Ask HN: 9-yo son wants to build a game, I'm lost. What can I do?

Is the goal to learn to program, or just get his idea working?

If programming, I would nix the idea of a 3d game, and get him to do the concept as a 2d game of some kind, eg a platformer, or top-down, in Scratch.

Scratch is quite limited (IMHO wrongly, and in the wrong ways), and you need all kinds of hacks to get some things to work, but sometimes they make things quite easy, for example, you can make a 'scrolling platformer/tilemap' type game without having to code a tilemap, by setting a huge background image, and scrolling it around.

Moving to 3d, there's either a huge jump in conceptual complexity (3d math, etc), and/or a load of learning the tool - eg unity, godot, roblox, etc, a lot of the work is operating the 'studio' and 3d design parts; actual programming can sometimes be just a small part of the project.

On the programming track, as a next step from Scratch, I would (and have!) choose lua/love2d, or even fennel/love2d. Love2d is a simple library/framework, and Lua is much simpler than python, and you will (are forced to) learn the basics, for example there's no built-in object-orientation, you make it yourself, so you learn how such systems actually work.

And the fun thing: it's literally just a property of the standard "action" in Roblox. So super simple even if he doesn't use Lua but just the UI. I.e. instant gratification. And he can change the number and Roblox will automatically show a progress indicator for the "action". (yes I've done some developing coz the kids wanted me to build a game for them. "daddy, daddy, I found this pink cow! You gotta put it in!" - I never finished coz it got boring but it was a lot of fun).

He can blow up (just super size) the models and maybe find some "motor" asset someone made and published to actually put under the hood or just next to the car, which he needs to repair too. A blown out tire? Go find rubber or a new tire? Lug it back to the car first. A jerry can asset someone made that he needs to find at a gas station (maybe someone already made that asset) to fill up the car. Like "if Jerry can is in inventory - inventory is already pre built in roblox just use it - then long pressing the action key will fill up the car". Find a "lead pipe" asset to use as a weapon. To begin with use one of the premade with animations and everything swords. The learn how to make your own.

Since it's all for learning nobody has to care about asset licensing or money. When he does, it's a teachable moment.

Despite the bad press, Unity is a good place to get started ( for you ) which can then let you team up with them. There are many available assets and templates to get going.

Unity. Here’s a tutorial to build a simple 3D game that requires no prior programming experience: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n0GQL5JgJcY

Oh bollocks - looking at the Learn to Code From Zero link and it looks like just a modern version of those old "Learn to program a game in BASIC" books that were everywhere in the 80s when I was a kid.