They could easily make this course a LOT more interesting by integrating learning through Screeps: https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/programming-games-visualizations

Neat! I'll give it a shot tonight.

I really enjoy this game and want to see more people in it.

I don't mind at all paying for it, but I think there are better ways to monetize it and bring in more people.

Would you consider approaching Khan Academy and seeing if you can get a grant to make this game part of a programming course?  I feel like you have a really compelling case that this platform is an excellent learning tool that would draw people in.  The grant would allow you to keep everything running while making it free for new players.  The partnership would bring in a ton of new people. You could maybe still sell CPU blocks for people that want to use more than, say, 1200 per month depending on the arrangement you could come to.

Also, to make the game more competitive and engaging I think it would be really great if you had badges that went on people's profiles for things like:
- Place in top 10% for a season
- Place in top 1% for a season
- Place in top 10 or 20 players for a season (with special gold, silver, bronze for top 3 for all of the "top awards")
- Among top 10 most-improved players for a season
- Among top 10 new players for a season (maybe include new players in the runnings for both the first season they're in AND the first full season they're in if they don't place the first time so they don't get cheated by starting late in a season)
- Wiping out your first other player
- Most units created
- Most units lost
- Most sources mined
- Most buildings destroyed
- Most creeps killed
- Turtle (avoid killing any units unless they're in your rooms for a season)
- Pacifist (avoid killing any units)
- Rampage (destroy buildings from at least 5 other players in a season)
- Raider (kill creeps outside your rooms from at least 5 other players in a season)
- Warlord (wipe out at least 5 other players)
- I'm sure you can think of lots more cool achievements. Just look at achievements available for strategy games on Steam

There could even be some real game mechanics added to it, such as getting an attack penalty for the next season if you wipe out a player or getting a defense bonus the next season if you were wiped out.  Things like that would enable interesting cross-season strategies and keep people engaged.