Engage your students with this fun and interactive coding project using MakeCode Arcade! In this activity, students will design and build their own Mice Attack game, where they control a ghost character and try to shoot falling mice before losing all their lives.

Perfect for introducing game design and block-based coding, this resource provides step-by-step instructions to guide learners through creating a fully functional arcade-style game.

🧠 What Students Will Learn:

• Basic game development concepts
• How to use variables (ghost & mouse sprites)
• Creating and controlling sprites
• Adding movement and controls
• Programming events (button presses)
• Using loops and timers (enemy spawning every 500ms)
• Implementing collision detection
• Tracking score and lives

🎯 How the Game Works:

Students will:

• Control a ghost using arrow keys
• Press a button to shoot projectiles
• Avoid falling mice (or lose lives!)
• Score points by hitting targets

The game includes 3 lives, enemy spawning, and scoring mechanics, making it both challenging and exciting!

📦 What’s Included:

• 7-page step-by-step student worksheet
• Clear visuals and coding block examples
• Link to a completed example game for demonstration
• Beginner-friendly instructions—no prior coding experience needed!

👩‍🏫 Perfect For:

• Upper elementary & middle school students
• Coding clubs or STEM lessons
• Intro to MakeCode Arcade
• Independent or guided learning

💡 Why Teachers Love This:

• Easy to follow and implement
• Highly engaging, game-based learning
• Builds problem-solving and computational thinking skills
• Great for both in-class and remote learning