Making video games is a great way to express yourself, tell a funny or spooky story, and, of course, entertain your friends! Best of all, you don't need fancy computer skills to create games - just this handy book and a few free online tools are enough to begin your game-making journey. Make Your Own Video Games! is a kid-friendly guide to digital game development that shows you how to use Twine, Puzzlescript, and Scratch to create interactive stories, adorable turn-based puzzles, and multi-level games to share with your friends. The author gives you an inside look at games and breaks them down step-by-step, leaving you with a clear understanding of what goes into making a functional and exciting game. Along the way, you'll learn how to: Make interactive fiction by building a Twinebased story where the player navigates a creepy haunted house Create cute and challenging puzzles with Puzzlescript, like one that has the player herd cats! Make dynamic action games with Scratch to challenge your friends, like Weird Bug Chowdown! Use level design to tell a story, teach gameplay, and surprise your player Create sound effects and music Personalize your game with funky colors and effects using CSS The book ends with a series of challenges designed to take your game design skills to the next level, like creating a two-player game or building your own controller. Everyone has their own story to share, and making games is a fun way to tell yours. With this book as your guide, you'll be creating your own cute, weird, silly, scary, and tricky games in no time.

Anna Anthropy is a game creator and game historian. She is the author of four books, including Rise of the Videogame Zinesters, a guide to game design that encourages aspiring developers from all backgrounds to create games and contribute their unique voice to the video game industry.