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Your Kid Can Code a Video Game Tonight

April 15, 2026

Most of the conversation around kids and AI is about what to worry about. What if AI could actually be a creative tool for your kid, with you right there watching? Today, I want to show you exactly what that looks like. Let’s build a game with AI. This is something you can do with your child, together, in just a few minutes. Let’s build a Tetris-style game.

Level 1 - Basic Falling Blocks Game

You can be up and running with Tetris in just a few minutes. First, create a blank document:

Mac (using TextEdit):

  • Open TextEdit (it’s in Applications → Utilities, or just Spotlight search for it)
  • Go to Format → Make Plain Text (this is critical — TextEdit defaults to rich text, which will break everything)
  • Write or paste your HTML/JS code
  • File → Save, name it falling_blocks.html
  • In the save dialog, uncheck “If no extension is provided, use .txt” if that option appears
  • Double-click the saved file. It should open in Safari/Chrome

Windows (using Notepad):

  • Open Notepad (search for it in the Start menu)
  • Write or paste your code
  • File → Save As
  • Change “Save as type” dropdown from “Text Documents (.txt)” to “All Files (.*)”
  • Name it falling_blocks.html (if you skip step 4, it’ll save as falling_blocks.html.txt and won’t work)
  • Double-click the saved file — it opens in your default browser

Now, in MyDD Chat, with your child, prompt the following:

Create an html file of the game in the style of Tetris that I can play in my browser.

Copy the output from the code block that MyDD returns into the file that you’ve created. Click save. Open the file (it should automatically open in your default browser).

Tada! You just coded your first video game! And because this is MyDD, you can see exactly what your child prompted and what the AI returned (especially when there is a brief detour into brainrot). Every conversation, right in your parent dashboard. No surprises.

Want to try this tonight? MyDD.ai is built for exactly this: age-appropriate AI where you can see every conversation. Try it free for 14 days with plans starting at less than $7/month when purchased annually.

Level 2 - Upgrade the Game

From here, there are a multitude of upgrades that you can make to the game. MyDD isn’t going to create the exact same game for everyone, so maybe yours already has these? Maybe not? Prompt MyDD in follow ups:

  • Add a next piece preview showing what’s coming to the player to plan ahead. Output the full script so I can copy and paste.
  • Add hard drop (e.g., spacebar instantly drops the piece to the bottom). Right now space is pause, so remap that and add a different key (maybe p as pause). Output the full script so I can copy and paste.
  • Add a line clear animation (flash or fade effect before rows disappear). Output the full script so I can copy and paste.

After you prompt, copy the code into the file you initially created, click save, go back to your browser, and reload the page to get the changes.

What you’ll find is that your game will have the added behavior that you requested, but may be different in other ways you weren’t expecting. The code is being regenerated each time. Just like my initial game and your initial game might not have matched to begin with, the second response from the AI might be slightly different, but still meet the conditions you asked.

Level 3 - Expert Mode

Take the code you’ve created and manually update things to understand how the code works. Ask MyDD to tell you where the colors are assigned — find that in the code and change it. What happens? Did you expect it?

Does the game move too slowly for you? Ask MyDD to tell you where the speed is controlled. Modify it, save it, reload the page, and play again. Can you go faster? Are you an expert?

Other idea — change the buttons that you are using to control. Don’t like the arrows, ask MyDD to tell you where those buttons are assigned and modify that. See how it goes.

This takes the critical thinking and shifts it onto the shoulders of your child. What is delightful is how much more meaningful the game becomes to them because now they own the game; they are literally the creator, even more so than the first iterations.

Level 4 - The Creator

Start all over. This time, instead of building Tetris, ask MyDD to build you something else. Better yet, build a version of Tetris that no one ever thought of. How about a ROUND Tetris where the pieces can “fall” in any direction? Is it possible? I don’t know. You’d have to think through the creation of the prompt, try it out, and iterate when things get weird.

Once you’ve created something awesome, have your child share it with their friends. Once it becomes a group activity, the creativity will explode.

That’s it. You went from zero to a working video game, customized it, learned how the code works, and maybe invented something entirely new, all in one sitting together with your kid.

This is what AI looks like when kids use it well. It is not passively consuming answers, but building things, breaking things, and figuring out why. And you were right there for all of it.

If you want to try this with your child, MyDD.ai is built for exactly this kind of thing. Age-appropriate AI where you can see every conversation. Try it free for 14 days with plans starting at less than $7/month when purchased annually.