Are you an avid gamer? Have you ever wondered what it takes to make the games you love to play? In this three-session program, OFL's Digital Services & Technology Librarian will introduce you to the basics of video game development. Using Microsoft's MakeCode Arcade block-code editor, you and your peers will design, code, and test a simple platformer game in the vein of the original Nintendo smash hit, Mario Brothers. Then, you'll play against each other to see who is the MakeCode Arcade champion! Along the way, you'll also learn several of computer programming's foundational principles, including variables, conditional logic, and loops. 

No previous coding experience necessary; just bring your desire to create and learn. Learning block code is a great stepping stone to more advanced programming languages like JavaScript and Python. Laptops will be provided for in-house use during each session. Participants are encouraged to bring a USB flash drive with at least 4GB capacity in order to save their game code. 

For teens in grades 5-12 | REGISTRATION REQUIRED