15 Free Video Tutorials on Game Creation for Schoolchildren
Many schoolchildren dream of creating their own racing games, shooters and runners. It is easy to move from a dream to reality, even if we are talking about children. Today, there are many courses, paid and free programs and video tutorials on game development for schoolchildren. Children are happy to immerse themselves in the process and try on the role of real “developers”.
Below are 15 lessons from the free Unity programming course for kids from school Pixel. This is a game engine that can be used to create 2D and 3D games of various genres. There are lessons on creating entire games, and there are useful tips on improving game projects and individual elements.
First, you need to download Unity to your computer, there is a detailed guide for this instruction.
Unity Tutorial: Creating Animation
Duration: 7:26
The tutorial video shows how to create animation for characters in Unity using a basic sprite from the engine library. To implement the animation functionality, the focus is on C# programming. The author shows in the video how to write code to speed up the character's movement and adjust the size of objects using the Scale function. Unlike the Scratch platform, which uses two coordinate axes “x” and “y”, Unity requires taking into account the third axis – “z” to work in 3D space. This video does not cover 3D graphics, but it will be needed in other lessons. Links to download materials for the lesson are posted in the description under the video.
How to Make a Teleporter: Unity Courses for Kids
Duration: 6:02
In this tutorial, two simple cubic shapes placed on different sides of the player are used for teleportation. The main character can move from one cube to another – this will be the teleport. To create such a system, you need to place two cubes and set the necessary parameters for them, not forgetting to turn off gravity, otherwise they will fall. The movement of the player, who is represented in the example by a yellow ball, is configured through the Player and Cube sections.
Unity 3D Tutorial: Spawning Objects
Duration: 6:48
The word “spawn” comes to us from the world of computer games, where “spawning” means “reviving”. In the context of programming on the Unity engine, spawning refers to the location of objects in space. In Unity, this happens through writing scripts on canvas and performing certain actions. Here you can also learn how to create prefabs, that is, templates for objects, which allows you to use the same object multiple times without losing its properties.
Duration: 6:13
To begin this Unity tutorial video, first download the pre-made character scene from the link in the description and install it on your PC. The tutorial video will show you how to build a trigger mechanism using a capsule, adjusting its action through the Rigidbody settings to control the physics of the object. This process involves writing a script that is activated when the object interacts with the capsule. Use the guide to set up a trigger that will either collect bonuses in the game or deal damage to the character. To access the necessary scripts, go to the Assets section. All the necessary setup details can be found in the video.
Unity for Kids: Making a Timer
Duration: 7:27
We are learning two methods of creating a timer in Unity. For the first method, we use canvas, adding text to the timer through it, and set the necessary values in the script for the countTime function. This way, the time will be updated every second. The second method is to use a coroutine – a special function that can work in parallel with other program elements. It can be activated at any time.
Moving an object with the mouse: Free Unity Course
Duration: 3:24
In this lesson, you will master the technique of dragging objects in Unity using the mouse. This skill will help, for example, when creating a Tamagotchi-style game where you need to bring food using cursor movement. To implement this, you first need to place a panel on the canvas scene, adjust its size and attach an image. Then you need to specify the appropriate tags in the script, the details of which are covered in the tutorial video. The main goal of the lesson is to show how to set conditions for variables: pressing the left mouse button activates the dragging process (assigns the value “true”), and releasing the button stops it (assigns the value “false”). After setting the parameters, the project is ready to run, and you can start moving the object.
“Unity” courses for children: making a character's health bar
Duration: 6:39
It all starts with a simple step – placing a small panel on the canvas in Unity with the resize tool. The next step involves working with C# code, where the main task is to program changes in the health bar so that it decreases or increases depending on different situations, such as when colliding with enemies. This element, often found in video games, shows how close the character is to defeat, showing his remaining “lives” or vitality. Creating such a health bar in Unity is the main goal of this tutorial.
Unity for Kids: Saving the Game
Duration: 10:22
This video explains how to implement a save function in the Unity game engine. This way, you can always return to your game achievements, such as points scored or levels completed. Using the built-in PlayerPrefs function makes this task easier. To practice, we suggest loading a pre-prepared scene with a background, available in the materials for the lesson. The video will also teach you how to create buttons responsible for adding points, displaying text, and loading. In this case, each button will have its own function in the code, which is necessary for correct operation.
