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Game Creation Software for Kids?

Posted by Cliff on from the let-the-toddlers-make-their-own-entertainment dept.

-Surak- asks: "I have been asked to teach a week-long class on Computer Game Design for a small group of computer literate kids, around 9-13 years old. My plan is to have them create a simple game, while exposing them to aspects of story design, artwork, animation, and simple programming. To this end, I'm looking for a 'game construction kit' that is simple enough that they can have a working game by the end of the week with some guidance. Anyone remember the 'Arcade Game Construction Kit' on the Commodore 64? Adventure Game Studio looks good, but it may be too complex. The genre is flexible, but it does need to generate a distributable Win32 binary that they can take home. Are there any Windows packages, public domain or otherwise, that can do this, especially any designed for kids?"

3 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. Too complicated? by JohnFluxx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He says that the adventure game studio program looks to complicated. Looking at the site, it sounds very easy to use.
    Don't be patronising to the kids.
    Many people here probably could code by 9, the lower end of the age range. At the upper range, 13, I was doing advanced c++ courses at college..
    Kids learn quicker than adults - remember that.

  2. Complication: not the kids, the schedule by fm6 · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I agree with your assessment of what kids can do. If anything, their minds are better suited to learn this stuff than adults. Though I suspect most 13-year-olds would not have the patience for a serious attack on C++! But there are simpler languages, some of which are specifically designed for introducing kids to computers.

    Thing is, this class is only one week long. Not enough time to teach anybody anything really complicated. So forget anything that goes beyond drag-and-drop visual programming. Otherwise, I'd suggest something like MSWLogo. Or if you have a big budget, MicroWorlds.

  3. just one thing before you begin by funkmastermike · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I highly suggest you have them tweak the code/settings of whatever you use. I learned game coding real easily and quickly by messing with the source code. eg: changing resolution, starting health, rate of fire, amount of enemies on screen, colors of the actual art files, CHANGING the art files.. etc etc etc

    so before you teach them to code or use the program. MAKE ONE FIRST or take a completed game and then give it to them and say that they'll make something similar..have them mess with the settings . It's much easier to first tweak your game rather than start from scratch.