6.111 is the introductory course to digital systems at MIT. It is affectionately known as "Digital Death Lab" among its students because of its intense and extensive laboratory assignments. Students learn to design digital systems on an FPGA using HDL languages such as Verilog.

Though known to take up a lot of time, students thoroughly enjoy the class and gain a lot of valuable experience in designing complex electronic systems. The teaching staff is known to be very dedicated and helpful, staying at lab until the late hours to help the students complete the lab assignments.

The class features a final project in which students are free to create and implement their own ideas. Such projects have included a soccer video game that allows players to view different parts of the playing field on the computer monitor as if they were looking out a window.