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L12: Video Games

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Overview​

In this lesson, students build a simple arcade-style game where falling meteors must be blocked before reaching Earth. Using buttons, players move a shield left and right to protect the planet from incoming objects.

This project combines many concepts learned throughout the curriculum, including:

  • variables
  • coordinates
  • loops
  • conditions
  • movement
  • collision detection
  • sound and animation

The activity also demonstrates the flexibility and portability of MicroBlocks by using a lesson originally created for micro:bit hardware and running it on CincoBit.

Learning Goals​

Students will:

  • create an interactive game
  • use coordinates for movement
  • detect collisions between objects
  • combine multiple programming concepts together
  • understand how MicroBlocks programs can run across different compatible hardware platforms

CincoBit Compatibility​

This lesson is based on the official MicroBlocks “Falling Meteors” activity originally designed for micro:bit devices.

Because CincoBit supports the MicroBlocks ecosystem, the same programming concepts and project structure work with little or no modification.

This highlights an important idea in software development:

Well-designed software can often run on multiple hardware platforms.

Full Activity​

Follow the complete project tutorial here:

Falling Meteors Activity (MicroBlocks)

Students should use:

  • CincoBit
  • or PixoBit

instead of the micro:bit shown in the original activity.

Here is the full game logic. You can drag this image right into MicroBlocks!

falling meteors

Teacher Notes​

This project works well as:

  • a review activity
  • a game design lesson
  • a creative extension project
  • a group collaboration activity

Students are encouraged to:

  • customize graphics
  • change difficulty
  • add sound effects
  • modify gameplay
  • create additional levels

Real-World Connection​

Game development combines many areas of computer science, including:

  • graphics
  • logic
  • timing
  • interaction
  • animation
  • physics
  • event handling

Even simple games use many of the same programming ideas found in professional game engines.