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