Arcade · Free Starter Lesson

Scratch Game Starter Lesson

A free first Scratch lesson — build a complete mini-game from scratch in one sitting. Designed for absolute beginners with no prior coding experience. No sign-up or download required.

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What this covers

✓Complete in one 30–45 minute session

✓No prior experience needed

✓Produces a working, playable game

✓Teaches all three programming structures

✓Completely free — no account required to start

What you will build

In this starter lesson you will build "Catch the Star" — a simple game where a star falls from the top of the screen and the player catches it with a basket. Simple, achievable, and surprisingly satisfying.

What the game does

A star appears at a random position at the top of the screen and falls downward. The player moves a basket left and right. If the basket catches the star, the score increases. If the star reaches the bottom, a life is lost. When all lives are gone, the game ends.

Why this game teaches everything

Catch the Star uses variables (score, lives), loops (the star falls continuously), conditionals (IF touching basket → score+1), events (arrow keys move basket), and random numbers (star position). Every GCSE programming concept in one game.

Scratch block types

Each colour in Scratch means a different category. Learn the colours and you can find any block instantly.

key termSpriteA character or object that can move and act

key termScriptA stack of blocks attached to an event

key termEventA trigger that starts a script running

key termLoopRepeating a set of blocks

key termVariableA stored value like score or lives

key termSpriteA character or object

key termScriptBlocks attached to an event

key termEventTrigger that starts a script

key termLoopRepeat a block of code

key termVariableStores score, lives, etc.

Step 1: Set up Scratch

Go to scratch.mit.edu. Click Create. You will see the Scratch editor.

The stage

The large area on the right where your game plays. It is 480 × 360 pixels.

Sprites panel

The panel below the stage. It shows all sprites in your project. Start with the default cat sprite.

Block palette

The coloured panel on the left. Blocks are grouped by type — Motion, Looks, Sound, Events, Control, Sensing, Operators, Variables.

Step 2: Create the basket

The basket is the player's sprite. It moves left and right with the arrow keys.

Delete the cat sprite.
Click the cat in the sprites panel. Click the bin icon to delete it.

Choose a new sprite.
Click the sprite icon at the bottom of the sprites panel. Choose a rectangle or draw a simple basket shape.

Add the movement script.
Events → "when green flag clicked". Control → "forever" loop. Inside the loop: Sensing → "key left arrow pressed?" → if true, Motion → "change x by -10". Repeat for right arrow, x by +10.

Add a boundary.
Inside the forever loop, after the movement: Motion → "if x position < -200, set x to -200". Repeat for x > 200. This stops the basket going off screen.

Step 3: Create the falling star

The star is the second sprite. It falls from the top, resets when caught or missed.

Add a star sprite.
Click the sprite icon. Choose a star. Rename it Star in the sprites panel.

Add the falling script.
Events → "when green flag clicked". Motion → "go to x: (pick random -200 to 200) y: 180". Control → "forever". Inside: Motion → "change y by -5". This makes the star fall.

Catch detection.
Inside the forever loop: Control → "if touching Basket". If true: Variables → "change score by 1". Motion → "go to x: random y: 180". (Teleport back to top.)

Miss detection.
Inside the forever loop: Control → "if y position < -170". If true: Variables → "change lives by -1". Motion → "go to x: random y: 180".

Enjoyed the starter lesson? Try Arcade Live.

Arcade Live sessions run Monday and Thursday, 12:30–1:00pm. Each session builds on the last — Dee guides you through the full beginner coding pathway, maximum 3 learners.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need to create a Scratch account?

No. Scratch works completely without an account. To save your project, you can either create a free account or download the project file.

What if something does not work?

Check that blocks are snapped together correctly (no gaps). Check that sprite names match exactly what you typed in sensing blocks. Scratch is forgiving — most problems are spelling or missing connections.

What should I build next?

After Catch the Star, try adding a speed increase as the score rises. Then try building a quiz game — it uses the same concepts in a different way.