[Fun App Alert] I Created a Video Game!

…And it was so easy and awesome!!

Codarica is a Swedish/ American female led startup that creates apps that are designed to teach computer science fundamentals to kids.

“We wanted to build an educational product that scales to kids’ imagination,” says CEO, Sanna Nilsson. “We all know that kids have an extraordinary imagination, and learning about coding is a great tool to express just that.”

The latest app from this girl powered company, Coda Game, let’s you design your own video game! Knowing how to code is not necessary at all. As you are walked through the process of creating your own game, you are learning about computational thinking, problem solving, game design and development, logic, and more!

I downloaded the app to my iPhone and for a few weeks during my evening subway commute, I played.

The game opened with a tutorial to show how to make a game. There are lots of presets that helps you understand what game basics require before you even start to create game strategies- commands, triggers, layouts, speeds, backgrounds, characters, etc.

As you make these choices, you’re able to test your game to see how it works and what it looks like before you move on to add more nuanced features like sounds and point values. The app walks you through understanding process by giving you tasks that you keep building on.

This is from my tutorial game. I added those dazed stars! Nice touch, huh?

While all of this sounds pretty technical, it’s a lot of fun! When you start making your own game, you get to choose whimsical, silly game names that I know kids will enjoy like,’Fiery Powerful Unicorn’, and ‘Miss Inexplicable Success’. The name I chose for the game that I published was ‘Fiery Farty Time Waster’ because I’m 5 years old (on the inside).

An amazing scene from ‘Fiery Farty Time Waster’

I LOVE games that unapologetically mix play with learning! The bright colors, easy to use drag and drop visual coding blocks and goofy names makes this app a pleasure to use. Not to mention, the joy of creating your own video game that you can ALSO publish and share with the world means this app is a definite download!

And with endless combinations, games can be as simple or complex as the maker wants them to be. While the app is optimized for ages 9-11, the format could easily be navigated by younger children. I’ve been having a blast with it! I haven’t been 11 for 20 years!

Codarica’s mission is clear! They want to transform traditional education into a digital playground where children will learn vital 21st century skills like computer science and STEAM. This app promotes computer science by letting kids learning by doing.

The app is $3.99, has NO in-app purchases or third party advertising, and is available for iOS and Android users.

If you download it, send me pics of your games and thoughts about the app! I’d LOVE to hear what you, your kids/ nieces/ nephews/ cousins/ weird neighbor boy up the street thinks! Plus I want to play your games.

Happy App-ing!

Another game I’m working on!