['
When
', 'you
', 'look
', 'at
', 'your
', 'kids
', 'playing
', 'video
', 'games,
', 'you
', 'might
', 'worry
', "they're
", 'wasting
', 'time
', 'and
', 'energy
', 'passively
', 'staring
', 'at
', 'a
', 'screen
', 'and
', 'pressing
', 'buttons.
', 'But
', 'what
', 'if
', 'their
', 'play
', 'time
', 'was
', 'actually
', 'a
', 'creative
', 'outlet
', 'that
', 'fostered
', 'their
', 'imaginations?
', 'More
', 'and
', 'more
', 'games,
', 'apps,
', 'and
', 'websites
', 'are
', 'letting
', 'kids
', 'as
', 'young
', 'as
', 'kindergartners
', 'create
', 'anything
', 'they
', 'can
', 'think
', 'of
', '--
', 'and
', 'it
', "doesn't
", 'have
', 'to
', 'take
', 'a
', 'ton
', 'of
', 'time.
', 'Even
', 'better,
', 'most
', 'of
', 'these
', 'tools
', "don't
", 'require
', 'kids
', 'to
', 'be
', 'skilled
', 'programmers
', 'or
', 'computer
', 'experts
', 'to
', 'design
', 'and
', 'build
', 'creative,
', 'entertaining
', 'experiences.
', 'Whether
', 'your
', 'kids
', 'enjoy
', 'creating
', 'fun
', 'new
', 'game
', 'elements,
', 'editing
', 'existing
', 'game
', 'content,
', 'or
', 'fully
', 'designing
', 'their
', 'own
', 'games
', 'from
', 'scratch,
', 'these
', 'programs
', 'can
', 'help
', 'bring
', 'their
', 'ideas
', 'to
', 'the
', 'screen.
', 'Create
', 'Fun
', 'Stuff
', 'Blox
', '3D
', 'Junior
', ',
', 'age
', '5.
', 'Although
', 'Blox
', '3D
', 'Junior
', 'is
', 'considered
', 'to
', 'be
', 'a
', 'modeling
', 'toy,
', 'players
', 'can
', 'create,
', 'destroy,
', 'and
', 'animate
', 'pixelated
', '3-D
', 'objects
', 'at
', 'will.
', 'The
', 'design
', 'elements
', 'are
', 'easy
', 'to
', 'pick
', 'up
', 'and
', 'understand,
', 'and
', 'anyone
', 'from
', 'kids
', 'to
', 'adults
', 'will
', 'enjoy
', 'building
', 'and
', 'breaking
', 'apart
', 'digital
', 'creatures
', 'in
', 'a
', 'matter
', 'of
', 'seconds.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Kids
', 'interested
', 'in
', 'building
', 'and
', 'breaking
', '3-D
', 'models
', 'like
', 'digital
', 'Legos.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'Players
', 'can
', 'control
', 'and
', 'make
', 'models
', 'by
', 'tapping
', 'on
', 'a
', 'tablet
', 'screen
', 'with
', 'one
', 'finger.
', '3-D
', 'Dot
', 'Game
', 'Heroes
', ',
', 'age
', '10.
', '3-D
', 'Dot
', 'Game
', 'Heroes
', ',
', 'which
', 'is
', 'both
', 'a
', 'spoof
', 'and
', 'homage
', 'to
', 'the
', 'Legend
', 'of
', 'Zelda
', 'series,
', 'gives
', 'players
', 'the
', 'flexibility
', 'to
', 'create
', 'wacky
', 'heroes
', '(such
', 'as
', 'Santa
', 'Claus
', '...
', 'or
', 'an
', 'accountant)
', 'as
', 'well
', 'as
', 'the
', 'main
', 'weapon
', "they'll
", 'use
', 'throughout
', 'their
', 'adventure.
', 'The
', 'pixelated
', 'character
', 'models
', 'are
', 'clearly
', 'a
', 'throwback
', 'to
', 'the
', '8-bit
', 'days,
', 'and
', 'since
', 'the
', 'tone
', 'of
', 'the
', 'game
', 'is
', 'lighthearted,
', 'players
', 'enjoy
', 'designing
', 'and
', 'uploading
', 'their
', 'characters
', '--
', 'the
', 'sillier
', 'the
', 'better
', '--
', 'online
', 'for
', 'other
', 'fans.
