Start here: who the course is for and what students take home
| What parents need to confirm | Current course details |
|---|---|
| Age | 12-16 years |
| Starting level | No previous coding required; students need to type and read basic English |
| Format | Online via Zoom, small groups of 3-6 students |
| Duration | 9 weeks, approximately 90 minutes each week |
| Price | A$540 for 9 sessions, A$60 per session |
| Course tool | Creative Code Studio or Kids OpenCode |
| Final outcome | Complete playable game, shareable link, short trailer GIF and Demo Day presentation |
This course suits students who are ready to move from enjoying games to making one. They do not need to memorise coding syntax first, but they do need to use a keyboard, read basic English, test their work and keep improving it when something does not work.
Cohort dates and available places change. Confirm the current arrangements through the website or with Rain before enrolling.
The final project: a complete game, not a worksheet
By the end of nine weeks, each student's game should include:
- an original hero, world, enemies, interface and level design;
- walking, running, jumping, gravity and collision;
- platforms, gaps, obstacles, collectibles, score and a goal;
- original theme music and jump, collection and victory sound effects;
- enemies, damage or failure, and a restart mechanism;
- a power-up, score, lives, and start, win and lose screens;
- a complete level improved through playtesting and balancing;
- a shareable link, short trailer GIF and Demo Day explanation.
Public sharing must follow platform rules and parent consent requirements. The course does not use Nintendo characters, logos, music or assets, and does not claim licensing, endorsement or partnership.
Week 1: Design an original hero and game world
Goal for the week: Decide who is going on the adventure and where it takes place, establishing one consistent creative direction for the game.
- What students do: Notice what makes side-scrolling games memorable; sketch a hero; choose an original world direction such as a lava castle, candy land or space; generate and select matching front, side and jump poses; build a title screen.
- Core concepts: Art direction, character consistency, visual selection and project setup.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to compare hero and world concepts quickly, or use Kids OpenCode to set up a multi-file game project and import approved original assets.
- How AI helps: Generate character sheets and world concepts. The student writes the direction, chooses, rejects and keeps the style consistent.
- Visible result: A title screen with the student's original hero standing in their own world.
Week 2: Make the hero move
Goal for the week: Turn a still character into a game hero that responds to the keyboard and moves with animation.
- What students do: Make consistent idle and run frames; add left and right keyboard input; test walking and running; check whether animation timing matches movement speed.
- Core concepts: Keyboard input, sprite animation, direction, speed, running and debugging.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to test different movement quickly, or use Kids OpenCode to read and tune AI-assisted keyboard movement code.
- How AI helps: Suggest matching animation frames and a movement-code draft. The student runs, checks and tunes each part.
- Visible result: An animated hero that walks and runs left and right.
Week 3: Jumping, gravity and game feel
Goal for the week: Create a jump that feels neither floaty nor stiff, and that the student can explain.
- What students do: Compare jump feel across games; add gravity, take-off and landing; try coyote time; change one physics value at a time and record the effect.
- Core concepts: Gravity, jump strength, velocity, collision, controlled variables and comparison testing.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to compare jump curves quickly, or use Kids OpenCode to tune physics constants, inspect landing logic and fix unusual behaviour.
- How AI helps: Explain physics values and suggest a useful testing range. The student decides which values to keep based on actual playtesting.
- Visible result: A satisfying jump with a tuning process the student can explain.
Week 4: Build the first complete level
Goal for the week: Turn the hero's abilities into a player route with a beginning, rhythm and clear finish.
- What students do: Plan a tilemap; arrange ground, platforms, gaps, pipes and decoration; test jump distances; revise routes that are too difficult, unclear or repetitive.
- Core concepts: Tilemaps, collision boundaries, level pacing, player routes and difficulty curves.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to arrange and playtest a route quickly, or use Kids OpenCode to integrate tiles, collision and level data into the main project.
- How AI helps: Generate original ground, brick, pipe, cloud and decoration assets that match the chosen world style.
- Visible result: A complete section of level that players can run, jump and explore from start to finish.
Week 5: Collectibles, sound effects and original theme music
Goal for the week: Move the game from simply playable to responsive, rhythmic and memorable through sound.
- What students do: Add coins or an original collectible; implement collection and scoring; make jump and collection sounds; create theme music; connect each sound to the correct event.
- Core concepts: Events, variables, score, audio triggers and feedback design.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to check whether collection feedback is clear, or use Kids OpenCode to connect score variables, audio files and event logic.
- How AI helps: Create drafts for original sound effects and an 8-bit theme. The student chooses the mood, rhythm and length, then tests the connections.
- Visible result: A game section with collection feedback, score, action sounds and original theme music.
Week 6: Enemies, danger and failure
Goal for the week: Add genuine risk so the player needs to observe, judge and time their actions.
- What students do: Design an original enemy and walk cycle; add left-right patrol movement; implement stomping, damage, failure and restart; test edges and collision cases.
- Core concepts: State, conditions, patrol behaviour, collision, damage and failure feedback.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to compare enemy speed and interaction quickly, or use Kids OpenCode to read and debug patrol, stomp and damage logic.
- How AI helps: Generate an enemy visual and a behaviour-code draft. The student checks whether the code follows their chosen rules.
- Visible result: A patrolling enemy that can be defeated but can also end the current attempt.
Week 7: Power-ups and changing character state
Goal for the week: Make a collectible change the way the game plays, rather than simply adding to the score.
