Unity is a popular game engine that many kids would like to learn how to use. Below is a printable tutorial that kids can follow to make a simple game.
Although there is high demand for tutorials on making games in Unity, Unity is not easy to learn or to teach. It is a professional game development tool that does not attempt to hide any of its complexity or to simplify its underlying concepts. There is no simplified, easy route for beginners to take to learn Unity. Although Unity has many powerful components that make it easier to perform difficult tasks, even straight-forward tasks require some programming at a medium-level of difficulty.
As a result, the tutorial focuses less on programming and more on finding assets and assembling them into a level. Although the tutorial does involve some programming, students are mainly expected to type in the code without fully understanding it. Instead, the tutorial teaches how to manipulate objects in 3d space and how to animate 3d objects. In doing so, it tries to provide students with some leeway for their own creativity.
Despite the lack of focus on programming, the lessons should still be beneficial in providing students with "number-sense" in the areas of 3d geometry and transformations. It might also help provide some intuition and motivation around trigonometry.
A 12 page handout with instructions on how to make a simple game using the Unity game engine.
