Don't just play Games - make them! Scratch, the colorful drag-and-drop programming language, is used by millions of first-time learners, and in Scratch Programming Playground, you'll learn to program by making cool games. Get ready to destroy asteroids, shoot hoops, and slice and dice fruit! Each game includes easy-to-follow instructions, review questions, and creative coding challenges to make the game your own. Want to add more levels or a cheat code? No problem, just write some code. You'll learn to make games like: Maze Runner: escape the maze! Snaaaaaake: gobble apples and avoid your own tail Asteroid Breaker: smash space rocks Fruit Slicer: a Fruit Ninja clone Brick Breaker: a remake of Breakout, the brickbreaking classic Platformer: a game inspired by Super Mario Bros. Learning how to program shouldn't be dry and dreary. With Scratch Programming Playground, you'll make a game of it!

Al Sweigart is a software developer who teaches programming to kids and adults. He has written several best-selling Python books for beginners, including Automate the Boring Stuff with Python, also from No Starch Press.