', 'Good
', 'for
', ':
', 'Fans
', 'of
', 'classic
', 'adventure
', 'and
', 'Nintendo
', 'games
', '--
', 'and
', 'humor.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know
', ':
', 'Some
', 'downloadable
', 'user-created
', 'content
', 'might
', 'be
', 'objectionable.
', 'Lego
', 'Worlds
', ',
', 'age
', '10.
', 'Lego
', 'Worlds
', 'lets
', 'you
', 'construct
', 'virtually
', 'anything,
', 'from
', 'intriguing
', 'stories
', 'to
', 'rousing
', 'adventures
', '--
', 'with
', 'as
', 'much
', 'complexity
', 'and
', 'detail
', 'as
', 'you
', 'can
', 'imagine
', '--
', 'using
', 'plain
', 'old
', 'Lego
', 'bricks.
', 'Additional
', 'content
', 'packs,
', 'like
', 'the
', 'Classic
', 'Space
', 'Pack
', 'and
', 'Monsters
', 'Pack,
', 'give
', 'players
', 'a
', 'constant
', 'supply
', 'of
', 'inspiration.
', 'Good
', 'for
', ':
', 'Lego
', 'fans
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know
', ':
', 'Players
', 'can
', 'quickly
', 'hop
', 'between
', 'the
', 'sandbox
', 'mode
', 'and
', 'the
', 'adventure
', 'mode
', 'to
', 'explore
', 'worlds
', 'from
', 'other
', 'creators.
', 'Edit
', 'Existing
', 'Games
', 'Toca
', 'Builders
', ',
', 'age
', '6.
', 'If
', 'your
', 'kids
', "aren't
", 'ready
', 'for
', 'Minecraft
', 'yet,
', 'Toca
', 'Builders
', 'is
', 'a
', 'great
', 'alternative.
', 'The
', 'sandbox-style
', 'game
', 'lets
', 'kids
', 'create
', 'anything
', 'they
', 'can
', 'think
', 'of,
', 'without
', 'having
', 'to
', 'worry
', 'about
', 'the
', 'combat
', 'or
', 'the
', 'monsters
', 'Minecraft
', 'is
', 'known
', 'for.
', 'The
', 'game
', 'also
', 'comes
', 'with
', 'a
', 'set
', 'of
', 'characters
', 'who
', 'have
', 'separate
', 'jobs,
', 'which
', 'will
', 'help
', 'users
', 'build
', 'and
', 'create
', 'their
', 'new
', 'game
', 'worlds
', '--
', 'perfect
', 'for
', 'the
', 'young
', 'designer
', 'starting
', 'out.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Kids
', 'interested
', 'in
', 'sandbox-style
', 'play
', 'and
', 'who
', "aren't
", 'ready
', 'for
', 'Minecraft
', '.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'Anything
', 'created
', 'is
', 'automatically
', 'saved,
', 'giving
', 'kids
', 'freedom
', 'to
', 'work
', 'as
', 'much
', 'or
', 'as
', 'little
', 'as
', 'they
', 'want
', 'in
', 'a
', 'play
', 'session.
', 'Drawn
', 'to
', 'Life
', ',
', 'age
', '7.
', 'Unlike
', 'games
', 'that
', 'use
', 'drag-and-drop-style
', 'customization,
', 'Drawn
', 'to
', 'Life
', 'gets
', 'players
', 'to
', 'draw
', 'to
', 'define
', 'and
', 'edit
', 'their
', 'game
', 'worlds.
', 'That
', 'means
', 'that
', 'everything
', 'from
', 'the
', 'characters
', 'as
', 'whom
', 'you
', 'play
', 'to
', 'their
', 'weapons
', 'are
', 'defined
', 'solely
', 'by
', 'your
', 'imagination.
', 'Few
', 'games
', 'offer
', 'such
', 'wide-ranging
', 'flexibility.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Young
', 'artists
', 'and
', 'kids
', 'with
', 'vibrant
', 'imaginations.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'This
', 'game
', 'can
', 'be
', 'used
', 'on
', 'phones,
', 'tablets,
', 'handhelds,
', 'and
', 'consoles.
', 'Super
', 'Mario
', 'Maker
', 'for
', 'Nintendo
', '3DS
', ',
', 'age
', '7.
', 'Super
', 'Mario
', 'Maker
', 'gives
', 'kids
', 'the
', 'chance
', 'to
', 'create
', 'their
', 'own
', 'adventures
', 'in
', 'the
', 'Mushroom
', 'Kingdom.
