Disclosure: Samples provided for inclusion. All opinions and experiences are my own.
Have you ever played a game and thought, “I wish I could do (insert fun option here) in the game?” I know I’ve felt that way before! While many Nintendo Switch games are pretty great on their own, sometimes it would be fun to add a personal flair to the game. Nintendo Game Builder Garage had people like me in mind who love to play with the idea of making our own video games and playing them out to see what more can be added.

The first lesson in Game Builder Garage teaches you how to add options to a game. You’re given a task to jump, but the buttons typically used for jumping just aren’t working… yet. That’s where your job comes in as the “game builder.” You have to assign certain characteristics to the actions you perform. The first lesson teaches you how to assign the “jump” action to a button on your controller. After you do this, you are brought back to the game to complete the task.
As the game goes on, you meet “nodons” who are little creatures that help you learn how to program your own game. Out of my three kids, two of them- the 6-year-old and the 12-year-old, love the idea of creating their own games and really enjoy Game Builder Garage. My 9-year-old played it momentarily but lost interest quickly when she realized she couldn’t just play the game and actually had to create the game.
If you’re looking for a fun way to teach kids how to program their own games, Nintendo’s Game Builder Garage is a great place to start! You can download a demo version on the Nintendo eShop.