- What students do: Choose an ability such as extra speed, growth or double jump; design the power-up asset; add before-and-after state changes; make a short jingle and particle feedback.
- Core concepts: Game state, temporary effects, conditions, timers, visual feedback and audio feedback.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to compare whether different power-ups are clear and fun, or use Kids OpenCode to implement state changes, duration and recovery logic.
- How AI helps: Generate an original item, short jingle and particle-effect draft. The student sets the ability boundaries and balances the result.
- Visible result: A power-up that visibly changes the hero's ability and gives clear feedback.
Week 8: Win, lose and complete the game loop
Goal for the week: Connect separate mechanics into a game that can properly start, finish, fail and be attempted again.
- What students do: Add score, lives and a goal; create start, win and lose screens; check that interface, sound and rules are consistent; playtest every possible route through the game.
- Core concepts: Game loops, UI, lives, win and lose conditions, and scene or state transitions.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio to check whether the complete experience is clear, or use Kids OpenCode to connect score, lives, screen transitions and restart logic.
- How AI helps: Generate draft hearts, numbers, banners and victory music. The student selects, integrates and fully tests the result.
- Visible result: A complete level that runs from the start screen to victory or failure and can be attempted again.
Week 9: Playtest, publish and Demo Day
Goal for the week: Use evidence from real players to make the final improvements and deliver the game for others to experience.
- What students do: Invite classmates to play; record where the game is too difficult, unclear or broken; adjust difficulty; fix final bugs; create a title card and trailer GIF; prepare a project explanation.
- Core concepts: Playtesting, evidence-based debugging, balance, deployment, feedback and presentation.
- Tool choice: Use Creative Code Studio for rapid presentation and experience feedback, or use Kids OpenCode for final code fixes, project organisation and publishing.
- How AI helps: Act as a debugging partner and assist with the title card and short trailer. The student decides whether and how each issue is fixed.
- Visible result: A finished playable game, shareable link, trailer GIF and Demo Day presentation.
Four AI creation streams: students must understand, judge and revise
| AI stream | What AI can help with | What the student must own |
|---|---|---|
| AI Art | Draft heroes, enemies, collectibles, tiles, backgrounds and UI | Set direction, select, maintain consistency and reject unsuitable results |
| AI Music | Create original 8-bit themes, power-up jingles and victory music | Choose mood and rhythm, and judge whether the music fits the level |
| AI Sound FX | Make jump, collection, stomp and game-over sounds | Trim sounds, connect them to the correct events and test them |
| AI Coding | Suggest or modify movement, physics, collision, enemy and UI logic | Approve file operations, read code, run, debug and make it their own |
The course can use Creative Code Studio or Kids OpenCode. It does not require both tools at the same time:
- Creative Code Studio: Visual building and rapid playtesting help students understand how movement, jumping, collision, levels and feedback form a game.
- Kids OpenCode: A real multi-file project lets students use a restricted, scaffolded AI coding agent to read, write, run and debug code.
The tool is selected according to the class plan and project needs. Whichever tool is used, AI does not own the work and cannot replace playtesting or judgement. The real practice is setting a clear goal, understanding what changed, judging the result and improving it again.
How each class works: every week ends with something playable
Each approximately 90-minute class follows the same build-test-improve cycle:
1. See the goal: Play or observe the effect students will build that week. 2. Break down the task: Separate the goal into characters, assets, rules and code changes. 3. Use AI support: Ask AI for a draft, code explanation or suggested modification. 4. Test personally: Run the game and record what worked and what failed. 5. Make a focused change: Change one important problem at a time and compare the result. 6. Show and explain: Explain what was completed, why it was made that way and what comes next.
The course is delivered online through Zoom in small groups of 3-6 students. The teacher manages pace, checkpoints, questions and feedback. Students remain responsible for project decisions and actual testing. Progress is visible every week rather than appearing only in Week 9.
If a student misses a class, they can review the lesson recording and arrange one 15-minute one-to-one catch-up before the next live class. Up to two missed classes may receive a free catch-up, subject to the enrolment terms and actual arrangements.
Before enrolling: fit and readiness
A good fit
- Ages 12-16 and interested in games, characters, music, world-building or creative projects.
- Can type and read basic English; no previous coding experience is required.
- Willing to test, explain and make a second version.
- Wants to complete a long-term project that can be played, presented and improved.
Not the right fit yet
- Only wants to play a ready-made game and is unwilling to design, read or debug.
- Expects AI to complete the whole project in one click.
- Is not yet comfortable using a keyboard or reading basic English.
- Can already build a complete multi-file 2D game independently and needs an advanced networking or game-engine course.
Parent questions: project, tools and price
- Does my child need coding experience? No traditional coding background is required, but students need to type, read basic English, and be willing to read and correct AI-assisted code.
- Will there really be a finished project? The course goal is a playable project with an original hero, art, music, sound and complete game loop, presented at Demo Day.
- Is the course copying a Nintendo game? No. Students create their own hero, world and music, and do not use Nintendo characters, logos, music or assets.
- What are the price and format? A$540 for nine sessions; approximately 90 minutes each week; online via Zoom in a small group of 3-6 students.
Cohort dates and available places change. Scan Website on the next page for the current course page, or use Sales to contact Rain about suitability and enrolment arrangements.
Read the full course plan, then check whether it fits your child
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Current course page
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