Tektoma

Do your kids love video games? Tektoma is an online tutorial  that teaches kids ages 7 to 17 to program video games using GameMaker, a free download.

The Tektoma tutorial consists of online videos that teach, step by step, the process of adding game elements using GameMaker. The videos can be paused as often as needed, allowing the child to go back and forth between GameMaker and the Tektoma video. I found the instructions to be very clear, although I wouldn’t expect most 7 to 9 year olds to able to create the games without adult assistance.

GameMaker is a stand alone program, but I can see, especially for children, teens, and those of us who don’t grasp technology intuitively that the Tektoma tutorials could be valuable for getting started in video game programming.

Programming video games isn’t something that Emily has a great deal of interest in—she hasn’t yet completed her first racing game, so we won’t be continuing with Tektoma, but I think it would be wonderful for a child who had interest in this area. I also think that the skills that are gained in the process will carry over to general computer literacy.

Membership to Tektoma costs $14.95 a month or $140 a year. They also offer a free 14 day trial membership.

I received a free  3 month membership to the Tektoma site for review purposes.

Visit the TOS Crew site to read more opinions about Tektoma.