My little lad Charlie is 5 years old, soon to be 6 ,and he has taken a shine to creating games with game guru - Granted he can't script yet, (he's only just learning how to read and write), but he can certainly manipulate the Game Guru environment on his own and - I'd go as far to say he is becoming obsessed with it - straight on his PC every night after school.
So anyone out there got anyone younger or has Charlie got the record?
He is also very excited about coming to the Games convention in Manchester in October and is preparing his game for Lee and the boys to behold and admire - be ready for a barrage of 5 year old questions

hope you'll share his ideas with the community and i'm sure we can help bring some to life with him

That's Brilliant !!

Thanks for sharing ... I say let him do his thing ... In a couple of years you may be asking for his help and advice

What a great age to start ,think what he will be able to do in the future if the interest stays with him .

Dave

I thought I would try and better you today as my 2 year old Grand daughter popped out ...

I loaded up GameGuru and placed the mouse in her hand ..... She looked intensively at it......... Then stuck it in her mouth and began chewing it. ...Does that count ?

LOL... that is my experience also with my two grandchildren.
It counts a bit
but... wait a couple of years, and they can help us.

Harry

This is brilliant, I wish my girls hadn't already grown up. I could have tried it with them. Just imagine if this was around when we were all a lot lounger though.

my thoughts too, i was game designing aged 10*, but no idea how to or anything, c64 had just come out my grandad had one, so i designed an indiana jones game, so i was ahead of ideas when it came to tomb raider, i designed it aged 10, ( if only i had patented it) and a more contraversial title named suicide man, where you had to try kill yourself, with a bridge guns etc, and a failed attempt would be you survive, ( yes i know aged 10 ) oh well. anyway i think this gg unlocks minds and helps to create imagine and use creative talents to help the mind keep busy, rather than the play a game and entertain me it is morebrain taxing therefore stimulates the mind, so it is by far better than gaming, in terms of mind stimulation. although a new problem as occurred from the world of gaming and pc etc. reclusive behaviour, but if you can have a happy medium then all is good, in the end it is about moderation. but i soo wish i had gg when i was young.

but then i would not of found dungeons and dragons roleplaying. this was my early to late teens, where i sat with mates and battled universes etc. this was when twin worlds was born, but titled battle bound at the time. from this i created a lot of what is now slowly creeping into twin worlds. so the way i went i think was great, i saw the birth of the electronic age with computers, gaming consoles etc. dnd for my imagination, and the advancements to now ability to put all this into a world.


( * note when game designing it means drawings and what happens etc, not actual programming)

Some great reminiscing there - takes me back!
I expected loads to come out of the woodwork professing their 4 year old as a child genius rather than mice chewing grandchildren (Syncromesh & Harry! )maybe Charlie does hold the record for the youngest game-creator in GameGuru after all!

His game is coming on now - he loves his locked doors - at the moment he watches videos on his ipad whilst copying the ideas onto his PC - it is quite amazing to watch the youth of today and their association with Technology but like you say Gameboy, we do limit his time on all of his media devices including TV to get a digital/real life balance so that he doesn't become reclusive.

I was probably about 6 or 7 when I got interested in games and making them. I had an Atari 2600 though, so I only had paper and pens for my game ideas at the time. Took a few more years for the Spectrum to come along and provide something that I could use

It's great he has an interest at this age and I'm sure it will stand him in good stead for games making in the future! It also helps if his parents have an interest as well as I'm sure you do. I remember each new console or computer I got (not often unfortunately) the familiar comment "I can't see the difference!" How they couldn't see the obvious improvements was beyond me. Different age now of course!

My brother was playing games at a very young age as well, albeit in a mad button bashing way (still he could beat a few of my mates at Streetfighter 2, lol). He never got interested in making them though. He just wanted to do what I was doing, which at the time was playing SNES and Megadrive games

I think it is great that Charlie and other young folks are working with Game Guru.

If these young folks start making good games while they are young, they might be able to make even greater games in the future, and it could lead to a good income in the future.

Best of wishes to all.

I started programming a Spectrum when I was 28 years old. It got me off the alcohol. I'm 59 now. I wish we had all this gear around when I was 15/16 then I would be a millionaire by now.

and there he is on the front page of this weeks newsletter - I don't know who's more chuffed, me or Charlie!

Congratulations !!
To both you and Charlie ...
You need to Snapshot , Print and frame that page for posterity

Thats so sweet...
When is his birhtday?
If thats to long, i can give him something from my assets in the store for Christmas.

Harry

Syncromesh - already done and given to his teacher too so there may be some more young GG fans on the horizon. Harrywever, that's really kind but you just missed his 6th birthday at the beginning of September

Cool. Now I am not the youngest anymore with my 20 years

I also would show him FPSC Creator (There is also a free version) That was my start with 12 into the world of programming and game development.

I wish you the best charlie.
Happy Game Developing

Oh thats indeed a shame. well like i said, maybe for Christmas.
if thats oke by you.

Harry