Idea: Project Lovechild

[Robin]

Now, this idea might be completely stupid, but this just crossed my mind:

LÖVE is incredibly easy to prototype games with. And it is suitable to learn game programming. And programming in general. It is suitable for kids to learn (game) programming.

There only is one tiny obstacle.

So, my idea is Project Lovechild: a website with all the awesomeness of LÖVE (complete with tutorials, introductions and whatnot), but “protected” from the regular LÖVE CLUB's sick minds (including mine ).

What does the community say? Löve it or häte it?

[Thursdaybloom]

Genuine löve for this idea! Löve has definitely helped me

to learn game programming. And programming in general

Before discovering löve I was lost in the 'too hard' wilderness with zero coding experience. My motivation helped me find this engine and community and I think I've been progressing slowly but surely since.

[bartbes]

Cool.

[ljdp]

Explain 'protected'?
Like a non-wiki website?
Who's going to write the tutorials?
What's the advantage over getting some more good quality tutorials on the wiki?

edit:
Thinking of writing a Lua for dummies kind of thing, because I can imagine the lua programming guide being a bit difficult
to someone entirely new to programming. I'll do some googlin' but do any such tutorials exist?

[bartbes]

He means childsafe, the current site is NSFW, really.

[ljdp]

It's a good idea yeah, but that one could be improved by changing the title to
LOVE GAMES or something, No one questions when i'm on LOVEFILM so LOVEGAME
sounds reasonable.

[Robin]

Explain 'protected'?
Like a non-wiki website?

No. Just a place were we don't usually hang out (except as moderators or helping hands). In this case, protected means that our NSFW jokes don't leak through.

Who's going to write the tutorials?

Hopefully, we all are.

What's the advantage over getting some more good quality tutorials on the wiki?

None. Those tutorials are probably best copied, although for “Lovechild” they would need a different tone of voice and choice of words. Plus clear real-life analogies and colourful images.

edit:
Thinking of writing a Lua for dummies kind of thing, because I can imagine the lua programming guide being a bit difficult
to someone entirely new to programming. I'll do some googlin' but do any such tutorials exist?

Probably. But I'm not sure whether the PIL (especially the beginning) is that difficult for people new in programming. If you mean an introduction for kids, yeah, something easier is probably necessary.

EDIT: didn't see last two replies.

It's a good idea yeah, but that one could be improved by changing the title to
LOVE GAMES or something, No one questions when i'm on LOVEFILM so LOVEGAME
sounds reasonable.

“Project Lovechild” was more meant as a code name than a “screen name”, really. LOVE GAMES/LOVEGAME sounds reasonable, although it reminds me of toying with feelings. Perhaps something that doesn't have LOVE/LÖVE in the name at all?

[zachwlewis]

Love games?

This sounds like a wonderful idea, and I'd love to write. Should we pick our own topics, or do you have a list to choose from? I'd hope so, because if I didn't have a focus, I'd probably be writing about how recursive tail calls affect the stack.

[ljdp]

Perhaps something that doesn't have LOVE/LÖVE in the name at all?

You could say that about lots of combinations.
Lovefilm might be read as porn film (more lust than love but yeah..)
Words words words words words













More words.

[Robin]

This sounds like a wonderful idea, and I'd love to write. Should we pick our own topics, or do you have a list to choose from? I'd hope so, because if I didn't have a focus, I'd probably be writing about how recursive tail calls affect the stack.

Great. But yeah, we need to determine what good things to write about first. I would say explaining high-level concepts rather than implementation (which Lua and LÖVE both do well, fortunately). Like explaining a program as a sort of TODO list, and introducing arrays as, I don't know, trains with a value in each carriage.

Things like that.

Also, we might need some “test subject”: kids of the right age who want to learn programming.

Yet another topic: localisation. Because children tend to know less foreign languages than people who are/have been to high school, we should offer other languages as well, for the non-English/Americans/Aussies among them. Luckily, the LÖVE CLUB has a plethora of nationalities.