2D Game Coders: Retro Arcade

Design it, code it, then play it. Build your own arcade game from scratch on our custom handheld consoles — lay out the scene, pick your sprites, program how everything moves and scores, then playtest it and start adding features of your own.

2D Game Coders: Retro Arcade is a hands-on introduction to game development for kids aged 8 and up. Working on real handheld hardware rather than a browser tab, your child learns the loops, conditions and event handling that make a game actually run — and the far trickier skill of playing their own creation, spotting what isn't fun yet, and going back in to fix it. No experience needed; just an idea and a willingness to keep tinkering. Our own senior robotics students guide every step.

And it's for a great cause. BotBuilders is a not-for-profit youth robotics team based in Brisbane. Every ticket goes straight back into the team — funding competition entries, equipment, and free STEM outreach to schools across Brisbane — so a few brilliant hours for your kid also helps power the next generation of young engineers.