Best Online Video Game Design Classes for Kids

Does your child want to find out how to design and build their own video games? With live online classes for kids and teens that cover game programming, character development, world design, multi-level design, Minecraft modding, 3D modeling, and so much more, it's possible to bring their dreams to life. So today, we're going to explore online game design classes for kids. Discover fun kid-friendly game design programs for learning everything from Unity game engine development to creating Roblox worlds.

Discover Online Video Game Design Classes for Kids and Teens

Game development for kids helps unleash their creativity, while they learn real technical skills they can apply to their future careers. In the following video game design and animation courses, children explore the magic of technology in a fun, interactive environment led by an expert instructor based in the US. Here are a few other reasons these classes have won awards and been recognized by HulaFrog and parents worldwide as the Most Loved Virtual STEM program, won the Best of ActivityHero Award, Minecraft Education Edition, SMASH, Meta, and more:

• Educational Value and Skill Development: In these game design classes, children learn essential skills like coding, problem solving, and creative thinking, which are valuable for future academic and career opportunities - all while working with real-world applications.
• Quality of Instruction and Curriculum: These classes are taught by experienced instructors based in the US, with at least three years of teaching experience, and offer a structured, comprehensive curriculum designed by professionals from Google, Apple, and MIT.
• Interactive and Engaging Content: These classes that provide an interactive learning experience, with hands-on projects and activities that keep children motivated and interested in game design throughout every session.

Let's explore classes your child will love!

1. Minecraft Modding Quest

Grades 2-5; Live online; Small group; Expert led

This class covers the fundamentals of coding through the engaging platform of Minecraft, where students will learn how to create and modify their own games. Key concepts such as functions, loops, and variables are introduced in a fun, interactive environment, helping kids understand the logic behind coding. As they progress, they will build custom mods that bring their unique ideas to life within the game. Kids will code to place and break blocks, build structure, spawn animals, develop mini-games, and a lot more. They'll even build their own battle game that fights off zombies.

2. Minecraft Code to Mod

Grades 5-9; Live online; Small group; Expert led

Turn your child's Minecraft enthusiasm into a valuable skill set. In this game design course, students build both single player and multi-play games. They'll learn fundamental coding skills, as well as complex topics such as arrays and strings. Children also learn the most advanced coding concepts that the platform has to offer, such as objects, libraries. Plus, they'll create a Fortnite-like game. This comprehensive approach ensures your child masters essential skills, fostering creativity and problem-solving abilities critical for a future in game design.

3. Minecraft Redstone

Grades 2-5; Live online; Small group; Expert led

If both of those classes seem too advanced for your student, but they love Minecraft, and want to learn how to creatively modify their Minecraft games, join this live online class. With live expert instruction they'll learn how to incorporate more advanced blocks such as Redstone, pistons, and observer blocks to build holiday lights, automatic doors, and even flying machines inside Minecraft. It's a great way to learn basic engineering, as well as game design concepts.

4. Beginner Roblox Game Coding Class

Grades 3-8; Live online; Small group; Expert led

This live online class introduces children to the fundamentals of coding and game creation within the Roblox platform, a popular and engaging environment for young learners. Throughout the course, kids will learn essential Roblox concepts with block-based coding, building and designing game environments, and creating interactive game elements. They will explore how to manipulate objects, control player movements, and incorporate game mechanics such as scoring and timers. They'll build an awesome dodgeball game, multiplayer games, and even a game modeled after the highly popular infinity run game where players must turn, dodge, and jump to avoid obstacles and gain points.

5. Coding with Roblox Studio

Grades 6-12; Live online; Small group; Expert led

This online video game design class teach students the essentials of game creation using Roblox Studio, a powerful platform that allows users to build and play games. Kids will learn critical concepts such as Lua scripting, game mechanics, and 3D modeling. They'll explore how to create game environments, and design interactive experiences. Students learn how to build multiplayer games as well, so they can invite their friends to play their games together which is fun and motivating. The course encourages creativity and problem-solving while providing a solid foundation in coding and game design. With guidance from experienced instructors, students will gain valuable skills that can be applied to future STEM learning and careers.

6. Unity Game Development

Grades 6-12; Live online; Small group; Expert led

Unity is the most popular game engine in the world and is behind popular games such as Angry Birds. In this video game development class, teens will build a 2D platform game where players can control the movement of the sprite and direct its interactions with the environment such as colliding with obstacles and hazards. Some examples of game development components covered include assets, mesh renderer, collider, rigidbody, and animations. Then, students find out how to build their first 3D game in Unity.

7. 3D Design

Grades 4-8; Live online; Small group; Expert led

3D design is widely used in many areas such as designing cars, robots, animations, and game characters. This class introduces teens to the concepts for 3D design and building 3D models. Students create a couple of models in every class. Even though the class will only touch on basic skills, some students have created amazing projects using what they learned in class. Check out an example here. In addition, you will have the option of turning the 3D model into LEGO building blueprints.

8. Animation with Scratch

Grades 2-5; Live online; Small group; Expert led

Students new to programming can get started with a Scratch coding class that's beginner friendly, and teaches how to create cool animations. Scratch encourages kids to use their creativity to design characters, backgrounds, and interactive stories. This fosters an environment where they can experiment with their ideas and see immediate results, boosting their confidence and encouraging further exploration of game design. Once they learn the coding concepts in this class, kids can create pong games, Pacman, Tic Tac Toe, and many more games.

9. Intermediate Game Building Class

Grades 2-6; Live online; Small group; Expert led

Design a fun new game in every session of this game building class, an ideal choice for young aspiring game developers. Children will review and master key Scratch coding concepts such as lists, variables, messages, and cloning, all while understanding how to use them to make an awesome project they love each week. Some examples of weekly games include making a soccer game, a spinning dart game, and a Mars lander game to life. Can you land your rocket safely on Mars?!

10. Advanced Roblox Coding

Grades 6-12; Live online; Small group; Expert led

In this advanced live online Roblox coding class, your child will build their own game in Roblox Studio to sell fruits, and fill as many orders as possible! Students start by making different trees, grow and pick fruits from each of them, and open a shop to sell fruits to the shopkeeper. Then they move on to build more complex scenarios such as getting paid, tracking fruits, and handling ripen fruits. In the end, your child will duplicate their trees to build an orchard, make the characters speak, and add background music to make it a complete game. They can also learn how to create an exciting restaurant serving game in Roblox.

For even more options, explore Game-U, Outschool, video design camps, and in-person learning with Snapology.

Enjoy Video Game Design Courses for Kids

Kickstart your child's game design career today. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for video game designers, who are categorized as multimedia artists and animators, has been positive since 2019. The BLS projects that demand for video game designers will continue to increase, with 32,090 new jobs expected to be filled by 2029. The BLS also projects that employment of special effects artists and animators will grow 8% from 2022 to 2032, which is faster than the average for all occupations, reflecting the growing demand for interactive media. Help your child explore their video game development passion with any of our award-winning free coding classes here.

Next, find out how to make a Pacman game in Scratch coding.