Get ready for your first class

Set up in five steps

1. 1

   Install GameMaker (it's free)

   GameMaker is the real, professional engine I use in class, and it's free for everything I teach.

   1. On the computer your learner will use for class, head to gamemaker.io, download GameMaker for Windows or Mac, and run the installer.
   2. The first time it opens, you'll create a free GameMaker account. This is normal and required to run it. Keep the login details handy: your learner signs in with this same account in Week 4 to upload their finished game to the web.
   3. GameMaker is a large download and install, so set it up a day or two before class rather than right before it starts.
   Download GameMaker

   

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2. 2

   Download your Week 1 starter file

   The Starter Course begins from a shared Week 1 project called MiniQuest. Download it right here: enter your course password and you'll get a .zip file. The password comes in your Outschool welcome message.

   Course password

   Download starter file

   MiniQuest_W1_Start.zip · 26 MB

3. 3

   Unzip it and save it somewhere easy to find

   The file you downloaded, MiniQuest_W1_Start.zip, is a .zip: a packed-up folder you need to unpack first.

   1. On Windows, right-click the .zip and choose Extract All. On a Mac, just double-click it. Either way you'll get a normal folder.
   2. Move that folder somewhere easy to find, like the Desktop or a new StarterVillage folder in Documents, since you'll add to it each week.
   3. Tip: always unzip first, and don't try to open the project from inside the zip.

   

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4. 4

   Open it in GameMaker

   Open the folder you just unzipped and look for the project file named MiniQuest_W1_Start.yyp (its name ends in .yyp). Double-click it to open it in GameMaker, or open GameMaker first, choose Open, and pick the .yyp file. GameMaker will load the project.

   

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5. 5

   Check you're ready to go

   Almost there! Let's open the game and run it once so you know everything works. The very first time the project opens, GameMaker shows a Welcome tab instead of the game, so there are just a few quick clicks to get going.

   1. Close the Welcome tab that GameMaker opens by default (click the small x on the tab).
   2. In the Asset Browser (the panel on the right-hand side), double-click rm_game to open the game's room. You'll see a green rectangle, the world your learner will build on.
   3. Press the Play button to run the game. It's the ▶ triangle in the top-left, just below the Tools and Marketplace menus. A game window should pop up.
   4. If it does, you're all set, so close that window. That's it! Your learner just needs to have this project open for class, and they're good to go. If anything looks different, don't worry, just see the note at the bottom of this page.

   

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A few computer basics

Most learners already know these, but since I work with younger kids, it's worth a quick check. None of it is hard, and it all helps class run smoothly.

• Left-click vs. right-click

  Left-click selects things; right-click opens menus. I say 'right-click' a lot in class, so it helps if your learner knows which is which (including on a trackpad).

• Copy and paste

  Ctrl+C copies and Ctrl+V pastes (Cmd+C and Cmd+V on a Mac). Copying short bits of code comes up in class, so this one is worth a quick practice.

• Undo a mistake

  Ctrl+Z undoes the last thing you did (Cmd+Z on a Mac), the most useful shortcut there is. Press it and a mistake simply goes away.

• Mute and unmute

  In Zoom, the microphone button mutes and unmutes. I ask learners to unmute to answer and mute while listening, so finding it quickly helps.

• Share your screen

  Know where Zoom's Share Screen button is. Now and then I'll ask your learner to share their screen so I can help with something directly.

• Move around the screen

  GameMaker's workspace can get busy. To move around it, hold the Space bar, then click and drag with the left mouse button. It comes up a lot in class.