Dreams Is A New Way To Make Games On PS4

The games industry is really big. There is a lot of potential for all sorts of careers. But it can be hard to know how to start children on a track into discovering how to get involved.

One way is to make their own games, which is becoming simpler than ever. Case in point is yesterday's release of Dreams. It's a PlayStation 4 game that makes it easy and fun to create all sorts of interactive experiences. You can make games, music, movies, art. Anything imaginable in an ever-expanding universe of creativity.

Last week I went to an event put on by Girls Make Games at the developer's studio. We spent the day with a group of girls making a game with Dreams for the first time.

"They are making a game, inside a game at a game studio. It doesn't get more perfect than this. What they were able to make in Dreams looks complex but the simple process really lowers the barrier to entry of making a polished game.That feeling of confidence they get of creating their own game is something you carry forward into life." Laila Shabir - Girls Make Games

It was impressive how quickly the girls started making things. But more than that, there was a real atmosphere of creativity. It didn't matter if what you made turned out well or not, everyone was just happy to give it a go.

I spoke to some of the girls about their experience with Dreams.

• "I watch a lot of coding videos on YouTube and they are always men doing it. I never see any girls. So this has been great to see other girls who are interested in things like this." Girls Make Games Participant.
• "It's easy to pick up once you've mastered the basic controls." Girls Make Games Participant.
• "You get to let your creativity burst and be yourself and create whatever you want." Girls Make Games Participant.
• "A lot of people think that making games is a boy thing. But it's better for girls and boys to come together because it's more creative." Girls Make Games Participant.
• "It was a little bit challenging, but when you got into it, it was easier. I might think about this as a job because it's really been fun." Girls Make Games Participant.
• "It was tricky, but it was also easy. You could make it up on your own. I loved understanding how you make games. After playing Dreams I'd love to work in the industry." Girls Make Games Participant.

After the event, I had some time with studio head Sibahn Reddy. "Video games are the medium of our time and it needs new voices. I'd love to see game making being something parents encourage as much as learning guitar or learning a language. We love the idea of families making stuff together. It is for the next generation of game designers, architects, fashion designers. But mostly, it's for the next 'question mark'. It's these young people who are going to take us to the future and I don't know what they are going to do but they are birthing it now."

If you want to get your children making games in Dreams you can purchase the early access game for £24.99.