World 6 · Make a game · Guide 1 of 5Free guide
What makes a game a game?
Something you control, somewhere to get to, and something that can stop you.
Meet the three parts of a game
Every game has three parts. Something you control — here, a tap that moves the mouse. Somewhere to get to — the cheese. And something that can stop you — the cat, walking up and down for ever. Touch the cat and the game is over. Without that, it would only be a walk.
The cheese is the goal. The cat is the challenge. Your tap is the control.
See it work
Here is the game, played by a ghost finger. Watch when it taps — and when it doesn't.
🐱
Two taps, then a pause while the cat was down. When she went up, the finger tapped quickly, and the mouse slipped past. Knowing when NOT to tap is part of playing.
Your turn
Now you're the programmer — and then the player.
Can you build the controls — and win?
Make a tap move the 🐭. Then press ▶ and sneak it past the 🐱 to the 🧀.
The cat's program
Blocks
Your program
Go further
What if you change the number on your arrow?
Make it → 2. Now every tap jumps two squares — faster, but you can land right in front of the cat if you tap at the wrong moment. Changing one number changed how the game feels. That is what game designers do all day.
For grown-ups
Control, goal and challenge are the core loop of game design; adding a way to lose is what turns an animation into something a player has to think about.
Keep going
Next in World 6How do I chase something? →Where this goes
Make a game other kids can play
The blocks on this page are a first taste. In a Kubrio project your kid builds a real game — powers, triggers, levels and all — and other kids get to play it.