Welcome to Our Homeschool Game Design Curriculum: Web Game Design

Course Outline for Our Web Game Design Curriculum

Forty-four Web Game Design curriculum lessons teach homeschool teens how to create some simple games right in their web browsers.

• Week 1: Using File Explorers and Text Editors
• Week 2: Web Browsers and HTML Files
• Week 3: Introducing JavaScript
• Week 4: Introducing the <canvas> Element
• Week 5: Screen Coordinates and Colors
• Week 6: Canvas Paths
• Week 7: Simple JavaScript Variables
• Week 8: JavaScript Functions and Animation Loops
• Week 9: Logical Expressions and Flow Control
• Week 10: Complex JavaScript Objects
• Week 11: Using Keyboard Input
• Week 12: Key Combinations and States
• Week 13: Using Mouse Input
• Week 14: Displaying Images
• Week 15: Stretching and Clipping Images
• Week 16: Image Transparency
• Week 17: Sprites
• Week 18: Arrays
• Week 19: Loops
• Week 20: Collision Detection
• Week 21: Firing Shots
• Week 22: Managing Speeds and Lifespans
• Week 23: Keeping Score
• Week 24: Keeping Time
• Week 25: Buttons
• Week 26: Adding Text Input
• Week 27: Adding Numeric Input
• Week 28: Adding Checkboxes
• Week 29: Sound Files
• Week 30: Playing Sounds
• Week 31: Volume Control
• Week 32: Background Music
• Week 33: Sprite Sheets
• Week 34: Continuous Animation
• Week 35: Animation Shorts
• Week 36: Sprite Sheet Editors
• Week 37: Virtual Worlds
• Week 38: A Larger World
• Week 39: Mini-Maps
• Week 40: Background Tiles
• Week 41: Resized Viewport
• Week 42: Multiple Viewports
• Week 43: Multiple Players
• Week 44: Finishing Touches

More About Our Web Game Design Curriculum

Welcome to the SchoolhouseTeachers.com Web Game Design curriculum! Chris Yust, co-author of eight computer programming books for kids and teens, guides homeschool students through a digital adventure.

Please carefully read these student prerequisites before continuing:

• Web Game Design curriculum students must have access to a Windows PC or Mac OS desktop/laptop computer. Many of the homeschool computer course lessons involve hands-on projects on the computer, and generally speaking, a tablet or smartphone will be insufficient or cramped.
• This course should work across nearly all versions of Windows and Mac OS. However, the student MUST have a reasonably recent web browser that supports HTML5, such as: Internet Explorer 11+, Firefox 25.0+, Safari 7+, Google Chrome 30+
• Material is geared for 6th-12th grade homeschool students in a self-study environment. Teachers do not have to be computer science experts themselves! Younger students may participate at the parent’s discretion; just be prepared as a teacher to offer them additional guidance and assistance as needed.
• Web Game Design curriculum students should already be fundamentally familiar with computers for daily use. These homeschool computer lessons do not cover computer “literacy” topics such as how to use a mouse, keyboard, or navigate through an operating system.
• This course does not cover word processing, spreadsheets, or presentations, nor are those skills needed for the work in these lessons.

The Web Game Design lesson format typically includes some instructional material, as well as a hands-on activity the homeschool teen can complete on their own computer. Students may expect to spend about one hour per week completing the lessons and activities, though they are encouraged to creatively expand projects on their own if desired.

Please contact Mr. Yust with questions at chris@HomeschoolProgramming.com.