Encouraging your child to learn through something they enjoy is the best way to help them retain information. In a technology-driven world, it is important for your child to learn the basics of programming, game design, and game development. This will provide them with job opportunities, college enrollment, and help them obtain internship opportunities.
Video game classes and gaming camps are also great for parents who are worried about their children spending too much time playing games. Through these classes, your child actually learns valuable skills through their video game journey. So today, I’m going to share some of the best video game classes and camps for kids and teens.
Find Some of the Best Video Game Classes and Camps
What makes a class truly great is the amount of fun a child can have and the information they learn and retain. All of these classes have a tested curriculum and are designed specifically for kids by experts from Google, Stanford, and MIT. You might think that learning game development at a young age is impossible, but with this gaming class, your child can actually develop their own games!
1. Scratch Ninja Class
This live online class is designed for new beginners to get a good foundation in programming. This prepares students to learn more complex game programming languages in the future. During class, children not only develop their computing skills, but also their creativity and critical thinking. In this interactive environment, a highly qualified teacher guides kids through coding awesome animations, games, and projects using a coding language designed by the MIT Media Lab. Games that can be created with Scratch range from Pacman to pong and beyond. Your child can even start with a free introductory lesson.
Best for: Young children who want to learn how to develop games.
Grade level: 2-5
2. Minecraft Redstone Engineering
Want your child to learn about engineering and computer science? So this is the class for them. Redstone is a powerful element in Minecraft that allows kids to create electrical circuits and advanced machines. By the end of this course, your child will have learned all about Redstone engineering, and how it relates to the real world through engineering and computer science.
Best for: A little kid who loves building and tinkering with things.
Grade level: 2-5
3. Minecraft Mods Search
This class is intended for young children who already have some coding experience such as experience with Scratch coding. In this fun live online class, students will have the opportunity to solve puzzles, create, and create games with coding features right inside Minecraft Education Edition! This class is even featured by Microsoft on their Minecraft Education website. This is the perfect class to introduce young children to learning important computer science skills through their favorite games.
Best for: Kids who love Minecraft.
Grade level: 2-5
4. Intermediate Game Creation
In this unique class, students learn to create their own custom computer science games! Your child will learn how to create cool spinning dart games, tower building games, virtual pet games, and more. Fun features students learn to use in this class include how to use a computer’s video camera to interact with their characters, how to code dynamic two-player games, and more.
Best for: Kids who love games.
Grade level: 3-6
5. Beginner Roblox Game Coding
Does your child love Roblox, or are thinking about creating their own unique game? In this fun, hands-on virtual class, students will learn basic coding skills to create their own games on Roblox, a popular gaming platform with over 40 million games! This first class is designed to provide students with basic Roblox coding skills without having to use the standard and very complicated game development tool most commonly used for Roblox, Lua. Students will create cool dodgeball games, multiplayer games, and even games that mimic the very popular infinite run game where players must turn, dodge, and jump to avoid obstacles and earn points!
Best for: Makes games fast on Roblox.
Grade level: 5-9
6. Minecraft Codes to Mod Classes
Learn to code cool games, stories and buildings in Minecraft! This Minecraft class will teach your middle schooler important coding concepts: they’ll learn functions, loops, variables, and more. As your child progresses, they’ll get lots of experience coding projects and games right inside Minecraft: their code will bring out their favorite creatures, build cool structures, and create games to challenge others. This is the perfect class to take when your child is already adept at coding with Scratch, as it expands on the block-based coding lessons already learned.
Best for: Learn the basics of Object Oriented Programming.
Grade level: 5-9
7. Coding in Roblox Studio with Lua
Roblox Studio is a great next step after mastering block-based programming. If your child loves Roblox, they will feel right at home taking this live online course. Roblox is a great place to go from playing to learning and creating. In this class, students will learn how to use 3D design tools while coding with Lua. Students even know how to create multiplayer games so they can invite their friends to play games together
Best for: Teens who love Roblox and have previous coding experience.
Grade level: 6-12
8. Advanced Roblox Game Coding Class
This class is perfect for students who have experience making Roblox games and want more of a challenge. In these live online sessions, students will learn how to create complex Roblox games like “Welcome to My Farm” and “Busy Restaurant,” and strengthen their existing Roblox coding knowledge. This class expands on additional features, such as module scripts, that students may not know even if they have progressed through the intermediate level.
Best for: Learn how ModuleScript works.
Grade level: 6-12
9. Unity Game Development
Unity is one of the most popular game engines in the world and has helped create some of the best games out there. This class is designed specifically for teens and tweens with intermediate programming experience, and an interest in game development. In this class, students will learn how to create basic 2D and 3D games from scratch and much more. If your child wants to create advanced games like Among Us and Angry Birds, they should take this course.
Best for: Learn the physics of game development such as mesh rendering, colliders, rigid bodies, and animation.
Grade level: 6-12
10. Unreal Engine 5: Beginner Course
This is an on-demand video SkillShare course designed for beginners who want to learn how to use Unreal Engine 5. If you’ve never heard of Unreal Engine, you’ve probably heard of games made with it such as Fortnite, ARK: Survival, and Street Fighter V. In by the end of this course you will be able to confidently create your own fully optimized gaming environment from scratch.
Best for: Learn how to design great 3D games with advanced graphics.
Grade level: 11+
11. Quick Prototype Minecraft Mods with MCreator and BlockBench
In this course, students will turn their creative ideas into Minecraft mods using beginner-friendly tools like MCreator and BlockBench. This hands-on class offers an overview of the software development cycle, from concept to implementation. Students will use MCreator to implement mod features, with shortcuts for younger students; create completely custom models with BlockBench; publish mods on CurseForge; and understand the iterative development process, with a focus on testing and improvement.
Best for: Kids are interested in editing their Minecraft games
Grade level: 2-9
Explore Video Game Resources for Kids
Maybe your students like to supplement their classwork with fun additional challenges and practice activities. Don’t worry, because we have a list of resources that can help them get started creating video games they can play!
- Basic Video Game Development For Beginners: This resource gives you the ins and outs of basic game development. It breaks everything down into easy-to-understand steps so you can do it all yourself.
- Easy Games to Code: Creating cool games is a great way to challenge yourself in applying your coding skills. Here are some games that are easy to code for beginners. From the fun arcade game Pacman to traditional Tic Tac Toe, find the game you love, and take on new challenges!
- Roblox Tutorial: How to Make a Game: So, you’re a big fan of Roblox? Well, you’re in luck because this five-minute read will help guide you through your first Roblox game. Don’t forget to read the tips and tricks because they are very helpful!
- Unity Tutorial for Beginners: How to Make a Game: Many kids love Unity, but don’t have a place to start. In this blog, you will document the steps to learn how to create an interesting domino game using Unity.
- Scratch Tutorial: How to Make a PACMAN: Everyone loves Pacman, but did you know that it’s really easy to make your own PACMAN using Scratch? Check out this blog for your guide to creating the most satisfying Pacman game you’ve ever played!
Join the Best Video Game Classes and Camps
Now you know some of the best video game classes and camps available for your young students. To explore more game-based programming, learn more about coding for kids and coding for teens.
Written by Create & Learn instructor Gabrielle Cindric. Gabrielle is a Computer Science student by day and STEM instructor by night. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games and hanging out with his poodle Bailey and his cat Asphalt.
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