top of page
Search

Behind The Game: Red Light, Green Light


Red Light Green Light Scratch Remix

I'm fascinated when our kids play old-school games online. Red Light, Green Light is one of those experiences. It's a classic in-person game from my childhood that has been remixed numerous times with unique and creative twists.


I wanted to create a baby version featuring a stroller -- here's how I did it.


1. Search For A Template


Scratch is my go-to game engine (for now) because it's made for beginners and newbies learning to code. I quickly found a game that would help me get started. It was developed by NeoTx in 2022, and featured a limbless player moving towards a red line.


Screenshot of Red Light - Green Light by NeoTX on Scratch

Screenshot of Red Light - Green Light Game Play by NeoTX on Scratch


2. Background Design


Since the game was going to feature a stroller, I knew the background couldn't be a green field. Even all-terrain strollers are hard to move on grass. My daughter and I played around with Scratch's paint feature, until settling on a paved street. Can you guess which design is hers and which one is mine?


Side-by-side mother-daughter street designs created on Scratch

3. Update Sprites


The original game was inspired by the show "Squid Games." It too references adults playing a childhood game, but instead of a traffic light, it's a head that faces backward than forward.


I chose to design a traffic light instead. It includes the walking icon for the green light and the raised hand for the red light.

traffic light designs depicting a red, yellow, and green light

To make the background come to life, I added some vehicles and animated them to bounce.


series of vehicles (front view)

4. Final Touches


I also added music, sound effects, and an end screen with credits. On the surface, this game may seem like a silly project, but designing and building is actually a fun way to bond and spend time with our daughter. I'm also sharpening my animation, programming, and troubleshooting skills, because I have to research and test features. My version of Red Light, Green Light (with the responsibilities of motherhood) took about 3 days to build.


5. Feedback


After showing my family, they of course had suggestions. One suggested a scrolling background so that the game would last longer. Our daughter suggested power-ups that give the player special abilities and obstacles that can slow the player down. I too want to add more types of strollers to introduce players to different baby travel systems. For example, maybe add a scooter, wagon stroller, and double stroller (to name a few). So while I'm super proud of what I've built thus far, I'm excited to add even more.


If you made a Red Light, Green Light game, what would you change? You can test out your ideas on Scratch. Here's my project.


Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. See http://scratch.mit.edu. All screen shots are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

How we use ads?

Explore Family Traditions!

The Wishing Tree
Naming Ceremony
The Unbreakable Thread
My Bindi
What's For Dinner (after post) .png

What's For Dinner?

Affiliate Link

Bead Calculator.png

Try Our Newest Calculator

Hanging Ornaments

Holiday Cards

Affiliate Link

winter scarf_edited.jpg

Winter's Coming

Affiliate Link

bottom of page