Puzzle Game Programming

Our longest running and most popular camp! For new and experienced coders alike, in this camp you'll create your own simple video games using PuzzleScript. You will learn about coding, how to design engaging games and algorithmic thinking skills. Everything you make will be visual, creative, and playable from day one!

When and Where?

Monday August 25 - Friday August 29, 2025.

9:00am-12:00noon.

Location: The Vancouver School for Science and Technology (VISST): 1490 West Broadway, Vancouver.

Who?

This camp is for students going into grades 5-8.

Why should you attend?

Earn a certificate of completion from the Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology.

Try something you won’t find in school that combines programming and puzzle solving.

Build something you can show your friends in just one week.

Learn coding and, at the same time, get your creative juices flowing with the games and artwork you design.

What will you learn?

The Basics: We’ll get oriented with PuzzleScript. You’ll learn how to create artwork and basic rules. You’ll work on creating a simple game to practice your new skills. By the end of the day, you’ll have a link to share your first game with friends.

Coding with Puzzlescript: We’ll dive into some more sophisticated rules in PuzzleScript. Can two objects occupy the same space? Can the game update between your moves? Does the order of the rules matter? We’ll answer these questions with hands-on exercises. Then, you’ll start to plan your own PuzzleScript project.

Puzzle Game Design: By now we have learned the concepts of how PuzzleScript can be used to create puzzle games, but what makes a good game? And beyond that, there are many ways to code the same game, so what makes good code? We’ll dive into design philosophies to answer both of these questions: what makes a puzzle game fun and, once you’ve settled on a game design, what is the best way to code that design?

Projects and Playtesting: We’ll play-test each other’s games and give each other feedback. Then we’ll implement the feedback we received and, finally, share our games with the class.

Everyone will leave the camp with a shareable link to their game, new knowledge of fundamental programming concepts, and perhaps a new hobby!

Program Requirements

Students should bring their own laptops.

Why PuzzleScript?

PuzzleScript is a special-purpose programming languages for making puzzle games. What we discovered is that it’s also a perfect tool for education. Because PuzzleScript is so visual, it’s super easy to hit the ground running and start channeling your creative impulses right away. In fact, you will be able to create your own simple puzzle game after just one day of this camp!

In the process of learning PuzzleScript we’ll encounter fundamental and challenging questions in programming and algorithmic thinking, with a lot to offer for new and experienced programmers alike.