Catch a glimpse inside a school bus and you’ll see lots of kids looking down. What are they doing? They’re deciding on strategy, building cities, setting traps for monsters, sharing resources, and nurturing critical relationships.
Over 90 percent of kids ages 2–17 play video games. In Video Games: Design and Code Your Own Adventure, young readers learn why games are so compelling and what ancient games such as mancala have in common with modern games like Minecraft. Kids will even create their very own video games using software such as MIT's Scratch!
Using a familiar, high-interest subject, Video Games introduces foundation subjects such as geometry, physics, probability, and psychology in a practical framework. Building Tetris pieces out of Rice Crispie Treats and designing board games are some of the hands-on projects that engage readers’ building skills, while writing actual game code opens digital doors readers may not have known existed.
Industry Reviews
Praise for Video Games: Design and Code Your Own Adventure
Children's Literature
“. . . Ceceri does a good job taking the game designer-in-training through the steps that lead to a successful video game design and outlining the process for coding and testing the game . . . inspire[s] interest in STEAM and would be a useful addition to a middle school library’s resource section on careers in computers and video game design.”
A Best of the Best selection - 2016 Kansas State Reading Circle
Ithaca’s Child
"Video games can be found just about everywhere, from computers to smartphones to Wi-Fi, and it’s not just kids who play them . . . In this book you learn why people play games and how to make your own games. There’s a chapter on coding and one on making video games. And there are lots of projects: make an arcade game, draw a flowchart, and make your own board game. There’s a great section on the power of story in video games and, for your next party, a recipe for Tetris treats. Sprinkled through the book are “words to know” and “bonus points” – fun facts about coding and games- and lots of resources for kids who want to go further."
Booklist
"This accessible manual packs a tremendous amount of information into brief chapters, featuring graphic rich pages, enticing layouts, user-friendly text, sidebars, charts, graphs, definitions, helpful hints, and suggestions on the application of newly learned knowledge. . . Other titles talk about the why and the so what of gaming; this guide delivers the how. This appealing offering should prove to be a popular addition to STEAM collections."
National Science Teachers Association Recommends (NSTA)
". . .This book is sure to be a hit! . . . Parents and teachers alike who are interested in STEM or STEAM should pick up a copy. I can’t wait to see what my Biology class produces."
Middle Shelf's Common Core Pick
". . . Using a familiar, high-interest subject, Video Games introduces foundation subjects such as geometry, physics, probability, and psychology in a practical framework. Building Tetris pieces out of Rice Crispie Treats and designing board games are some of the hands-on projects that engage readers’ building skills, while writing actual game code opens digital doors readers may not have known existed."
Publishers Weekly
"Digital natives with a serious interest in gaming should find Ceceri’s handbook an excellent resource"
Dave Culyba, Assistant Teaching Professor, Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center
“A nice, gentle introduction to video games. This book does a great job of explaining everything you need to know to get started making games, all the way from the history of video games up to simple tutorials kids can do themselves.”
Cathe Post, Senior Editor, Geek Mom
“This is an enjoyable journey through the history of video games. It would be great for kids and even grandparents who want to know more about what their kids (and grandkids) are playing!”
Amy Kraft, Game Designer, Cofounder of Monkey Bar Collective, and parent of two young gamers
“The book has everything a burgeoning video game creator needs: a historical context for games, exciting projects to try at home, a peek into the many different roles that go into making games, and an easy-to-follow introduction to coding. Beyond being fun, it’s great at sharpening 21st-century skills. As human beings, it’s in our nature to make and play games, yet making video games can be a daunting proposition. With the fascinating information and exciting hands-on projects in this book, Kathy Ceceri has made video game design accessible and achievable.“
Praise for other books by Kathy Ceceri
Robotics: Discover the Science and Technology of the Future with 20 Projects
Chicago Public Library selects Robotics as one of their best of the best books for Kids for 2013!
Featured title in School Library Journal December 2013 "Focus on Inventions"
Publisher's Weekly
"Ceceri’s cartoon-illustrated activity book, an addition to the Build It Yourself series, introduces readers to robotics, with information on its history, different robot technologies, and the evolution of the field. . . Light in tone but dense with information, this guide should appeal to those who already have a strong interest in the topic and are ready for a hands-on challenge. Ages 9–12.
James Floyd Kelly, Writer of LEGO Mindstorms books
“I’m not sure what I like best about this book—the excellent hands-on projects or the easy-to-follow technical discussions or the behind-the-scenes stories about robots in the real world. Thankfully they’re all wrapped up in one great book for kids.”
Micronations: Invent Your Own Country and Culture
Library Media Connection
". . . Recommended"
Charlotte's Library
". . . Ceceri walks kids through all the things that go into making a modern country—the physical features of the land, the basics of government and economy, the symbolic elements of nation building, and more . . . It's very much worth using in an educational setting, and even worth giving in a more casual way to your kid at home who has a penchant for social studies trivia!"
Praise for other books in the series:
Booklist
Comics: Investigate the History and Technology of American Cartooning
“This appealing offering introduces the art of cartooning to readers who will not only learn the history of comics—using pictures (and words) to tell stories—but also have a chance to do some drawing themselves."
