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StarterVillage
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Live, in-person classes in London

Real game development for kids

In-person classes where kids design, build, and publish their own video games in GameMaker, a real professional game engine. Classes run weekly in London, and every session is recapped right here.

See the courses
  • Built in GameMaker
  • Finished, shareable games
  • Small-group classes

Your first mini-game

The top-down game your learner builds in the Starter Course.

Gameplay from the Starter Course mini-game: a top-down pixel-art hero in a forest clearing swings an attack that defeats green slimes.

The top-down game your learner builds in the Starter Course

How it works

Weekly in-person classes, one concept at a time.

Live, interactive teaching means immediate help on every new concept. Skills build step-by-step, and every course adds up to a complete, playable game.

  1. Join a Class

    Enrol through the City of London courses website and join a friendly, in-person class each week. Small groups mean kids get real-time attention on every concept.

  2. Build a 2D Action-Adventure Game

    Each course builds a top-down, Zelda-style adventure. Kids design heroes and NPCs, shape levels and storylines, and add sound, all in real GameMaker workflows. They customize the game into their own world as the parts unfold.

  3. Stress-Free Class Recaps

    After every class, kids and parents get a link to a recap page with a written summary, images, downloadable assets, the project files needed to catch up, and extra challenges for kids who want to keep building mid-week.

  4. Publish and Keep Growing

    Each course ends with a fully playable game kids can share with family and friends. Courses are modular with built-in checkpoint files, so kids can pick up cleanly after a missed class, jump ahead to a topic that excites them, or keep building their world in the next course.

What you'll make

A real 2D adventure, built one concept at a time.

Every course adds to one complete game in GameMaker: a 2D top-down, Zelda-style action-adventure. Here is what goes into it.

  • Build the adventure

    Every game needs a good story.

    • A customizable hero
    • Dialogue boxes for NPCs
    • Triggers that move the story forward when it should
    • Inventory to collect and use items

  • Master the action

    What's a game without some action?

    • Monsters to challenge your hero
    • Health bars where every hit counts
    • Traps and hazards to keep players on their toes
    • Bosses for epic showdowns

  • Your game, published online

    The finished game on its GX.games web page, ready to share.

    The finished game published online on GX.games, shown on the game's web page.

    Share your game

    At the end of every course you can optionally share your creation online for friends and family to experience.

How I build

Why GameMaker?

GameMaker is the ultimate sweet spot for aspiring game developers. It bridges the gap between basic block-coding platforms (like Scratch) and overwhelming 3D engines (like Unity or Godot), letting kids start creating real games on day one.

Visit GameMaker
  • Built by indie hits.Undertale, Hotline Miami, and Hyper Light Drifter were all made in GameMaker. Kids learn the same professional tool used to create games they already know and love.
  • Real code, made approachable.Students work with real GameMaker code from the start. I provide working examples, then teach them how to read, modify, and build on them with confidence.
  • 2D focus, creativity first.Skipping the complexity of 3D lets students spend more time designing worlds, creating art, telling stories, and building fun gameplay.
  • Fun on screen, fast.The path from opening the editor to a playable game is short. Students see results quickly, stay motivated, and spend more time creating.
  • Free to keep creating.GameMaker is free to download, so students can keep building and experimenting between classes. They only pay if they choose to sell a game commercially someday.

Hyper Light Drifter

by Heart Machine, made in GameMaker

Screenshot from Hyper Light Drifter, a published GameMaker game by Heart Machine. A cloaked pixel-art character stands at the entrance of a vast, atmospheric temple structure lit by red and orange lights, with green grass in the foreground and a dark blue starry void beyond.
Hyper Light Drifter by Heart Machine, made in GameMaker

Hatchwell

by Adrian Corpuz, made in GameMaker

Screenshot from Hatchwell, a published GameMaker game by Adrian Corpuz. A top-down pixel-art scene: a small stone cottage with a thatched roof, a character standing by the door, a stone well to the right, a cow and a pig grazing on grass, potted plants, and a wooden-fenced vegetable plot in the foreground.
Hatchwell by Adrian Corpuz, made in GameMaker

Forager

by HopFrog, made in GameMaker

Screenshot from Forager, a published GameMaker game by HopFrog. A top-down pixel-art world of small connected island biomes on bright blue water: a giant tree-house, characters and animals, forests with fairy lights, rocks and minerals, and wooden bridges between islands.
Forager by HopFrog, made in GameMaker

What I teach

My courses

Two ways to begin! Your learner can try the four-class starter course to see if game development is a good fit, or dive straight into The Hero's Village (Part 1), the first of four six-class courses that build into one big adventure.

Ready to build?

The Quick-Start Course

A short, hands-on mini-course. The perfect way for your learner to discover if game development is for them.

Make Your First Mini‑Game

4 weeks · 4 classes

Try game development in four fun classes! Your learner designs a hero, builds a forest world, adds an enemy to defeat, then publishes their finished game online to share.

See course details
The full adventure

Four courses, one big game

Begin at Part 1; new parts open monthly through 2026.

Meet your guide

A little bit about me and why I love teaching game design.

Robert, the StarterVillage teacher

Robert Smith, MBA

London, Canada

  • Teaches live, in person
  • 10+ years building software
  • Lifelong tabletop gamer

Hey, I'm Robert, the teacher behind StarterVillage! I started out by teaching my own 11-year-old daughter how to code and design games, which inspired me to open up the experience to more students. Personally, I love 2D games with massive storytelling. Favorites of mine include Earthbound, Super Mario Bros. 3, Sackboy, and Paper Mario: TTYD. In my classes, I help students channel those elements into creating their very own game worlds.

Beyond teaching, I've spent over a decade building software professionally, specializing in NodeJS and React web applications. In short, the tools and skills your learner picks up in my classes are grounded in real world industry experience.

Otherwise, when I'm not coding, I run a D&D campaign for my friends and own way too many board games! Guiding a group through an adventure is kind of my whole thing, and that's exactly the kind of experience I bring to my classes.

What to expect

  • Small, in-person classes. Taught live in London, so every learner gets real attention.
  • Recaps and files in one place. Class summaries, project files, and extra challenges live right here on this site, ready for whenever you need them.
  • Patient, steady pacing. One new concept per class, with room to practice each step of the way.

Ready when you are

See you in class.

Enrolment and scheduling are handled through the City of London courses website, where you found me. Everything for class lives right here: recaps, project files, and a quick setup guide.

Browse the coursesGet ready for class