How to Make a Runner Game in Unity
Duration: 30:34
Many children know and love runner games, where the main task is continuous movement. In such games, the hero automatically moves forward. The player cannot influence the speed of this movement, slow it down or, conversely, speed it up. The winner is the one who maneuvers best between obstacles.
To create a game like this on the Unity platform, start by downloading the necessary graphics from the Assets Store. This will make the development process easier. Then, you need to write code to automatically generate levels. This is achieved by spawning backgrounds and scene elements using GameObjects, which allows you to create an infinitely changing game world.
The next steps are to develop a character control mechanism and integrate various obstacles on the map. The more elaborate the elements are, the more diverse the game will be in the end.
Despite the length of the lesson, every child can create a runner even without basic skills in Unity. All you need to do is follow the instructions in the video.
How to Export a Game from Unity to PC or Android
Duration: 6:57
This tutorial will show you how to set up your project build for PC or Android. Let's start with the fact that to adapt the project to the platform, you will first need to go to Buildsetting and open this file. The default settings in Unity are already aimed at developing for PC. Including scenes in your project is key, since they will be the ones that will be visualized in your final application. However, if your goal is to publish the application on Android, you will have to perform a number of additional settings. This cannot be neglected, since the adaptation of the project is directly related to the functionality of smartphones. Important details and step-by-step instructions are available in the attached video. This way, you will get accessible instructions on preparing a project for various platforms, which will significantly expand your development skills.
How to add your game to Play Market
Duration: 11:57
First, you need to open the BuildSetting file, which is the first step of the tutorial. It is important to make sure that the Android platform is selected, as this is the basis for further customizations. The process continues with customizing which scenes will be included in the final build of the app, which is critical for it to function on the phone. This step ensures that all the necessary scenes are present in the app from the start.
The next step is to go to the PlayerSetting section. Here you should enter the name of the company and the game that will be visible to the user on the phone screen. It is important to remember that they affect the first impression of your application. Then you need to add an application icon and specify its version, determine the screen orientation and configure the parameters for uploading to the marketplace.
These instructions will help you set up your application without errors and prepare it for release.
Duration: 5:15
A jump in a video game can be done in 2D and 3D. It all starts with preparation: for projects with 3D graphics, a scene is created where the main element is a sphere. This object is not just a visual element: it is critical to configure its physical parameters to ensure correct interaction with other elements of the game world. Setting up a jump through a special Bool variable in the code plays an important role. This allows you to avoid errors, such as a repeated jump in the air, so that the logic of the game is not violated. To maintain realism, the jump should only be performed when the character touches the surface. To correctly perform a jump, detailed settings of conditions and parameters in the code are required.
If we are talking about a 2D project, then the main setup tool is BoxCollider, which helps control the interaction of objects on the scene and correctly implement the jump.
How to teach a character to move in 2D and 3D games on the Unity engine
Duration: 7:38
In this Unity tutorial video, we'll start with the basics of character control for both 2D and 3D games. In 3D, you'll learn how to create a game scene and use a sphere as the main character, with a special focus on setting up the physics of objects (see the video for more details). We'll then move on to writing a C# script using the Create command. Remember to name the script in English.
You will also learn how to adjust variables to control the movement of your character. In the context of 2D games, it is suggested to use already created scenes, and movement control is implemented through the Move, GameObject and Collider tools.
Duration: 8:05
Line Renderer is a tool for creating lines by multiple points in both 3D and 2D, but we will focus on 2D. The tutorial covers the use of two scripts for different drawing methods. With Line Point, you can draw by following specified points. Enabling DraftLine allows you to draw lines without breaking away, creating a continuous trace. The instructions for each script, their settings, and the final results are explained in detail in the video. We recommend that you first follow the teacher's actions, and then try to create something unique on your own.
Duration: 12:00
In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a car simulator in Unity using the simplest racing game as an example. First, you need to go to the Asset Store section (if it is not displayed by default, you can find it through the Window menu). Then you need to load the main object of the game. In our case, this is a car, which can be taken from the built-in archive. The next steps will be using prefabs and Box Collider, as well as setting up the physics of the game. The coding of the car's movement is entered through a script, taking into account all three coordinate axes.
It is easy for a schoolchild to master Unity from scratch, and it is not at all necessary to have programming skills. The training itself involves learning the C++ language. In the free Unity courses, which we talked about in the article, you can independently take the first steps in development, repeating the actions of the teacher, and then create your own game project and share it with friends. This will be a great start in IT for a child.
The selection is prepared by the programming school for children Pixel. We teach children aged 10-14 creating games on Unity.
