VXLVERSE — 45-minute lesson deck (16 slides)
Open this on the projector and press → to move. Press S for the teacher notes, Esc to go back to the lesson plan. Every slide is printed below if you would rather have it on paper.
1. Today you write a story. It becomes a 3D game.
No installs. No accounts. You type words, and a world builds itself while you type.
Teacher says: "Nobody here has to know how to code. Including me."
2. Watch this first
A forest. A girl called Mara. She wants a star. Find it and you win.
Teacher says: play the demo on the projector for 60 seconds — walk up, press E, grab the star, win.
3. That whole game was six lines
Win when: player has 🌟 star
World "forest":
Character "Mara":
say Bring me a star and you win!
wants: 🌟 star
item 🌟 starTeacher says: "Read it out loud. It says what it does — that is the whole trick."
4. Six words do all the work
World— where it happensCharacter— who is theresay— what they saywants— what they ask foritem— a thing on the groundWin when— how the game ends
Teacher says: "You will use all six today. There is no seventh secret word."
5. Join the class
Open vxlverse.com/class and type this code:
CLASS CODE: _______________Teacher says: write your class code on the board too — this slide is the backup, the board is the source of truth.
6. Pick a nickname
A made-up name only. Not your surname. Something you will recognise on the big screen later.
Teacher says: "No email, no password, no account. Nickname and you are in."
7. Step 1 — a world and a person
World "forest":
Character "Mara":
say Hi! I lost my star in the trees.
Win when: talk to MaraType it. Two spaces before say. Then press Play.
Teacher says: expect "it says my game can't be won" — that is correct and it is the next slide.
8. Walk up. Press E.
Arrows or WASD to move. Stand next to Mara. Press E. She talks.
Teacher says: circulate now — the two things that break are indentation and a missing colon after the name.
9. Step 2 — make it a game you can win
Win when: player has 🌟 star
World "forest":
Character "Mara":
say Hi! Bring me my star.
wants: 🌟 star
gives: 🏅 medal
item 🌟 starTeacher says: "Now something can end. That line at the top is the difference between a scene and a game."
10. Trap 1 — item lives on the far left
Indented under a character, the item silently disappears. No error. It is just gone.
Character "Mara":
wants: 🌟 star
item 🌟 star ← wrong, vanishes
Character "Mara":
wants: 🌟 star
item 🌟 star ← right, it existsTeacher says: "If you cannot find the thing anywhere in the world — check whether it is indented."
11. Trap 2 — wants is not winning
Delivering a wanted item gives points. Only a Win when: line ends the game.
Your game has no way to win yet — add
`win` inside a choice, or a `Win when:` line.Teacher says: that message is the compiler checking the game can actually be finished — it is help, not failure.
12. Make it yours — change the world
Swap one word. Try desert, snow, volcano, jungle, beach, dungeon, swamp, cemetery.
World "volcano":Teacher says: "Rename Mara to anything you like — the wants and the win still follow her."
13. Add an enemy
Win when: player has 🌟 star
World "forest":
Character "Mara":
say Watch out — someone is guarding my star.
wants: 🌟 star
item 🌟 star
Enemy "Grumble":
kind: raider
tier: 3Trap 3: kind: raider goes on its own line. On the name line it becomes part of the name.
Teacher says: "Try tier 1 first. Tier 10 will end you."
14. Add a choice
Win when: player has 🌟 star
World "snow":
Character "Bo":
say Nice hat. Want a race?
if choice is "Yes!":
say Go! You are fast.
score + 10
if choice is "No thanks":
say Suit yourself.
item 🌟 starTeacher says: "Now your game asks the player a question — and remembers the answer."
15. Hand it in
Press Play and finish your own game once. Then press Hand in.
Teacher says: "If you cannot win it, nobody can. Fix it, then hand in."
16. Arcade
Every game is on the class page. We open them one by one on the big screen.
Teacher says: open your class page, click a student's game, play 60 seconds, ask the author one question, next.