[portland] learn to program / robots game?

[jason kirtland]

kirby wrote:
> Game Maker, which is maybe your "big modern one" is by many
> accounts quite good, popular with Portland kids, big at
> Saturday Academy.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Maker

Thanks, I hadn't seen that one.  It looks pretty promising! 
"robocode" was the "big" robot one I was thinking of, and the 
community around it seems pretty hard-core and seasoned, too much 
so.

> A lot depends if it's really *game programming* a person wants
> to learn, or just wants more opportunities to play games, but
> "learning programming" sounds more like what the dominant
> big people culture wants to hear.
>
> Not that it has to be either/or.
>
> Ten is pretty young though.

This kid seems pretty interested in the creative aspects, hoping to 
be able to someday realize his visions as movies or games and 
seeing programming as a means to an end.  I was originally thinking 
about scriptable VR environments, but without multi-user that just 
seems too lonely and undirected an introduction.  Something like 
Second Life would probably work, if it weren't for all the other 
people and their content...

> Has anyone checked ToonTalk lately?
> Way more surreal than Squeak, but still good.
>
> http://www.toontalk.com/

That has potential too.  Thanks!