Have you ever wondered how video games are made? Imagine being able to create your own game with cool characters like witches, zombies, aliens, and animals. Today, we’re going to learn how to do just that using something called Play Lab!
Programming is like having a superpower. It allows you to solve problems and create things from your imagination. Many people who work with computers started learning when they were young, just like you. They love programming because it helps them make life easier for others. And guess what? You can start learning too!
Do you have a favorite video game that you’ve always wanted to make? With Play Lab, you can start creating games with stories and characters. In a game, characters can talk, move, and interact with each other. They can even score points based on the game’s rules. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to build your own game from scratch and share it with friends!
Your Play Lab screen is divided into three main parts:
Let’s start with a simple puzzle. Our character is a penguin, and we want it to say “Hello!” Here’s how you can do it:
As you get more comfortable, you can create games with different characters that interact, change emotions, score points, or even perform special actions. The possibilities are endless, and it’s all up to your imagination!
So, are you ready to start your journey into the world of game creation? Let’s dive into Play Lab and see what amazing games you can create!
Imagine a character you would like to have in your game. Draw it on paper or use a digital tool to design it. Think about what your character can do in the game. Will it be a hero, a villain, or something else? Share your creation with the class and explain its role in your game.
Write a short story for your game. What is the main goal? What challenges will the player face? Create a storyboard with at least three scenes that describe the beginning, middle, and end of your game. Use drawings or digital tools to illustrate each scene.
Using Play Lab, try to recreate a simple scene from your favorite video game. Use the blocks in the toolbox to make characters move and interact. Share your scene with a partner and explain how you used the blocks to achieve the actions.
Create a simple game using Play Lab and invite a classmate to play it. Ask them to provide feedback on what they liked and what could be improved. Use their feedback to make changes and enhance your game.
Prepare a short presentation about your game. Explain the concept, characters, and how you used programming to bring it to life. Present your game to the class and demonstrate how it works. Be ready to answer questions and discuss your creative process.
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 8th grade when I learned to program. I got my first computer when I was in 6th 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 20 or 30 years. I enjoy programming because I like helping people. I get 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.
Do you have a favorite video game that you’ve always wanted to make? Well, we’re going to get started creating games just by using Play Lab. Good games have a story, and every story has characters. Characters that do things like speak, move, interact with each other, and maybe even score points based on the rules of that game. Today, we’ll be learning how to do all of these things with fun characters like witches, zombies, aliens, and animals—and then build a game from scratch that can be shared and played on a phone.
Your screen is split 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 line, and then they’ll snap together.
In this first puzzle, our character is a penguin, and we’ll be making it say “Hello!” by dragging the “say” block out, linking it to the “when run” block, and typing in “Hello.” We can also make the penguin move by using the “move right” and “move left” blocks. 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 all kinds of characters that can interact, change emotions, score points, or even perform special actions. It’s all up to you and the game you want to make.
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Let me know if you need any further modifications!
Programming – The process of writing instructions for a computer to follow. – Example sentence: In programming class, we learned how to make a simple game using code.
Game – A fun activity or software that you can play on a computer. – Example sentence: I used programming to design a game where you catch falling stars.
Create – To make something new using your ideas and skills. – Example sentence: We can create our own animations by coding different scenes.
Characters – People, animals, or objects in a game or story that can be controlled or interacted with. – Example sentence: In our coding project, we designed characters that can jump and dance.
Toolbox – A collection of tools or commands in a software program that helps you build or fix things. – Example sentence: The coding software has a toolbox with blocks to help us write programs easily.
Workspace – The area on a computer screen where you can write and organize your code. – Example sentence: I arranged my blocks neatly in the workspace to make my program easy to understand.
Penguin – A type of character often used in coding projects to teach programming concepts. – Example sentence: We programmed the penguin to waddle across the screen when we press the spacebar.
Say – A command in coding that makes a character display a message or speak. – Example sentence: I used the “say” block to make the cat character say “Hello, world!”
Move – A command that makes a character change position on the screen. – Example sentence: By using the “move” command, I made the robot travel from one side of the screen to the other.
Run – To start a program or make the code execute. – Example sentence: After finishing my code, I clicked “run” to see if my game worked correctly.
