Teaching assembly programming is a fundamental component of undergraduate computer science education, yet many students struggle with its abstract and low-level concepts. Existing learning tools, such as simulators and visualisers, support understanding by exposing machine states. However, they often limit students to passive observation and provide few opportunities for meaningful interaction. To address these limitations, we introduce Playsemble, a gamified learning system that transforms assembly instructions into interactive, game-like tasks in which students control Pac-Man to collect items, avoid ghosts, and reach targets. Playsemble integrates a code editor, a CPU emulator, and visual debugging tools within a browser-based environment, allowing students to work offline without installation or configuration. It also provides immediate formative feedback enhanced by large language models. We deployed Playsemble in an undergraduate computer architecture course with 107 students. The course featured a sequence of assignments of increasing complexity, covering core concepts such as register and memory manipulation, control structures including loops and conditionals, and arithmetic operations. Our findings suggest that Playsemble promotes active experimentation, sustained engagement, and deeper conceptual understanding through meaningful game-based learning experiences.

翻译：汇编语言教学是本科计算机科学教育的核心组成部分，然而许多学生因其抽象且底层的概念而学习困难。现有的学习工具，如模拟器和可视化器，通过展示机器状态来辅助理解，但它们通常将学生局限于被动观察，且很少提供有意义的交互机会。为应对这些局限，我们提出了Playsemble——一个游戏化学习系统，它将汇编指令转化为交互式、游戏化的任务，学生通过控制吃豆人收集物品、躲避幽灵并抵达目标。Playsemble在基于浏览器的环境中集成了代码编辑器、CPU模拟器和可视化调试工具，允许学生在无需安装或配置的情况下离线使用。系统还通过大型语言模型增强，提供即时形成性反馈。我们在一个拥有107名学生的本科计算机体系结构课程中部署了Playsemble。课程设置了一系列复杂度递增的作业，涵盖寄存器与内存操作、循环与条件控制结构以及算术运算等核心概念。我们的研究结果表明，Playsemble通过有意义的游戏化学习体验，促进了主动实验、持续投入和更深层次的概念理解。