How to Become a Game Developer: A Guide for Parents and Kids Starting Out

If your child spends hours talking about Minecraft, Roblox, or their favourite games, you’ve probably wondered whether that interest could lead somewhere meaningful.

The answer is yes. Many professional game developers started exactly the same way: playing games, asking questions, and experimenting with simple projects. That’s not just a hobby. It’s a head start.

The global PC and console gaming market is projected to reach $103.7 billion by 2028. According to Newzoo, 2025 marked the major rebound of gaming since the pandemic, with revenue growing 7% year over year.

The skills they need? They can start building them today, and with the right courses, like the Software Academy, you can make sure they’re learning in a structured, fun, and actually meaningful way.

Key Takeaways:

• Game development is a learnable skill, and kids can start as young as seven with the right tools.
• Finishing small projects beats big ambitions every time. Progress matters more than perfection.
• Structured learning at Software Academy gives kids a clear path from beginner to building real games.

Stop playing games and start building them.

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What Does a Game Developer Actually Do?

Game development isn’t just about sitting behind a screen writing code. It’s one of the most creative and exciting careers out there, and the skills involved are ones your child may already be building without even realising it.

When a game studio sets out to make a game, it takes a whole team of people with different talents working together. Here’s what that actually looks like:

Programming

Game programmers are like the wizards of game development. They write the instructions that tell the game what to do. When your character jumps over a gap, defeats an enemy, or picks up a power-up, that’s a programmer’s code making it happen. If your child loves solving puzzles and figuring out how things work, this could be their thing.

Game Design

Game designers decide what the game actually feels like to play.

How hard should level three be? What happens when the game player runs out of lives?

It’s part creative thinking, part psychology, and a lot of playful experimentation. If your child is always suggesting “what if the game did this instead,” they’re already thinking like a designer.

Art and Animation

Every character, background, button, and visual effect in a game was drawn or built by someone. Game artists create the look and feel of the entire world. Some specialise in characters, others in environments, and some focus on the tiny details that make a game feel alive.

If your kids or teens love drawing, designing characters, or building elaborate structures in Minecraft, this could be their natural home.

Sound Design

Ever noticed how a game feels completely different with the sound turned off? Sound designers create the music, sound effects, and audio cues that make a game immersive. That satisfying crunch when you collect a coin, the dramatic music when a boss appears, the ambient sounds of a forest level. All of that is crafted deliberately to shape how the player feels.

Storytelling and Writing

The best video games have stories that players care about. Characters they root for, villains they love to defeat, worlds they want to get lost in. Someone has to write everything. If your kids are natural storytellers or love creating their own adventures and characters, game writing could be a perfect fit.

Testing

Before a game reaches players, testers play through it again and again to find every glitch, bug, and broken moment. It takes patience, but it’s genuinely vital to the process. And yes, it does involve playing a lot of games.

The exciting thing is that your child doesn’t need to pick just one of these right away. At Software Academy, kids get to explore it all and discover where their natural talents and passions lie. From coding courses and game design to AI and machine learning, we offer a full range of courses designed to grow with your child, wherever their curiosity takes them.

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What Skills Do Kids Need?

The technical side is more approachable than most parents expect. To get started, kids really only need three things:

• A beginner-friendly coding language like Scratch, Python, or Lua
• Basic math, mostly logic and geometry
• A little familiarity with a game engine like Roblox Studio

What really sets kids apart as they progress isn’t how fast they learned to code. It’s the habits they build. Patience, creativity, and the ability to keep trying when something doesn’t work the first time. These are the same qualities you already encourage at home every day.

Learning to code teaches kids to think before they act, break big problems into smaller ones, and keep going when things get frustrating. Those habits quietly show up in schoolwork, friendships, and eventually the workplace.

Where Your Child Starts

If your kids have ever said, “I want to make my own game,” the next question is usually, “Where do we start?” Here are the steps on how to become a game developer for kids at any level:

Step 1: Start with the basics

Scratch is where most young developers begin, and for good reason. Instead of typing complicated code, kids drag and drop colourful blocks to make characters move, jump, and interact. Within the first session, they’re already building something.

Step 2: Move into real coding

Once they’ve got the hang of the basics, Python and Lua are the natural next steps. These are languages used by video game developers, but they’re written in plain, readable English that kids genuinely get on with. Most children surprise their parents with how they progress.

Step 3: Step into a real game engine

Roblox Studio, Unity, and Unreal Engine are where the real magic happens. Kids stop following along and start creating their own worlds, characters, and game mechanics. If your child plays Roblox, they’ll love discovering they can build their own mobile and computer games in it. Software Academy also offers a dedicated Unreal Engine course for those ready to go deeper.

Step 4: Build something small

The goal at this stage isn’t to build the next big hit. It’s to take an idea from start to finish and hold up something they made themselves. That moment, when a parent or friend shows a game they actually built to a young learner, is one of the most motivating experiences a young learner can have.

Step 5: Give them the right community to grow

Every great developer started as a complete beginner. Your child’s programming journey could start now. Structured courses make all the difference.

At Software Academy, kids follow a clear, progressive path from complete beginner to building games they’re genuinely proud of. Courses include:

• Python for kids
• Roblox Studio with Lua
• Minecraft modding
• Game design for kids
• AI and machine learning

The best time to start is now. Every great developer began where your child is today.

Choosing the Right Tools and Programming Languages

The language your child starts with matters less than people think. What matters is finishing projects and building confidence along the way. Here’s a simple guide:

Goal	Recommended Language	Engine
Complete beginner	Scratch	Scratch
Beginner (age 9+)	Python	Pygame
Roblox games	Lua	Roblox Studio
Minecraft modding	Java or Python	Minecraft Java / Education
Professional game dev	C# or C++	Unity / Unreal Engine

As kids progress, they’ll naturally start to find what they enjoy most, whether that’s designing levels, building game systems, or creating characters. That interest will guide which language and tools to focus on next.

If you’re not sure where your child fits, Software Academy’s coding and game development courses are designed to meet them exactly where they are.

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Frequently Asked Questions

At what age can kids start?

Your kids can start as young as 6 with beginner-friendly tools like Scratch. By age 8 or 9, most children are ready for languages like Python or Lua.

How long does it take to become a developer?

With focused learning, some reach junior level within 1 to 2 years. University routes typically take 3 to 4 years. Consistent project-building is the biggest factor.

C# or C++ for games?

C# powers Unity and is the friendlier starting point, great for mobile games. C++ is the standard at larger studios using Unreal Engine. Start with C#, then move to C++ when the time is right.

What roles exist in game development?

Game programming, design, art, animation, sound, QA testing, and production. Larger studios divide these across big teams. Knowing the full picture early helps your child figure out where their strengths and interests sit.

Do kids or teens need to be good at math?

Basic math does come up, but nothing advanced is needed to get started. Most learners pick up what they need naturally as they go.

Can kids learn game development online?

Absolutely. Software Academy offers structured online classes in Lua via Roblox, Python, Minecraft modding, and more, all built for learners aged 6 and above.

Ready to Build the First Game?

Every developer started exactly where your child is right now. The path is clearer than it looks, and the earlier they start, the more they’ll have to show when it counts.

One project is all it takes to begin in the video game industry. Explore Software Academy’s courses and get building today.

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