I have a Mac and Claude Code Max and Codex, so I am equipped to create AI-slop. I’m happy to do some setup and pre-wiring. Mainly I want her to understand some basics and feel the joy of building something visual in a few hours. Based on historical experience it will have to be something with pink unicorns.
I tried Godot, but it felt like too much complexity for this use case. If we do a bit of pair programming then using Godot would take too long to iterate or explain concepts. I looked at https://github.com/Jibby-Games/Flappy-Race for instance but do not think I could make that work with her in an afternoon or two. I was also unsure how to get or manage game assets.
Would you recommend Godot, Scratch, PICO-8, JS in the browser (p5.js), or something else?
Especially interested in replies from people who’ve actually made games with kids around this age.
codingdave•1h ago
We did it with cardboard, poster board, markers, tape, etc, and built a real-life model/mock-up of the game first. Then we let them play it and only when they actually liked it did we code it.
I found that while some kids want to learn to code, most kids don't care about the code and want to make a game. So if you jump straight to code, you actually make them lose interest. Make the coding a phase 2 once they already know the game is fun.
falcor84•53m ago
Funny how this is somewhat of an endorsement of vibe coding a prototype.
richardstahl•34m ago
As a bonus I also think that if we create conceptual game assets in the pen and paper way first - say a 60 second drawing of her beloved unicorn - she can use some quiet time later to make it more elaborate.
TacticalCoder•20m ago
So "gamified coding" it is. Online platforms with simplified source code (but still actual code), making little animals move on the screen, by using code, to solve challenges. She already did more than 300 such challenges and understood loops and variables. She begins to understand how functions do work, side-effect, pure functions, etc.
But the thing is: she's 11 y/o. I'm the boss. A nice boss, a gentle listening boss. But I'm the boss. I get to decide whether she can spend 16 hours per day in front of screens playing or not (she can't). I get to decide how many time she can play out in the street with the neighbour's kids (as I type this she's doing just that) and how many hours she does maths, code, etc.
Then I apply concepts between maths on paper and code. For example she loves having one variable named "O_o" as a joke.
This shows a great understanding of what a variable is (although a poor choice in naming it!).
Then we do maths, on paper, and I literally generate her exercise on paper sheet with:
She loves that: suddenly she sees, on paper, that same O_o variable she sometimes uses in the code as a joke. And she sees me doing the joke.She'll be a rebellious teenager soon enough that, as of now, I still get to decide ; )
P.S: at 11 y/o she doesn't have a phone yet either. That shall come soon enough too.
P.P.S: space repetition too. For maths for example... I see where she's struggling, then it's space repetition mode. I generate her custom exercises and three times a week it's hammering.