A handbook for one very cool game maker
Juno's Game Maker Handbook
Build it. Share it. Sell it.
By Juno, Uncle Luke and Claude (the AI helper).
Made after Dance Party, game number one. 💃
Build it. Share it. Sell it.
By Juno, Uncle Luke and Claude (the AI helper).
Made after Dance Party, game number one. 💃
Most people say "I'm going to make a game one day." You actually made one. People can play it. That is huge.
Dance Party has a disco dance floor, a dancer who copies your moves, three songs (Warm Up, Disco Bounce and Star Spin), combos, stars and high scores. And it is only version 1: the rest is up to you!
Here's the secret: real game studios all use the same simple loop. You've already been doing it without noticing.
The smallest thing that's fun. One dancer, one song, one dance floor. Make that feel good first. Add the rest later.
Every lap of the loop, the game gets better. Your handwritten bug lists were laps. That's how pros do it.
Write down 3 things you're proud of in Dance Party.
Claude helped write the code for your game. It's a bit like a super-fast builder who can't see your brain. So you have to tell it clearly.
❌ "make it better"
✅ "Make the arrows on Disco Bounce a little slower, and add a sparkle when I get a Perfect."
❌ "fix the bug"
✅ "When I press pause then Levels, there's no back button. Please add one."
Turn this vague wish into a clear request: "the song is too easy"
Every game borrows from other games. That's allowed! The trick is to add your own twist.
Lots of game makers can code. Not many can draw cool characters. You can. Your drawings make your games look like nobody else's.
A wall, a notebook or a folder. Every time you get an idea, stick it up. Don't judge it. Later you pick the best one.
If someone plays your game for 10 seconds, are they having fun yet? If not, cut stuff until they are. Long intros and big menus come later.
A playtest is when someone else plays your game and you watch. It's the most useful thing in this whole book.
This is really hard! When they get stuck, don't say "press space!" Just watch. If they get stuck, that's a clue something needs fixing. You won't be there to explain when strangers play.
After they play, ask:
1️⃣ What was the most fun bit?
2️⃣ What was confusing?
3️⃣ What would you add?
You already did this! Your handwritten bug lists were exactly what pros do. A great bug note says:
Starting games is easy. Finishing them is the real superpower. Most people never finish one. You can.
There will ALWAYS be one more thing you could add. Write it on a "Version 2" list and finish anyway. You can update it later. Real games get updates all the time.
When you get a new idea halfway through, don't stop to build it. Put it here instead. Future-you will thank you.
Grown-ups call this "marketing". It just means: helping people find your game and want to play it.
Invite the family. Set up the game. Snacks. Everyone plays. You watch (and use the 3-Question Card!).
Ask your teacher if you can show your game at school. Bring a drawing of your hero too.
Uncle Luke can send a private link to friends' parents so your mates can test it at home.
A "development diary": short videos of what you added this week. Uncle Luke posts them.
In Australia, kids under 16 aren't allowed their own TikTok, YouTube or Instagram accounts. So Uncle Luke runs the channel, and your face and real name stay private. The game and your drawings can be the star instead. That's actually cooler. Mystery game maker! 🕶️
Can you explain your game in one sentence? Try this pattern:
Here's the truth: your first money from games will be dollars, not thousands. And that's awesome, because the first dollar is the hardest one.
Feedback first, money second. A game people love will earn money one day. A game that asks for money too early just gets closed.
Uncle Luke holds all the accounts and all the money, and keeps a notebook of who played and what they paid. You get to see the notebook any time! Grown-up rules say kids can't own these accounts yet, so this is the team way to do it.
These are true stories. Some kids made games with a parent. One made his alone.
Zach and his dad built a Roblox game where you fight off waves of wolves and level up. More than 1,000 people have played it. He even used AI to help design it, just like you!1
Porter drew a comic at a comic book camp. He and his dad turned his characters into a real card game called Cube Creatures. Porter's drawings became the cards. Sound familiar? 🎨2
Jonathan made his first 3D game and put it on itch.io. At first nobody could find it in search! He kept asking questions and learning how it works. Getting found takes work, even for good games.3
Every game maker has a studio name. Yours could be silly, cool, or both.
Signed: (Game Maker) (Uncle Luke)
| itch.io | Users 13+. Publishers must be 18+ or have parental consent, with an adult on the payout form. Use your account; list Juno as a credit by nickname only. |
| Apple | Apple Developer Program is 18+, about US$99/yr. Enrol as an Individual, so your legal name is the seller. Kids Category is optional (age band 9 to 11 if used) and needs parental gates, no third-party ads or analytics. |
| Google Play | Developer account 18+, US$25 one-off. New personal accounts must pass a closed test (testers over a set period) and device verification before going to production. |
| Steam | Steamworks states no age limit, but needs a signed contract, ID, bank and tax details in an adult's legal name. US$100 per game, recouped after US$1,000 in sales. |
| Roblox | DevEx (cashing out Robux) is 13+ with a minimum of 30,000 earned Robux. Not one for now. |
| Social media | Australia's minimum age rule (from 10 Dec 2025): under-16s can't hold accounts on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others. So the channel is parent/uncle-run. On YouTube, mark videos "Made for Kids" and keep comments off. No face, no full name, no school. |
| Tax (ATO) | Genuine hobby income generally isn't declared; income from something run as a business is. Keep a simple notebook of every dollar in and out either way. |
| Money | All accounts, payouts and cash sit with you. Commissions only with the other kid's parents agreeing first. |
Sources to re-check: itch.io terms of service and publisher payout docs · developer.apple.com/kids and Apple Developer Program enrolment · Google Play Console Help (new personal account testing requirements) · Steamworks documentation (onboarding, app credits) · Roblox Developer Exchange help · esafety.gov.au (social media minimum age) · ato.gov.au (hobby or business).