Have you ever wondered how video games are made? Imagine being able to create your own game with your favorite characters! Today, we’re going to learn how to do just that using something called Play Lab. It’s a fun way to start learning about computer programming and game development.
Programming is like having a superpower. It allows you to solve problems, express your ideas, and create things that can help people. Many people start learning programming at different ages, and it can be the foundation for many exciting careers in the future. Even if you’re just starting, like me, we can learn together!
John Vechey is one of the co-founders of PopCap Games, the company that created popular games like Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, and Peggle. He believes that making games isn’t just about perfect code or art; it’s about how the game feels and how much fun it is to play. You can only learn this by trying, doing, and improving your skills.
Do you have a favorite video game? We’re going to take a step towards creating games like that using Play Lab. Good games have stories, and stories have characters. Characters can talk, move, and interact with each other. They might even score points based on the game’s rules. Today, we’ll learn how to do all these things with Disney characters like Anna, Elsa, Hiro, Baymax, and Rapunzel.
Your screen is divided into three main parts:
To start, you’ll need to connect your blocks to the orange “when run” block. You can link multiple blocks together by dragging them until you see a yellow outline, then they’ll snap together. In the first puzzle, Hiro is Actor 1, and Baymax is Actor 2. We need to move Hiro to reach Baymax by dragging the “move right” block and linking it to the “when run” block. Once your blocks are in place, hit the “Run” button to see what you’ve programmed.
By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to create your own game with amazing characters that can interact, score points, and perform various actions. It’s all up to you! So, let’s get started and have fun creating!
Imagine your own video game character! Draw or describe what they look like, their special abilities, and what makes them unique. Share your character with the class and explain how they would fit into a game you create using Play Lab.
Using Play Lab, try to recreate a simple scene from your favorite Disney movie. Use the blocks in the toolbox to make characters move and interact. Once you’ve completed your scene, show it to a partner and explain how you used the blocks to create it.
Create a storyboard for a game you would like to develop. Include the main characters, the setting, and the basic plot. Think about how you can use programming to bring your story to life in Play Lab. Present your storyboard to the class and get feedback on your ideas.
Compete with classmates to solve a series of programming puzzles in Play Lab. Each puzzle will require you to use different blocks to achieve a goal, like moving a character or scoring points. The first to complete all puzzles wins a small prize!
Research a famous game developer, like John Vechey, and prepare a short presentation about their career and contributions to gaming. Imagine you are interviewing them and write down three questions you would ask about their work and the games they have created.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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So what grade are you in? Second. Tenth grade. First grade. I was in eighth grade when I learned to program. I got my first computer when I was in sixth grade. What excites me is being able to solve people’s problems. You can express yourself and build things from an idea. Computer science is the foundation for many things that college students and professionals will do for the next twenty or thirty years. I enjoy programming because I like helping people. I have the opportunity to create something that will make people’s lives easier. I think it’s the closest thing we have to a superpower. Getting started is the most important part. I’m a beginner myself, and I want you to learn with me. I’m John Vechey, one of the co-founders of PopCap Games. We create games like Plants vs. Zombies, Bejeweled, and Peggle. A lot about games isn’t about how perfect your code is or how perfect your art is; it’s about how it feels and how much fun it is. You can only get that sense by trying it, doing it, learning, and adapting your skills in game development.
Do you have a favorite video game? Well, we’re going to take a step towards creating games just like that using Play Lab. Good games have a story, and every story has characters. Characters do things like speak, move, and interact with each other, maybe even score points based on the rules of the game. Today we’ll be learning how to do all these things, one by one, with Disney’s characters like Anna, Elsa, Hiro, Baymax, and Rapunzel. We’ll build a game from scratch that can be shared and played on a phone.
Your screen is divided into three main parts. On the left is the game space, where your program will run. The instructions for each level are written below. The middle area is the toolbox, and each of these blocks is a piece of code. The white space on the right is called the workspace, and this is where we’ll build our program.
To start off, you’ll need to link your blocks to the orange “when run” block. You can link multiple blocks together by dragging them out until you see the yellow outline, and then they’ll snap together. In this first puzzle, Hiro is Actor 1 and Baymax is Actor 2. We need to move Hiro to get to Baymax by dragging the “move right” block out and linking it to the “when run” block. Once you have your blocks in place, hit the “Run” button to see what you’ve programmed. Get started, and by the end, you’ll be able to create your own game with these amazing characters that can interact, score points, and perform various actions. It’s all up to you!
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Programming – Writing instructions for a computer to follow – Example sentence: “In programming class, we learned how to make a simple game using Scratch.”
Game – An interactive activity on a computer that you can play – Example sentence: “We designed a new game where players have to solve puzzles to win.”
Code – A set of instructions written in a language that a computer can understand – Example sentence: “I wrote some code to make the character jump when I press the spacebar.”
Characters – Symbols or letters used in writing code or displayed on the screen – Example sentence: “Each character in the code must be typed correctly for the program to work.”
Create – To make something new using your ideas and skills – Example sentence: “We used a coding app to create our own animations.”
Learn – To gain knowledge or skills by studying or practicing – Example sentence: “I want to learn how to build websites using HTML and CSS.”
Blocks – Pieces of code that can be snapped together to build a program – Example sentence: “In Scratch, we use blocks to create different actions for our characters.”
Run – To start a program so that the computer can execute the code – Example sentence: “After writing the code, I clicked ‘run’ to see if the program worked correctly.”
Score – The number of points achieved in a game or activity – Example sentence: “I added a score counter to my game to keep track of how many points the player earns.”
Fun – Enjoyable and entertaining – Example sentence: “Coding can be a lot of fun when you see your projects come to life.”
