Have you ever wanted to create your own video game? It’s easier than you might think! With just a few basic programming skills, you can start making a game that you designed yourself. Think about your favorite video game. Today, we’re going to take the first step towards creating something like that using a tool called PlayLab.
Great games usually have a story, and every story has characters. These characters can do all sorts of things like talk, move around, and interact with each other. They might even earn points based on the game’s rules. Today, we’ll learn how to make characters do all these things, one step at a time. By the end, you’ll be able to build a game from scratch that you can share and play on a phone!
Your screen is divided into three main parts:
This is on the left side of your screen. It’s where your program will run, and you’ll see your game come to life!
In the middle, you’ll find the toolbox. Each block here is a piece of code that you can use to build your game.
On the right, there’s a white space called the workspace. This is where you’ll put together your program using the blocks from the toolbox.
To begin, you’ll need to connect your blocks to the orange “when run” block. You can do this by dragging the blocks until you see a yellow line, which means they’ll snap together. In the first puzzle, you’ll make a character say something by connecting the “say” block to the “when run” block and typing your message. Once your blocks are in place, press the Run button to see what you’ve programmed.
As you progress, you’ll be able to create your own game with all sorts of characters that can interact, score points, throw things, and even make each other disappear. The possibilities are endless, and it’s all up to your imagination!
Imagine your favorite video game character or create a new one. Draw your character on paper, and think about what makes them unique. What can they do in the game? Write a short description of your character’s abilities and personality. Share your drawing and description with the class.
Create a storyboard for your game. Use a series of drawings to outline the main events and challenges your character will face. Think about how the story will unfold and what the player needs to do to progress. Present your storyboard to a partner and get feedback on your game idea.
Use the PlayLab tool to practice connecting blocks of code. Start with simple tasks, like making a character say something or move. Experiment with different blocks to see what they do. Try to create a short sequence of actions for your character and share your code with a classmate.
Explore the game space in PlayLab. Try placing different characters and objects in the game space and see how they interact. Change their positions and actions to create different scenarios. Discuss with a friend how these changes affect the gameplay.
Using what you’ve learned, create a mini game with a simple objective. It could be collecting items, avoiding obstacles, or reaching a goal. Once your game is ready, swap with a classmate and play each other’s games. Provide feedback on what you enjoyed and any improvements you suggest.
Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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If you’d like to make your own game, it’s really easy! All you need are just a few basics of programming, and you can start playing a game that you created. Do you have a favorite video game? We’re going to take one step towards creating games just like that using PlayLab.
Good games have a story, and every story has characters that do things like speak, move, and interact with each other, maybe even score points based on the rules of the game. Today, we will be learning how to do all of these things one by one with fun characters, 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 this. 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, we’ll make the character say something by linking the “say” block to the “when run” block and typing in your message. Once you have your blocks in place, hit the Run button to see what you programmed.
Get started, and by the end, you’ll be able to create your own game with all kinds of characters that can interact, score points, throw things, and vanish each other. It’s all up to you!
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This version maintains the original message while removing any informal language and ensuring clarity.
Coding – The process of writing instructions for a computer to follow. – Sarah enjoyed coding because she could make her own computer games.
Game – An interactive activity designed for fun and entertainment, often involving rules and objectives. – Jake used coding to design a game where players collect stars to win.
Characters – The people, animals, or objects that take part in the action of a game or story. – In her game, Lily programmed the characters to jump over obstacles.
Toolbox – A collection of tools or resources used for building or creating something. – The coding software had a toolbox filled with different commands to use.
Workspace – The area where you organize and write your code or build projects. – Tom arranged his workspace neatly to keep track of all his coding projects.
Program – A set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. – Emma wrote a program to make her robot move in a square pattern.
Create – To make something new using your skills and imagination. – Using her coding skills, Mia was able to create a colorful animation.
Points – Units of scoring in a game, often used to measure success or progress. – In the game, players earned points for every puzzle they solved.
Blocks – Pieces of code that can be snapped together to build a program, often used in visual programming languages. – Alex used blocks to create a simple program that played music.
Imagination – The ability to think of new ideas and create something in your mind. – With a lot of imagination, Zoe designed a game where unicorns could fly.
