For families
How GameCoder keeps kids safe.
GameCoder is where kids make their own games with an AI helper, mostly in class. Here's what they can do, what they can't, and who is watching out for them.
The short version
What keeps kids safe here
- Kids get an account from a teacher or a parent.
- No chat or messaging, and no strangers.
- Every game starts private.
- Kids' ideas are read before they're built.
- Grown-ups' own games never appear where kids look.
How it works
The AI helper follows kid rules
Cartoon action, zombies and friendly taunts are fine. Gore, dating, swearing, real people as targets, and alcohol, vaping or self-harm as part of a game are not. When it says no, it says so kindly and suggests something fun instead.
How it works
Ideas are read before they're built
An AI safety check reads each new game idea and change request. If a message sounds like a kid might be hurt or in danger, GameCoder builds nothing from it, answers with a kind message that points them to a trusted adult and to help lines, and tells GameCoder's administrator, who can read the message.
How it works
Saved games are checked too
Before a change is saved, the words in the game are checked for swears (even disguised ones), slurs and real people's names. If something slips through, it's fixed or the change isn't saved.
How it works
Teachers can see and step in
Teachers see their students' games and their conversations with the AI helper, and can hide or remove a game shared in their class. GameCoder admins can remove any game.
Who can see a kid's game
Private first, and never the open internet
A kid chooses who can play each game. There are only three choices, and none of them is the whole internet.
Audience
Just me
Every game starts here. Only the kid who made it, and their teacher, can open it.
Audience
My class
Classmates and the teacher can play it in the class arcade.
Audience
Student Library
Signed-in GameCoder students and teachers can find and play it. People who aren't signed in can't open it.
If something's wrong
See something that shouldn't be there? Tell us.
A shared game can be hidden or removed quickly. Here's who to ask.
- Talk to your kid's teacher first: they can hide or remove a game shared in their class right away.
- Or send us a support request with the game's link, and we'll look at it.
- Grown-ups who join to try GameCoder on their own keep their games private: they never show up where kids look.
Questions
What families ask first
Can strangers talk to my kid on GameCoder?
No. There's no chat or messaging between people on GameCoder, and kids can't be found or contacted through it.
Is my kid's game on the open internet?
No. A game is private until your kid shares it, and even then only signed-in GameCoder students and teachers can open it: their class, or the Student Library.
What happens if my kid types that they're being hurt, or want to hurt themselves?
The AI helper stops and shows a kind message: they matter, they should tell a trusted adult like a parent, a teacher or their school counselor right away, and in the US they can call or text 988 any time. GameCoder's administrator gets an email that it happened (without what your kid typed) and can read the message after signing in; we keep that safety report for 90 days. Teachers and parents are not told automatically, though a message typed while building a game stays in that game's conversation, which their teacher can look at like any other. If you're worried about your kid, please talk with them, or call or text 988.
What does GameCoder keep about my kid?
Their username, the name their teacher or they gave, their class, their games, and their conversations with the AI helper, so they can look back at how a game was built. Our privacy page has the full list.
What happens when my kid deletes a game?
It disappears from everyone at once. Their teacher can still look at it, read-only, for 90 days; after that nobody can open it in GameCoder.
Can I have my kid's information erased?
Yes. Ask your kid's school, or send us a support request, and we'll erase their account and everything in it.
Do I need an account?
No. Kids get their account from their teacher. If you'd like to try GameCoder yourself, you can sign up: we'll let you in, and your games stay private to you.