Core: Threadbare
Step your learners into a real game studio experience
Core: Threadbare - A Collaborative Game-Making Journey for Young Creators
Core: Threadbare is an 18-session learning experience, with each session lasting about one hour and it has been designed for learners ages 15 and up who have a basic familiarity with digital tools and coding concepts, an understanding of story structure, and a willingness to experiment, test, and refine their ideas.
In Core: Threadbare, learners step into studio-style roles, collaborating across engineering, game design, art, marketing, and production as they contribute directly to our open source game Threadbare! They also leave their mark by bringing in their own cultural roots, identities, and personal interests, turning game-making into a form of expression and exchange that enriches both the game and the community.
Why Core: Threadbare Matters
Core: Threadbare expands the world of our flagship open source game through StoryQuests, game design, art, and engineering.
Learners create new characters, levels, and dialogue that live inside the Threadbare universe while gaining hands-on experience with tools like Godot and GitHub. The program introduces real studio practices in a way that is accessible for classrooms and community spaces, and most importantly, it prepares learners with future-ready skills.
StoryQuests are narrative-driven challenges inside Threadbare, where learners take on themed game-making projects that advance the story while building skills. They make the learning experience flexible and adaptable, allowing educators to tailor projects to curricular goals or social impact themes.
Who Is This For?
Educators and facilitators
Who want to guide learners through structured, creative projects that combine clear outcomes with plenty of space for imagination and personal expression.
Learners aged 15+
With basic familiarity with digital tools, coding concepts, and story structure, and who are eager to experiment, create, and contribute to an open source game.
Partners and organizations
That want to scale Core: Threadbare to reach hundreds or thousands of learners across schools, clubs, or communities. We provide training, resources, and tailored support to help bring the program to life at scale.
Core: Threadbare
All instructions are available in our guides or you can join our educator community and ask all the questions!
- A Google Account
To copy and edit planning materials
- Godot Engine
To build, test, and upload StoryQuests to the community game.
- GitHub
To contribute StoryQuests and collaborate with the wider community.
- Guides and setup materials
Everything you need to get started, even if you have never used Godot or GitHub before.
- Optional: Endless Platform account
An Endless Studio Platform account, to connect with our game-making community, earn skill achievements, and build a learner portfolio.
Mini Core: MakeCode
Not ready for Godot and GitHub yet? We also offer Mini Core: MakeCode, still an 18-session program with a lighter path where learners can create narrative-driven games in Microsoft MakeCode. It is simple, visual, and can serve as a stepping stone toward Core: Threadbare.
Testimonials
It takes five minutes to teach, but students could spend weeks making their own quests.
Engaging students with real-world applications makes complex concepts relatable.
Encouraging collaboration in projects fosters a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Project Gallery
Want to see what learners create in Explore: Threadbare? Browse our gallery of sprites, levels, and dialogue projects contributed by students around the world.
Sueños nocturnos
Inside a dream, the hero needs to find a lost item but there creatures that will try to stop him.
El juguete perdido
The Elder’s grandson and his toy are lost somewhere in the world of Threadbare.
Stella
There’s a missing star in the sky! Stella needs to go and explore the Threadbare world to find it.
Free and Open by Design
All of our Explore: Threadbare materials are released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA 4.0) license. This means educators and organizations can freely use, remix, and adapt them, as long as credit is given and any adaptations are shared under the same license.
Community and Support
No learner should create alone. Core: Threadbare connects learners to a global community of peers, educators, and contributors who share ideas, give feedback, and support one another’s growth.
