Antirez/load81: SDL based Lua programming environment for kids similar to Codea

Game Engine Game Development Graph Databases

TIC-80 Landing Page
1

TIC-80

TIC-80 is a fantasy computer where you can make, play and share tiny games.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Game Engine #Game Development #3D Game Engine 71 social mentions
DragonRuby Game Toolkit Landing Page

2

DragonRuby Game Toolkit

DragonRuby Game Toolkit is a commercial-grade, yet beginner-friendly, 2D game engine.

The dragonruby game engine looks similar. https://dragonruby.itch.io/dragonruby-gtk.

#Developer Tools #Web App #3D 9 social mentions
p5.js Landing Page
3

p5.js

JS library for creating graphic and interactive experiences
Pricing:
- Open Source
Let’s not forget P5js which has a long and esteemed history of helping to teach kids and more to program. It’s browser based so it’s compatible with every OS and requires no install. FOSS with an active community of users and contributors. I personally taught some middle schoolers with zero programming experience how to make interactive monsters in 1 hour. It was awesome! https://p5js.org/.

#Javascript UI Libraries #Charting Libraries #Flowcharts 146 social mentions
LowRes NX Landing Page

4

LowRes NX

Make your own games in BASIC on the LowRes NX fantasy console

Another interesting one is LowRes NX, a contemporary project that uses BASIC: https://lowresnx.inutilis.com/.

#Game Engine #Graph Databases #Game Development 3 social mentions
Solar 2D Landing Page
5

Solar 2D

Solar 2D is an open-source game engine written in Lua with a major emphasis on ease of usage and iteration.
Pricing:
- Open Source
#Gaming Software #Tool #Game Engine 3 social mentions
Thonny Landing Page
6

Thonny

Python IDE for beginners
Pricing:
- Open Source
The nice thing about Python is that because it's so pervasive as a teaching language, there are many tools for it that specifically cater to this niche. In particular, https://thonny.org is very nice for explaining basic programming concepts like expression evaluation and function calls. And yeah, turtle graphics is the time-honored method of teaching things like loops, recursion, and parametrization via functions step by step in a way that is visually intuitive. Things like polygons, stars, spirals, and eventually basic fractals like snowflakes and ferns.

#Python IDE #Text Editors #IDE 111 social mentions