', 'In-depth
', 'tutorials
', 'and
', 'hints
', 'on
', 'the
', 'best
', 'ways
', 'to
', 'create
', 'levels
', 'ensure
', 'that
', 'kids
', 'can
', 'learn
', 'as
', 'they
', 'go.
', 'Once
', 'finished,
', 'levels
', 'can
', 'be
', 'shared
', 'with
', 'nearby
', 'friends.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Mario
', 'fans
', 'who
', 'want
', 'to
', 'put
', 'their
', 'own
', 'stamp
', 'on
', "Mario's
", 'world.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'The
', "game's
", '100
', 'Mario
', 'Challenge
', 'will
', 'test
', "players'
", 'gaming
', 'skills
', 'while
', 'providing
', 'ideas
', 'for
', 'level
', 'creation.
', 'Minecraft
', ',
', 'age
', '8.
', 'Few
', 'games
', 'exemplify
', 'the
', 'concept
', 'of
', 'editing
', 'an
', 'existing
', 'game
', 'better
', 'than
', 'Minecraft
', '.
', 'The
', 'ability
', 'to
', 'make
', 'physical
', 'changes
', 'to
', 'a
', 'randomly
', 'created
', 'world
', 'has
', 'helped
', 'the
', 'game
', 'retain
', 'its
', 'longevity
', 'and
', 'legions
', 'of
', 'devoted
', 'fans.
', 'In
', 'fact,
', 'the
', 'main
', 'goal
', 'of
', 'the
', 'survival
', 'mode
', 'is
', 'making
', 'players
', 'alter
', 'the
', 'landscape
', 'to
', 'simply
', 'collect
', 'the
', 'tools
', 'needed
', 'to
', 'survive.
', 'Not
', 'many
', 'games
', 'can
', 'challenge
', 'Minecraft
', 'for
', 'its
', 'in-game
', 'editing
', 'play.
', 'Good
', 'for
', ':
', 'Thanks
', 'to
', 'its
', 'deep
', 'play,
', 'virtually
', 'anyone
', 'interested
', 'in
', 'games.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know
', ':
', 'Players
', 'can
', 'get
', 'editor
', 'tips
', 'for
', 'their
', 'creations
', 'through
', 'numerous
', 'websites
', 'and
', 'YouTube
', 'channels.
', 'Trials
', 'Fusion
', ',
', '
age
', '12.
', 'Trials
', 'Fusion
', 'maintains
', 'the
', 'popular
', 'racing
', "game's
", 'focus
', 'on
', 'outrageous
', 'motorcycle
', 'stunts,
', 'crashes,
', 'and
', 'speed.
', 'But
', 'Fusion
', 'stands
', 'out
', 'by
', 'providing
', 'a
', 'deep
', 'track
', 'editor
', 'that
', 'allows
', 'players
', 'to
', 'create
', 'levels
', 'that
', 'are
', 'challenging
', 'and
', 'complex.
', 'These
', 'can
', 'easily
', 'be
', 'uploaded
', 'to
', 'game
', 'servers
', 'for
', 'user
', 'testing
', 'and
', 'feedback,
', 'and
', 'players
', 'can
', 'download
', 'loads
', 'of
', 'new
', 'courses
', 'to
', 'expand
', 'their
', 'own
', 'game
', 'experience.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Racing
', 'fans
', 'who
', 'like
', 'pushing
', 'the
', 'envelope
', 'of
', 'physics
', 'with
', 'their
', 'tricks
', 'and
', 'on
', 'their
', 'tracks.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'More
', 'than
', 'a
', 'million
', 'tracks
', 'were
', 'created
', 'for
', 'the
', 'previous
', 'game
', 'in
', 'the
', 'series,
', 'and
', 'at
', 'least
', 'as
', 'many
', 'are
', 'expected
', 'for
', 'this
', 'racer.
', 'Total
', 'Game
', 'Design
', 'LittleBigPlanet
', '3
', ',
', 'age
', '8.
', 'As
', 'with
', 'Project
', 'Spark
', ',
', 'LittleBigPlanet
', '3
', 'lets
', 'players
', 'design
', 'whatever
', 'they
', 'want
', 'with
', 'a
', 'robust
', 'level
', 'creator.
', 'However,
', 'much
', 'of
', 'its
', 'design
', 'revolves
', 'around
', 'trial
', 'and
', 'error,
', 'so
', 'players
', 'can
', 'quickly
', 'diagnose
', 'what
', 'worked
', 'and
', 'what
', "didn't
", 'in
', 'their
', 'creations.
