Catch a glimpse inside a school bus and you'll see lots of kids looking down. What are they doing? They're deciding on strategy, building cities, setting traps for monsters, sharing resources, and nurturing critical relationships. Over 90 percent of kids ages 2-17 play video games. In Video Games: Design and Code Your Own Adventure, young readers learn why games are so compelling and what ancient games such as mancala have in common with modern games like Minecraft. Kids will even create their very own video games using software such as MIT's Scratch! Using a familiar, high-interest subject, Video Games introduces foundation subjects such as geometry, physics, probability, and psychology in a practical framework. Building Tetris pieces out of Rice Crispie Treats and designing board games are some of the hands-on projects that engage readers' building skills, while writing actual game code opens digital doors readers may not have known existed.

 

This book is part of a book series called Build It Yourself .

This book has been graded for interest at 9-12 years.

There are 128 pages in this book. This book was published 2015 by Nomad Press .

Mike Crosier holds an MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies. He is the illustrator of several books from Nomad Press, including Explore Greek Myths! With 25 Great Projects and Video Games: Design and Code Your Own Adventure . He lives in White River Junction, Vermont. Kathy Ceceri is About. com's Homeschooling Expert and a fan of art mixed with science. Her books include Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future, named "Best of the Best" by the Chicago Public Library, and Geek Mom: Projects, Tips, and Adventures for Moms and Their 21st-Century Families. She lives in Upstate New York.

This book has the following chapters: Introduction: Everyone's a Gamer! Chapter 1: Electronic Games and Their Roots Chapter 2: Why Do We Play Games? Chapter 3: Gamemaking Step by Step Chapter 4: Coding--How to Write a Game Program Chapter 5: Make Your Game Come to Life Chapter 6: So You Want to Make Games . Glossary Resources Index