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Can kids make video games with AI?
Yes. Kids describe a game, Otto helps build a playable first version, and kids then test it, change the code and improve it.
Still need a hand?
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What kind of game would you make if you could start with any idea? Describe it, and Otto helps you build a first version. Then try it, change it, add features and explore the code that makes it work.
Quick answer
Yes. Kids describe the game they want, and Otto helps build a playable first version. Then they test it, change the rules, add features and explore the code behind it.
No coding experience is needed to start. Games run in the browser and every build saves to Projects.
A working game is a starting point. You decide what to improve next.
Game types
Start with a simple mechanic, then experiment with ways to make it more interesting.
Quick reactions, high scores, obstacles and challenges that get harder.
Loops · collisions · scoring
Jumping, movement, platforms and reaching a goal. Start with one level.
Movement · gravity · conditionals
Solve problems, spot patterns or find the right sequence of moves.
Logic · state · events
A quiz on animals, space, sports, books or history, with scoring and feedback.
Arrays · randomization · scoring
Combine mechanics, invent characters or try something that doesn't fit a category.
Whatever you dream up
How it works
A game doesn't need dozens of levels to be fun. Build it one step at a time.
Pick a simple goal: collect objects, avoid obstacles, solve a puzzle or reach the finish line.
Pick one goal
Collect, avoid, solve or reach
Describe it to Otto
In your own words
Every step teaches real coding ideas: variables, loops, conditionals, events, functions and state.
Game ideas
Pick an idea and make it your own. Combine several, or describe something completely different.
Asteroid Dodge, Quiz Battle and Flashcard Race are starter games you can open, play and change right away.
See starter projectsTry building
Avoid incoming obstacles. Later, add difficulty and keep score.
Explore movement, jumping and reaching a goal.
Find a route from the start to the exit.
Identify animals, habitats or surprising facts.
Respond to changing prompts or targets as fast as you can.
Destinations, discoveries and challenges in space.
The code behind the game
Curious why your score isn't updating, or how an obstacle moves? Ask. Otto points you to the right code and hands the next step back to you.
Kid says
My ship keeps flying off the side of the screen.
Otto
What should happen when the ship's x position is bigger than the screen width? Find where x changes and add a check there. Then run it and tell me what you see.
Kid says
Make the rocks faster.
Otto
Which variable controls rock speed? Find it and try doubling it. Is the game still fair? What could make it speed up slowly instead?
Kid says
Why does my score go to 0 when I restart?
Otto
Good catch. Look at your restart function. What does it set score to? Is that what you want every time, or only on a new game?
You learn programming through the games you already want to make.
How Otto helps
Some parents worry AI will make the game and the kid will just watch. Here's where Otto helps and where it hands control back.
What Otto does
Helps turn "I want a dodge game" into small, buildable steps.
What Otto doesn't do
Pick the idea. You choose what to make.
What Otto does
Helps write a first version and explains what each part does.
What Otto doesn't do
Hide the code behind blocks. You see and edit the real thing.
What Otto does
Points out where something is going wrong and asks questions.
What Otto doesn't do
Decide every fix. You test, change and run it again.
What Otto does
Suggests what could come next, such as levels or a high score.
What Otto doesn't do
Decide what the game becomes. That part is yours.
Why HeyOtto
Built for ages 8–18, from first-time creators to teens ready to dig into the code.
Describe the game you imagine, even if you don't know how to program it yet.
Make a first version and see how it plays.
Refine the rules and add features as you learn.
Explore and edit the JavaScript behind your game.
Begin with one simple challenge and work toward bigger ideas.
Every game is web-based with no external APIs or outside connections, and parents can see every project.
Guardrails
You can build freely because every build runs in a closed space.
Projects are web-based with no external APIs or outside connections.
Outside scripts and external API calls are not allowed.
Builds have no access to browser storage.
Each project is a self-contained bundle that parents can view.
Code works inside the controls parents already set.
For parents
You don't have to read code to stay involved. The parent dashboard shows the projects and the conversation behind them.
Every project
Each game your kid builds, saved in Projects.
Questions they asked
What your kid asked Otto while building.
How it changed
How the project changed over time.
Family controls
The same controls as the rest of HeyOtto.
FAQ
Straight answers for kids and parents.
Yes. Kids describe a game, Otto helps build a playable first version, and kids then test it, change the code and improve it.
No. You can start by describing your game and learn the code as you experiment.
Yes. You can view and edit the code behind your game inside HeyOtto.
HTML, JavaScript, CSS and React, with Tailwind for styling.
Arcade games, platformers, puzzles, quizzes and your own ideas. Games are web-based with no external APIs or outside connections, so there's no online multiplayer.
Yes. Keep working on it: ask Otto for changes or edit the code yourself.
No. Otto explains each step and asks questions. Kids choose the idea and decide what to change.
Scratch uses blocks. HeyOtto uses the text-based code developers write, with Otto explaining as you go.
No. It's for ages 8–18. Younger beginners start with simple ideas, and teens take on more complex projects.
01 / 09
Yes. Kids describe a game, Otto helps build a playable first version, and kids then test it, change the code and improve it.
Still need a hand?
Keep exploring
Every game begins with an idea. Make a first version, try something unexpected and see how far you can take it.