', 'LBP3
', 'comes
', 'with
', 'in-depth
', 'tutorials
', 'and
', 'has
', 'an
', 'incredibly
', 'active
', 'player
', 'community
', 'that
', 'has
', 'produced
', 'more
', 'than
', '10
', 'million
', 'levels
', 'or
', 'mini-games
', 'with
', 'its
', 'creative
', 'tools,
', 'so
', 'new
', 'designers
', 'also
', 'can
', 'learn
', 'from
', 'other
', 'creators
', 'using
', 'the
', 'editing
', 'tools
', 'on
', 'a
', 'daily
', 'basis.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Kids
', 'and
', 'kids
', 'at
', 'heart
', 'who
', 'like
', 'playing
', 'with
', 'dolls
', 'and
', 'stickers.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'Designers
', 'have
', 'made
', 'everything
', 'from
', 'pinball
', 'machines
', 'to
', 'racing
', 'games
', 'to
', 'space
', 'shooters
', 'with
', 'the
', 'LBP
', 'tools.
', 'Nintendo
', 'Labo
', 'Toy-Con
', 'Vehicle
', 'Kit
', ',
', 'age
', '8.
', 'This
', 'kit
', 'lets
', 'kids
', 'turn
', 'cardboard
', 'into
', 'objects
', 'including
', 'steering
', 'wheels,
', 'joysticks,
', 'and
', 'other
', 'controllers
', 'for
', 'games.
', 'Then
', 'you
', 'can
', 'program
', 'your
', 'creations
', 'using
', 'a
', 'full
', 'suite
', 'of
', 'tools
', 'on
', 'the
', 'Nintendo
', 'Switch.
', 'Nintendo
', 'offers
', 'a
', 'variety
', 'of
', 'Labo
', 'kits
', 'that
', 'let
', 'kids
', 'create
', 'things
', 'such
', 'as
', 'robots,
', 'instruments,
', 'and
', 'vehicles.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Kids
', 'interested
', 'in
', 'hands-on
', 'building
', 'and
', 'computer
', 'programming.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'Videos
', 'of
', 'people
', 'making
', 'instruments,
', 'electronic
', 'locks,
', 'and
', 'other
', 'devices
', 'out
', 'of
', 'cardboard
', 'are
', 'available
', 'on
', 'the
', 'Nintendo
', 'site
', 'and
', 'YouTube.
', 'Tynker
', ',
', 'age
', '8.
', 'The
', 'Tynker
', 'website
', 'uses
', 'visual
', 'blocks
', 'of
', 'code
', 'to
', 'explain
', 'to
', 'kids
', 'programming
', 'concepts
', 'developed
', 'at
', 'MIT.
', 'Through
', 'videos,
', 'programming
', 'tutorials,
', 'quizzes,
', 'and
', 'self-driven
', 'work,
', 'kids
', 'learn
', 'the
', 'basics
', 'of
', 'game
', 'design.
', 'Tynker
', 'provides
', 'several
', 'free
', 'games
', 'for
', 'users
', 'to
', 'play
', 'and
', 'disassemble
', 'to
', 'figure
', 'out
', 'how
', 'they
', 'work,
', 'and
', 'interested
', 'designers
', 'can
', 'pay
', 'for
', 'lifetime
', 'access
', 'to
', 'programming
', 'courses
', 'if
', 'they
', 'want
', 'additional
', 'instruction
', 'or
', 'refreshers
', 'on
', 'topics.
', 'Good
', 'for
', ':
', 'Kids
', 'with
', 'a
', 'dedicated
', 'interest
', 'in
', 'learning
', 'programming
', 'and
', 'design.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know
', ':
', 'Lessons
', "aren't
", 'cheap,
', 'but
', 'they
', 'are
', 'designed
', 'to
', 'teach
', 'key
', 'concepts
', 'that
', 'can
', 'be
', 'used
', 'in
', 'any
', 'designed
', 'game.
', 'Gamestar
', 'Mechanic
', ',
', 'age
', '10.
', 'Gamestar
', 'Mechanic
', 'celebrates
', 'game
', 'design
', 'and
', 'coding
', 'by
', 'putting
', 'players
', 'in
', 'a
', 'sci-fi
', 'world
', 'where
', 'designers
', 'are
', 'superheroes.
', 'The
', 'Web-based
', 'game
', 'introduces
', 'different
', 'genres
', 'of
', 'games
', 'via
', 'play
', 'samples
', 'and
', 'provides
', 'backgrounds
', 'and
', 'characters
', 'for
', 'players
', 'to
', 'create
', 'their
', 'own
', 'levels.
