For kids ages 8–12 · No console · No coding · No screens
Turn “I want to make video games” into a real game design.
Game Creator's Workshop is a full-color activity book that guides kids through 10 fun levels — sketching, inventing, and choosing their way from a single spark to a complete Game Design Document, the same blueprint real studios use. Guided every step by Joy, a friendly in-book coach.
Written by a 25-year game-industry creative director — a Creative Director on Call of Duty multiplayer.
50+ activities A gift that says “yes, you can make that”
Every kid who loves games dreams of making one. This is the book that shows them how — no expensive gear, no screens, no coding. Just a pencil, their imagination, and a plan.
Screen-free and hands-on
Real pages to draw on and think through. A welcome break from the tablet that still speaks their language.
Builds skills that last
Creativity, planning, storytelling, and problem-solving — disguised as the most fun they've had all week.
Ends with something real
By the last page your child holds a finished Game Design Document — a project they're proud to show off.
Made for doing together
Every level ends with quick Notes for Parents so you can help without taking over.
By the last page, your child has built a real game design
- Invent a game goal — and the obstacles that make it fun
- Design their own heroes, villains, worlds, and stories
- Create rules, levels, and scoring systems
- Beat a boss at the end of every level
- Add style, sound, and “wow” moments
- Pull it all into a Game Design Document they can show off
Ten levels, each ending with a peek at Joy's own game — so kids always see where they're headed.
Meet Joy
Part controller, part coach, part idea machine — Joy keeps kids unstuck and excited, guiding them through all 10 levels of the workshop and cheering every win along the way.
For teachers, librarians & homeschool educators
A ready-to-use enrichment resource that turns kids' love of games into real creative and critical-thinking work — with zero prep and zero screens.
- No prep, no tech. Open the book and go. No devices, logins, or software to manage.
- Session-sized levels. Each of the 10 levels stands on its own — perfect for a class period, club meeting, or center.
- Cross-curricular. Writing, storytelling, systems thinking, planning, and design — all in one project.
- A portfolio outcome. Every student finishes with their own Game Design Document to keep and present.
- Great for many settings. Classrooms, gifted & enrichment, after-school, libraries, and homeschool co-ops.
Buying copies for a class or group? Order in quantity on Amazon.
Get classroom copies on Amazon
About the author
Greg Reisdorf is a Creative Director and 25-year veteran of the games industry. As Creative Director on Call of Duty multiplayer — one of gaming's biggest franchises — he helped shape a game played by millions. He wrote Game Creator's Workshop for the next generation of creators — so every kid who loves games knows they can make them, too.
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Ready to start creating?
Give a kid you love the book that turns “someday” into a real game design.
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