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

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

#231

Post by paavope »

helboi4 wrote: post #187
keyle wrote: post #65

I've used many engines and shipped many games, including commercial titles (I don't derive a salary from the game industry, though). I think I'd recommend something like GameMaker. I've never used it myself, but it's a self contained IDE that has everything to make decent 2D games. I'd advise against the pitfall that 3D games lure you into. That includes engines that are 3D with a 2D "mode". There is so much leaky ab…

I used to use GameMaker when I was exactly 9 so I would definitely recommend it. Scratch always seemed like it was not at all made to acheive any sort of playable game but GameMaker has a low barrier to entry but can make real stuff. I would try my best to convince him that he might have to learn to make something scaled down and 2D first, and as others have suggested, talk to him about his bigger vision game and bra…

I also started off around the same age with GameMaker; if it’s even half as good still as it was in the 2000s, can definitely recommend it!

In the beginning all I did was fool around with the example games and tutorials, and that got me started well. Like taking a bouncy ball game, changing sprites, playing around with changing things in the existing logic and every now and then accidentally stumbling upon an interesting mechanic.

The drag and drop interface is really nice for starting out; eventually I got into the scripting part and found out that I had kinda learned “coding” along the way

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

#232

Post by pizzaminded1 »

jstummbillig wrote: post #219
fn-mote wrote: post #42

Understand that you're not going to finish what you start. Do things that are fun. Keep a notebook of ideas. Talk about plans and what you want do. Spend time with him. Even if almost none if it ever makes it into code, the imagination part will be going wild. Look at what he's really doing. He doesn't want to CODE. He wants to make a game. Like every kid. Emphasize the creative part just like he wants. Do things on…

> Understand that you're not going to finish what you start. Do things that are fun. Keep a notebook of ideas. Talk about plans and what you want do. Do you think of this advice as specific to working with your kid(s) or do you feel it applies (or should apply) more generally? If so, in how far?

IMHO this can be used more generally - look at pet-projects that people are making in their free time. There is no such thing (in most cases) as deadline or "finish", because there is always something that can be added, improved or taken care in any way. Keeping all ideas in a notebook allows you to review them with other contributors, and even when project would be abandoned, this would allow to refresh memory when someone decides to come back later.

In this case however, having some quality time with son is the most important thing, and putting a deadline would affect the fun for the worst.

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

#233

Post by Avicebron »

oblio wrote: post #216
taskforcegemini wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there are 9 year olds who want to learn to code, don't stop them if they do

The kid didn't ask to code, he wants to make a game. I'd argue that the even safer bet is to start by using a game editor. For example Warcraft III had a great map editor with which Dota was created. It's probably the easiest way to get someone started. Advanced configuration requires scripting so it's the very next step to programming.

This is how I started! Close to 2 decades ago

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

#234

Post by Aeolun »

JR1427 wrote: post #198
fn-mote wrote: post #42

Understand that you're not going to finish what you start. Do things that are fun. Keep a notebook of ideas. Talk about plans and what you want do. Spend time with him. Even if almost none if it ever makes it into code, the imagination part will be going wild. Look at what he's really doing. He doesn't want to CODE. He wants to make a game. Like every kid. Emphasize the creative part just like he wants. Do things on…

Wow, great answer! I can apply this to some situations I have with my daughter. I have a tendency to get over-excited when she shows interest in my interests, and try and push her to do the things with me.

My son severely abuses my inability to play computer games anything less than one hour by always wanting to play with me :)

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

#237

Post by willguest »

You are welcome to use the framework I made. It's called ICVR - Island Collective Virtual Reality. It is a Unity-based framework and has all the modules for creating a simple running, jumping, throwing type mechanics. It is designed for VR and PC and works on standalone devices. As a demo, i made a tenpin bowling simulator that is discoverable on the interwebs.

[see github -> willguest -> ICVR]

If you pair it with another (also FOSS) repo, you can self-host it on the Internet Computer. That means cutting out fees from hosting providers and has security built in. This is not a requirement, but it's quite snazzy.

I am fairly busy person, but would be happy to give pointers. The setup in Unity is also automated and, to get a simple scene going, no coding is necessary. There are a bunch of assets to get started there too. If, as you say, you are already a dev, this wouldn't be much of a learning curve for you.

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

#238

Post by Twey »

orthoxerox wrote: post #103
EsportToys wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seconded for Love2D, here's a sample of how simple it is to quickly whip up something in it: https://github.com/EsportToys/wireworld-love

I was going to write that Love2D had an unusual drawback if you wanted to teach it to a 9-year-old: lots of third-party libraries had sexualized names. However, this is outdated, and none of the recommended libraries can raise unwelcome questions with their names: https://love2d.org/wiki/Category:Libraries

On that page I see entries such as:

  - Grease
  - HUMP
  - Lovetoys
  - Löve Bone
  - Gspöt
  - Möan
  - fLUIds
To be fair, I doubt most children will question the names! And this is a small enough subset of the libraries that one can just avoid them.

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

#239

Post by willguest »

You are welcome to use the framework I made. It's called ICVR - Island Collective Virtual Reality. It is a Unity-based framework and has all the modules for creating a simple running, jumping, throwing type mechanics. It is designed for VR and PC and works on standalone devices (Quest 2 type). As a demo, i made a tenpin bowling simulator that is discoverable on the interwebs.

https://github.com/willguest/ICVR

If you pair it with another (also FOSS) repo, you can self-host it on the Internet Computer. That means cutting out fees from hosting providers and has security built in. This is not a requirement, but it's quite snazzy.

I am fairly busy person, but would be happy to give pointers. The setup in Unity is also automated and, to get a simple scene going, no coding is necessary. There are a bunch of assets to get started there too. If, as you say, you are already a dev, this wouldn't be much of a learning curve for you.

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

#240

Post by khaki54 »

Looks like you're making a game then. Talk him into descoping the prototype to something that will work with scratch. Begin laying out the game, let him know the artwork and sound you need. Let him look over your shoulder, you will end up doing most of the work though. Invite him to any major design decisions
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