Build Your First Platformer Game
Ready for your first big mission? We're going to build a complete 2D platformer game in Scratch, with running, jumping, tricky obstacles, and a finish line!
📐 1. The Blueprint
Every great platformer game, from Mario to Sonic, is built with the same secret ingredients. Let's check them out!
🧑🚀 The Player
Your hero! Teach it to run and jump.
🌍 Gravity
What goes up must come down!
🏰 The Level
The world your hero explores.
🏆 The Goal
How you win the game!
🎬 Watch & Learn
We’re going to follow a tutorial from one of the best Scratch builders out there, Griffpatch. He shows you how to make your character move like a real pro game!
💡 Pro-Tip: Don't try to watch the whole thing at once! Try this: watch a small part, then pause the video and try to build just that piece in your own Scratch project. One step at a time!
🧭 Video Guide:
🛠️ 2. Production Checklist
Open Scratch in a new tab and start building! Use the tutorial as your guide, and check these items off as you nail each one.
Hero Can Run! 🏃 I made the character move left and right.
Gravity & Jump! 🤸 I made the character jump and fall.
Danger Zone! 🌵 I added a trap that restarts the level.
Finish Line! 🏁 I added a goal to win the game.
💥 Remix Challenge (Optional)
You've built the basics. Now, make the game YOURS! Try adding one of these features to your project:
Add Coins: Create a collectible item and a variable to keep score.
Moving Platforms: Make a platform that slides back and forth. Tricky!
Custom Hero: Draw your own character sprite instead of the Scratch cat. ✨ For a futuristic twist, with a parent, explore an AI art tool like Leonardo.Ai (requires an account) to dream up a hero nobody has ever seen before!
Double Jump: Add a power-up that lets the player jump a second time in mid-air. (Hint: you'll need a variable to keep track of the jumps!)
⚡ Level Up: The Secret is "Game Feel"
Ever notice how some games just feel better to play? That's not an accident! Pro designers call it "game feel" or "juice." It's the little details—like how fast a character speeds up, how high they jump, or a little screen shake when they land.
The tutorial you watched is famous because it teaches you how to code great game feel in Scratch. As you get better, think about this: what could you add to your game to make it more 'juicy'? Maybe a little particle effect when the player jumps? Professional designers use tricks like "coyote time" (letting you jump for a split-second after running off a ledge) and "jump buffering" (letting you press jump just before you land) to make controls feel amazing. These are tiny details that make a huge difference.
🌍 3. Ship It!
You did it! Time to show the world. Click the "Share" button in Scratch on your project, and then paste the public link below to officially submit your awesome first game.
🛡️ Safety Check: Share Smart!
Sharing your game is awesome! Just remember the golden rule: never use your real name, photo, or any personal information in your Scratch project title, notes, or inside the game itself. Keep your online identity a secret to stay safe!
👨👩👧 Parent Corner
Your child just built a complete video game from scratch—that's a huge accomplishment! The best way to celebrate is to play it with them. Ask them to show you their favorite part, or what the most challenging bug was that they had to fix.
This project teaches more than just coding; it's about problem-solving, creative thinking, and persistence. Great job guiding them on this adventure!
Conversation Starter: Ask your new game designer, "If you could add any secret power-up to your game, what would it do?" This turns screen time into family time!
🗺️ Your Next Adventure: From Scratch to Engines
You've now done something that professional game developers do every day: you built a prototype. They use tools like Scratch to test ideas quickly before building them in powerful game engines.
The gravity code you just built—changing a 'y-velocity' variable by a little bit each frame inside a loop—is the *exact same principle* used in professional engines like Unity and Unreal. You just built it from scratch. You're not just playing with blocks; you're learning the fundamental logic of physics programming. When you're ready, the next step on your journey could be a visual engine like GDevelop. You're learning the secrets of being a real world-smith, and you're closer than you think! 🚀