Build and Debug the Core Features

Warning: Your screen size is quite small for viewing this. Rotate your device into landscape mode if you can.

1 What We're Building
2 Introduction
3 Create a New Arcade Project
4 Create Your Sprite
5 Move Left and Right
Pupil practice

1 - What We're Building ~5 mins

Illustration for What we're building Today you're a game programmer. The people who make the games you play don't write everything perfectly the first time — they build a small piece, run it, and watch what happens. When something goes wrong, that's called a bug, and finding and fixing it is a huge part of the job.

Key point

We're going to build a platform game where you guide a character across ledges to reach a goal — while dodging danger. Watch the board as we model each piece, then build it on your own device and press play to see what it does. Keep your Investigation Journal handy, because you'll be catching at least one bug today.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Introduction ~2 mins

Platform games (often simplified as platformer or jump 'n' run games) are a video game genre of action games in which the goal is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platformers use in jumping and climbing to navigate the player's environment and reach their goal. Levels and environments feature uneven terrain and suspended platforms of varying height that requires use of the player character's abilities in order to traverse them.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+10 XP

3 - Create a New Arcade Project ~2 mins

Go to the arcade.makecode.com website and create a new project.

Arcade: How to create a new project

Create a new Arcade project using the makecode.com website.

+10 XP

4 - Create Your Sprite ~5 mins

In this game you will control a sprite and move it from the start of the map, to the goal at the end.

Key point

Add the following code to your project to create your sprite and use the sprite editor to design your character.

let mySprite = sprites.create(img`
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f 5 5 f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f 5 5 f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f 5 5 f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 f 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 f 5 5 
    5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 
    5 5 f f f f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 f f f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    `, SpriteKind.Player)

Arcade: How to create a sprite in Arcade

Click on the gray box in the sprite block to open the Editor. You can choose a sprite from the Gallery or you can paint your own sprite using the Editor.

+10 XP

5 - Move Left and Right ~6 mins

In the game we will use the left and right buttons to move our sprite.

Add the following new code:

let mySprite = sprites.create(img`
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f 5 5 f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f 5 5 f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f 5 5 f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 f 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 f 5 5 
    5 f f 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 f f 5 5 
    5 5 f f f f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 
    5 5 f f f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 f f f f f f f f 5 5 5 5 5 
    5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 
    `, SpriteKind.Player)
controller.moveSprite(mySprite, 100, 0)

Click the + to set the vx value to 100 and the vy value to 0. We set the vy value to 0 so that up and down buttons do not move the sprite.

Test that you can move your character left and right but not up and down.

+10 XP

Pupil practice · Investigation Journal

Module 4 · Technology: a Coding Build, Micro:bit Data and Presenting Data

Lesson 24 · Build and Debug the Core Features

Download Investigation Journal sheet (PDF)

DigitalSkills.org · Online learning platform

Unlock the full learning experience

You're previewing this lesson. Get full access to this lesson and hundreds more — each one ready to teach, with interactive activities, printable resources and pupil progress tracking built in.

Hundreds of curriculum-aligned lessons

Interactive activities in every lesson

Printable resources & progress tracking

Get started

Copyright Notice
This lesson is copyright of DigitalSkills.org 2017 - 2025. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

Teacher Class Feed

1 - What We're Building ~5 mins

2 - Introduction ~2 mins

3 - Create a New Arcade Project ~2 mins

4 - Create Your Sprite ~5 mins

5 - Move Left and Right ~6 mins

Unlock the full learning experience

XP