Based on our record, Scratch seems to be a lot more popular than GameMaker Studio. While we know about 557 links to Scratch, we've tracked only 36 mentions of GameMaker Studio. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.
I am no game developer but have over the past few years played around with GameMaker and their studio software[0]. I would imagine it to be one of the easiest ways to get started with making a 2D game. Then there is also the option of not jumping directly into the coding bit, and rather cultivate in your son the ability to do on paper designs first. This is a skill that would probably benefit him later in life as... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
My introduction to programming was when I was 10 with GameMaker. I found that the same company has a product with the same name that seems to be the spiritual succesor of it[0]. I allowed me to start with very simple no-code and move on to incrementaly add codes nipets here and there. Eventually I went crazy and tried to make a game fully with code, avoiding all the tools the engine gave me, just as an experiment... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
If you're looking for a tool that's fairly simple for a beginner, but has the flexibility to also offer more advanced features as you learns more, and has plenty of tutorials and learning resources available for a novice programmer starting out: it's worth noting that GameMaker has recently (i.e. 2 weeks ago) been made completely free for non-commercial users. Source: 5 months ago
Go to https://gamemaker.io/en, and accept the new TOS. You won't be able to log in through the software until you do. Source: 5 months ago
There are a thousand ways to get started. I'm assuming you have no programming experience, in which case I'd start with an all in one package, like: Https://gamemaker.io/en. Source: 8 months ago
And https://codecombat.com, which has been around for a while now. I think this paradigm (navigating a character using "move" function invocations) is good but kind of exhausts its usefulness after a while. I question whether my daughter learns coding this way or just is playing a turn based top down platformer. The most code like thing is when you use 'loops' to have characters repeat sequences of moves. I... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
+1 Scratch! My son started with it, then expanded into Roblox/Lua. Children can download other people's games and experiment there. Scratch also has pre-made art, sounds, music. https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
I am also going to highly recommend Scratch[1]. That is what got me into a programming around that age. You can even help him make a website to host his games on. [1]: https://scratch.mit.edu/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
This ! Learning to code will come after, spending time with your son writing down ideas might be more fun at first and it's a good time to teach him that games are thoughts first and then coded after. I would have recommended Scratch [1] for a first introduction instead of hoping into code right away, but since he is 9yo he will most likely want to hop on big game engine like he sees his favorite youtubers doing.... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
How about using https://scratch.mit.edu/ ? - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.
Code.org - Code.org is a non-profit whose goal is to expose all students to computer programming.
Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.
GDevelop - GDevelop is an open-source game making software designed to be used by everyone.
Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.
Construct 2 - Scirra Construct is a 2D game development engine with a focus on building games visually.