine learning technologies. You still gotta pay the bills though, so you’ll do some freelance contracting jobs and work at a startup or two along the way. Hey, just like real developers! Check out the trailer for while True: learn() to get an idea of what it’s all about.

From what I can gather while True: learn() is one part problem-solving based around the principles of machine learning and related technologies like neural networks and AI. THEN there’s a whole other part where you get to earn money and buy sweet outfits for your cat and a bunch of junk for your office, and this part of the game almost has an idle management vibe to it. It seems like a lighthearted mixture of mechanics that doesn’t take itself too seriously but does actually teach you some real stuff about machine learning and programming. The Steam version of while True: learn() has a ton of positive reviews, and next week the game will be making its way to iOS where I feel like it will really shine on the touchscreen. You can catch a glimpse of how it plays in this short teaser video. If you enjoy programming, puzzles, cats, or all of the above then check out while True: learn() when it hits iOS next Thursday August 22nd for $4.99, and if you really want to get in front of things then you can pre-order the iOS version on the App Store right now.