Introduction to Game Design

Create, Play, and Design Your Own Games

Intro to Game Design with CodeHS for Middle School

Step into the exciting world of game design and coding in this hands-on course designed for middle school students. Using the CodeHS platform, students will learn how games are planned, built, tested, and improved while exploring the creativity and logic behind interactive digital experiences.

This class introduces students to the foundations of game design in a way that is age-appropriate, engaging, and easy to follow. Through guided lessons, coding activities, design challenges, and beginner-friendly projects, students will explore how games use movement, scoring, levels, timing, user input, and visual feedback to create fun and interactive experiences.

Students will not only learn how to build games, but also how to think like designers. They will examine what makes a game fun, balanced, and user-friendly while practicing problem-solving, creativity, and computational thinking. Along the way, they will use CodeHS tools to write code, test ideas, debug problems, and create their own playable projects.

Our Approach:

This class emphasizes creativity, hands-on coding, and game design thinking. Students will:

• Learn the basics of coding and interactive game development using CodeHS
• Explore how games respond to keyboard, mouse, timing, and player actions
• Understand core game design ideas like goals, rules, scoring, levels, and feedback
• Build beginner-friendly games and interactive projects step by step
• Practice debugging, testing, and improving their own code
• Develop creativity, logic, and confidence through project-based learning

Course Highlights

Students may explore topics such as:

• What game design is and how game developers plan experiences
• How coding controls characters, movement, and animation
• How to use events, conditionals, loops, and variables in games
• How scoring systems, win conditions, and obstacles are created
• How to test games, fix bugs, and improve gameplay
• How visual design and user experience affect how a game feels

Why Take This Course?

• Creative Coding: Turn ideas into playable digital games
• Future-Ready Skills: Build a strong foundation in coding, logic, and design
• Hands-On Learning: Learn by creating, testing, and improving real projects
• Problem-Solving: Strengthen debugging and computational thinking skills
• Confidence Through Projects: Finish with games and interactive creations students can be proud of

Who This Class is For:

Perfect for middle school students who love games, creativity, storytelling, design, or technology. No prior coding experience is required—just curiosity, imagination, and a willingness to learn.

Bring Your Game Ideas to Life!

From movement and animation to scoring and game logic, this course helps students explore the exciting world of game design through coding with CodeHS.