Coding Projects on the Radio

Blog, Events, Game Design,

Listeners to BBC Radio Wiltshire will be able to hear all about some of the great projects coming out of First Coding tomorrow morning. Hopefully the projects featured will demonstrate that even the most simplest of ideas can often be the most fun and creative. The game design idea that is being launched shortly is also revealed as we plan for a creative Christmas. I’ve been told the interview will be aired on the Breakfast Show tomorrow morning. The link will also be posted when it’s made available.

Classroom Closure

Blog

First Coding has made the difficult decision to close our classrooms in central Salisbury due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. The First Coding rooms have seen some great events take place since we relocated there. From holiday coding workshops and competitions to hosting bigger events including building Salisbury in Minecraft and producing animations that were reviewed by Aardman! The creative space will be greatly missed and we’ll be back holding our face-to-face classes as soon as we can. In the meantime, all workshops and events will be hosted online via Zoom for the foreseeable future.

School Group Workshops

Blog, Schools

First Coding works with several schools in the area and was happy to help when one approached us for ideas to keep their younger pupils occupied during the long summer break.

After the necessary parental permissions had been obtained and safeguarding actions taken, we launched the school’s online coding workshops which are currently running for the remainder of the holidays.

If you would like First Coding involved with your school then please pass on our details. Whether it’s group talks about technology, running after school clubs or teacher training, First Coding can help.

Play a Puzzle Game

Blog, Scratch, ,

Why not sit in the shade and play one of our Scratch games made last week. We were looking at designing puzzle games and came up with this idea. The game is called Tree House and you have to try and build on all the woodland but watch out, nature has other ideas! Click here to play: http://firstcoding.co.uk/treehouse.html

What’s really nice is that it’s optimised for mobile devices. A standalone, Scratch built game for mobile – don’t underestimate what Scratch can do.

 

A Week of Workshops

Blog, Scratch, ,

A huge thank you to everyone who attended the recent workshops. Due to the range of ages and abilities we actually split the intended workshop into smaller groups which made for a busy but very creative week.

All the Scratch games made in the sessions were absolutely brilliant and I hope everyone learnt something new, especially when we looked at all the different ways to circulate your projects.

Keep building everyone and don’t forget about the free Scratch competition we’re running this month. Please keep an eye out for future weekend and after school coding clubs run by First Coding. It would be great to see you all again.

It’s Competition Time!

1 CommentBlog, Events, Scratch, ,

It’s that time of the year again where we launch our summer competition. The previous years have seen some great ideas being submitted and so we’re really looking forward to see what gets made this year.

The competition is open to all ages and abilities, runs for the month of August and games must be made in Scratch. This year, entries need to be based on a theme set by First Coding. This year’s competition theme is…

Signals

The competition is free to enter and entries can be emailed to hello@firstcoding.co.uk anytime during August. Judging will take place during the first week of September and prizes will be awarded shortly after. We will be awarding a £10 gift voucher for the best game produced as well as an additional £10 gift voucher for best creative effort.

Good luck!

 

Using Scratch to Build Standalone Games, Build a Portfolio and Include Adverts in Your Projects

Blog, Scratch,

If you’re serious about designing games but not sure where to begin then take a look at what First Coding can teach you with Scratch. Learn how to build standalone games, get your ideas in front of a large audience and include ads in your games to boost your pocket money!

This is our example of how you can take your games built in Scratch and package them up into standalone games to create a great looking portfolio.

Check out our Scratch Game designer workshop this summer: http://www.firstcoding.co.uk/become-scratch-game-designer/

This is a great example of how you can take your games built in Scratch, and package them up into standalone games to create a great looking portfolio. My book, The Game Designer’s Notebook is packed full of advice on taking your first step into game development. Whether you’re young or old, experienced or not, this book will be helpful to you and it’s only £1.99: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B…

 I also have a Patreon page, where for $5 you not only get a copy of my book but you also unlock a wealth of game design resources too! https://www.patreon.com/FirstCoding