', 'With
', 'each
', 'design
', 'section
', 'they
', 'work
', 'through,
', 'players
', 'unlock
', 'further
', 'elements
', 'that
', 'can
', 'be
', 'used
', 'for
', 'future
', 'projects.
', 'Plus,
', 'created
', 'levels
', 'can
', 'be
', 'shared
', 'and
', 'reviewed
', 'by
', 'others
', 'in
', 'moderated
', 'forums.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'New
', 'designers
', 'who
', 'enjoy
', 'the
', 'feeling
', 'of
', 'power
', 'from
', 'creating
', 'cool
', 'projects.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'With
', 'site
', 'time
', 'limits
', 'and
', 'moderated
', 'content,
', 'this
', 'is
', 'one
', 'of
', 'the
', 'safest
', 'design
', 'communities
', 'for
', 'kids.
', 'Roblox
', ',
', 'age
', '10.
', 'If
', 'game
', 'design
', 'is
', 'about
', 'creating
', 'an
', 'imaginary
', 'game
', 'world
', 'and
', 'bringing
', 'it
', 'to
', 'life,
', 'then
', 'Roblox
', 'wants
', 'to
', 'be
', 'the
', 'universe
', 'in
', 'which
', 'all
', 'these
', 'worlds
', 'exist.
', 'With
', 'this
', 'Web-based
', 'creation
', 'site,
', 'users
', 'can
', 'design
', 'their
', 'own
', 'games
', 'and
', 'experiences
', 'or
', 'explore
', 'previously
', 'uploaded
', 'games
', 'for
', 'ideas.
', 'The
', "site's
", 'tools
', 'and
', 'game
', 'elements
', 'are
', 'constantly
', 'being
', 'updated,
', 'ensuring
', 'that
', 'players
', 'never
', 'find
', 'themselves
', 'with
', 'stale
', 'or
', 'outdated
', 'elements.
', 'Plus,
', 'Roblox
', 'is
', 'accessible
', 'on
', 'phone,
', 'tablet,
', 'and
', 'computer,
', 'so
', 'kids
', 'can
', 'constantly
', 'make
', 'changes
', 'to
', 'their
', 'designs
', 'as
', 'they
', 'see
', 'fit
', 'anywhere
', 'they
', 'are.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Designers
', 'who
', 'always
', 'want
', 'the
', 'latest
', 'tools
', 'at
', 'their
', 'fingertips.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', "There's
", 'a
', 'gentle
', 'learning
', 'curve;
', 'users
', 'can
', 'start
', 'as
', 'players
', 'and
', 'transition
', 'to
', 'being
', 'designers
', 'when
', 'they
', 'feel
', 'ready.
', 'Codea
', ',
', 'age
', '13.
', 'If
', 'your
', 'kids
', 'are
', 'really
', 'into
', 'checking
', 'out
', 'the
', 'latest
', 'and
', 'greatest
', 'apps
', 'on
', 'the
', 'iPad,
', 'why
', 'not
', 'give
', 'them
', 'the
', 'chance
', 'to
', 'figure
', 'out
', 'how
', 'to
', 'make
', 'their
', 'own?
', 'Codea
', 'uses
', 'the
', 'Lua
', 'programming
', 'language
', 'and
', 'provides
', 'sample
', 'programs
', 'and
', 'tools
', 'to
', 'help
', 'create
', 'programs.
', "It's
", 'touchscreen-friendly
', 'for
', 'tablets,
', 'and
', 'it
', 'provides
', 'instant
', 'feedback
', 'for
', 'any
', 'possible
', 'errors
', 'that
', 'may
', 'be
', 'in
', 'your
', 'code.
', 'Plus,
', 'it
', 'comes
', 'with
', 'a
', 'tutorial
', 'and
', 'step-by-step
', 'guide
', 'for
', 'beginners
', 'interested
', 'in
', 'trying
', 'to
', 'learn
', 'Lua
', 'basics.
', 'Good
', 'for:
', 'Tablet
', 'fans
', 'who
', 'want
', 'to
', 'learn
', 'more
', 'about
', 'how
', 'their
', 'device
', 'works.
', 'Good
', 'to
', 'know:
', 'Visual
', 'cues
', 'provide
', 'instant
', 'feedback,
', 'which
', 'helps
', 'reinforce
', 'what
', 'newly
', 'learned
', 'commands
', 'do
', 'in
', 'the
', 'Lua
', 'language.
']