Over the past two years, we have been developing a computer game (work title: IC Tycoon) for teaching circuit design to university-level students at Dutch universities. In this game, players embrace the role of an engineer at a fictitious chip design company. Each mission asks the player to design a circuit that fulfills a customer’s requirements. The game gives the player immediate feedback about the performance of their design and provides a score to encourage iterative improvement and mastery. When the circuit meets the required specifications, players move on to layout design; a critical step to go from a circuit design to a manufactured integrated circuit (IC). Layout design involves translating the circuit from an abstract drawing of interconnected components to a physical blueprint. This blueprint is composed of a floor of semiconductor where the electric components are made, and layers of metal and insulators on top that connect these components with each other. This process is complicated by numerous design rules (e.g. minimum wire thickness, minimum distance between wires) making it a tricky 3D puzzle, requiring spatial reasoning skills. Finally, we firmly believe in the power of citizen science and collaborative learning. To this end, IC Tycoon will allow teachers and skilled players to create and share quests. These quests can be rated and discussed, creating an ecosystem of shared knowledge and inspiration. We are currently nearing the end of development for IC Tycoon and expect a demo of circuit design by September 2025, and the layout design feature a few months later.
Our goal in this project is to make IC Tycoon accessible to high school students. While the current version of the game is tailored to beginner-level university students, we are actively integrating foundational (basic electric concepts and components) content into the game. To evaluate the game’s effectiveness for young adolescents, we plan to conduct a pilot program in high schools. Through direct communication with high schoolers, we can quickly learn what combination of challenges, instruction and guidance is most effective. Insights from this pilot will inform updates to the game, ensuring it remains both educational and engaging. We aim to release IC Tycoon to the general public within the next 1–2 years, making circuit design education more accessible, interactive, and fun for learners of all ages.
- Kyle van Oosterhout, Postdoc (PhD defense pending), Dept. of Electrical Engineering (E.E.), TU Eindhoven
- Thomas Hoen, Postdoc (PhD defense pending), Faculty of EEMCS, Univ. of Twente
- Elles Raaijmakers, Postdoc Dept. of E.E., TU Eindhoven
- Thomas Booij, PhD Candidate Dept. of E.E., TU Eindhoven
- Dante Muratore, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Microelectronics, TU Delft
- Mariëlle Wolters, Teacher and Project Leader, Da Vinci Program for Gifted Students, College Den Hulster (high school), Venlo