Coding Games in Scratch: A Step-by-Step Visual Guide to Building Your Own Computer Games (Computer Coding for Kids)

I got this book for my 9 year old son, who started out with Scratch last year by using the book Super Scratch Programming Adventure. After working through that book he spent many months just playing around with Scratch, looking at other people's projects, and watching a few YouTube tutorials. I got him this book to help give him some more ideas about things he could do, and to improve his coding. The book has been a big success in our house, and my son has spent many hours poring over it, working his way through the various projects. The book contains instructions for making 8 different games, and at the end of each game there are several "hacks and tweaks" that are suggested. These are ideas for ways you could change the game, but how exactly to implement those changes are left as an exercise for the reader. It's the combination of these two pieces that make this book so useful: explicit instructions on how to do some interesting thing in Scratch, followed by some suggestions that encourage you to think beyond the given code. This book is an excellent next step for kids interested in Scratch.

I have a number of children. My oldest son is 10 and has been constantly bugging us for something to do. We can never seem to get him enough books and audio-books from the library. We homeschool our children using a self-teaching based curriculum. I installed Scratch ahead of time because we don't allow open access to the internet in our home. With that part taken care of my son was able to open the book and build his first game in one evening without any help. All through dinner he talked about the different parts of his game. As a programmer myself I understand all too well that there is a difference between building something with direct instruction and understanding enough to create on your own. My son has been working on his second game (one he jumped to at the end of the book) for a couple of days now. The book seems to do a good job of explaining the logic behind the code in a way that he can understand. I have no doubt that once he has a few more projects under his belt my son will be able to build something on his own without instruction. I have enjoyed programming since I was young, but never quite knew where to go in order to learn at that young of an age. I am glad that these types of resources are available for my children. Maybe neither my oldest son or any of his siblings will work in computer programming as adults, but I know that the ability to understand logic and reasoning will benefit them no matter what they do. If you are starting with a younger child you may want to start with the "Coding with Scratch Workbook" in order to introduce the concepts more slowly. This book has been a perfect starter for my older child. It doesn't get him outside the way I'd like, but at least he is intellectually engaged and excited!

My daughter and I made the first game in the book. clear instructions and gr8 info. we used different sprites and background and even made more than 1 level and added difficultly. she is 10 and is able to use the book on her won but this is gr8 fun for us both. she wanted to learn how to make a game so we started with scratch and will work our way to python and python games. we look forward to it. gr8 book for us know nothing modest people.

I purchased this and a similar book on Scratch for the sons of a lady friend. They are 12 and 16. I hoped to get them programming computer games rather than just playing computer games all day - maybe sparking future career goals - and perhaps give the older one an opportunity to mentor (and bond even more strongly) to each other. Unfortunately, the guys didn't take interest. However, I read through this, and I can tell that this is an outstanding way to introduce young ones to the world of DIY code. I will likely purchase this again when a similar gifting opportunity presents itself.

Got this as a B-day gift for an 11 yo boy. He's the kind of kid who likes Legos and Minecraft. Wow, he loves this book so much more than I thought he would. Besides working on it at home, he's been taking it to school and working on the projects during free time there. Several of his classmates and his teacher are now also interested in learning Scratch. In one month, he has completed nearly all the games without any help from me. He loves the thrill of finishing a game and then tweaking it. One game gave him trouble, but he was determined to fix it and fix it he did. I think after a couple more months on Scratch, he'll be ready for learning a more serious language such as Python. What I really love about this book is that it allows kids to learn programming without any adult help. The writing is clear and engaging, as are the graphics. Excellent purchase.

Bought this as a gift, and he loved it. He immediately started coding games. It was easy to use, and he had a lot of fun. Definitely recommend

I got this for my son, it's step by step and easy for him to understand. This is the perfect "how to" book when starting out!

I got this for my son's 9th birthday, and it was definitely a hit. He liked messing around in Scratch, but he was in a bit of a rut. This book helped him really see what sorts of things could be done. His sister (not quite 8) was so excited that she began borrowing his book to work on projects of her own. What I like is that each project contains enough fodder to keep kids thinking of their own modifications ("I can make another level!") as well as inspiring them to use the coding they're learning in their own new and different applications. Each kid has done several projects, taking breaks between each one to expand on the game they've made or create a game of their own based on the principles they've learned. The book has been getting regular use for about two months now--a worthwhile investment.

I bought for my nephew he loved it!

This book has been keeping my daughter engaged for hours trying out the samples in Scratch. She was able to follow the instructions and write a pac-man like game. She seems to love it - and we are hoping that it helps her with her logic formation skills!

Aquest és un llibre que dóna idees de jocs per programar amb Scratch. Ofereix un plantejament inicial, els elements necessaris i com cal enfocar cadascun dels jocs. Comença amb jocs senzills, fins i tot per aprendre Scratch, i continua amb altres de més complexos.

Apenas iniciamos con la lectura y ejecución de este libro, yo estaba buscando ejemplos un poco ménos complicados para niños que van iniciando, este libro tiene ya un nivel intermedio y a menudo los niños necesitan de ayuda y apoyo para llevar a cabo los temas, lo cual no es tan malo, En mi caso son para una niña de 6 y un niño de 8 años, el niño avanza y entiende major que la niña por la edad, por otro lado los ejemplo son divertidos y entretenidos pero requieren más tiempo de lo que un niño pequeño puede dar en atención.

This is the best coding book I have ever brought. I work in a primary school and run a coding club the children have loved making these games and found it enjoyable and educational. It is so easy to follow with step by step instructions to make each game and then ways to tweak it to make it better. 10 out of 10.