specification-programming-games opportunity asserted
Specification programming games
Programming puzzles where an AI writes the code and the player writes the specification and tests, scored on how precisely the spec pins down correct behavior.
thesis
Zachtronics games and Screeps made writing code the play. Code generation changes what programming skill means: specifying behavior and catching wrong implementations. A genre built around writing specs and adversarial tests, with a model as an unreliable implementer, teaches the skill that now matters and has a natural scoring rule: how many plausible wrong programs your tests reject.
design sketch
Each puzzle is a machine to control. The player writes a specification and test cases; a model generates implementations, some subtly wrong; the player's score counts wrong implementations caught, test cost, and spec length, plotted on histograms against other players.
validation experiment
Ship a 10-puzzle web prototype where a model generates candidate implementations with injected faults; measure completion rates and whether score distributions separate skilled from unskilled testers. Success: a stable leaderboard where test-writing skill predicts score.
key risks
- Niche audience.
- Model behavior changes over versions alter puzzle difficulty.
- Players may find being a reviewer less fun than being a builder.
falsifiable prediction
A programming game will make specifying or testing AI-written code its core loop.
Title released after 2026-10-24 with at least 1,000 Steam user reviews; its Steam page describes players specifying, testing, or verifying AI-generated code as the main mechanic.