Hello.

You have never made a game before.

That's perfect. Nobody had, once.

Tonight you'll make one, with nothing but your words.

Let's make a star.

Start here. Later, your Week 1 lessons walk you through the same setup again, one step at a time.

Sound makes it better. It's gentle, and you can turn it off at the top.

What we'll make together

Little Star

You are a tiny light in a very big dark. You drift. You gather sparks, and every one of them sings. Shadows will try to dim you, but they can never put you out. Gather enough light and you become a star.

That's the whole game. It lives in one file called index.html. A file is one saved thing on your computer, like one page in a notebook. No game engine. You'll make it by typing plain words to Claude, in the Claude desktop app.

A Mac or a Windows computerwhere you are allowed to install programs
A paid Claude planPro, Max, Team or Enterprise. Pro is enough. The free plan does not include Claude Code.
About an hourand a little courage
No experienceNone. Really.

Move your pointer over the sky. This is the finished game.

The Window

First, a window you can talk through.

Most days you talk to your computer by pointing: click here, drag that there. Tonight you will talk to it in words: you type, and it answers. You do that in the Claude desktop app. An app is a program on your computer, like your email or your web browser.

Let's bring the Claude app home. Pick your computer, then follow the three steps.

Click Get Claude Desktop. It's the glowing button in the box marked claude.ai/download, on this page. Your browser downloads an installer. An installer is a small helper program. Its only job is to put another program on your computer.
Open the installer from your Downloads folder, and click through it. The standard answers are right every time.
Wait for Claude to open. When the installer finishes, Claude opens by itself and you see a sign-in screen. That's the next chapter. If Claude does not open, find it in the Start menu and click it.
Open the file you downloaded, from your Downloads folder. A window shows the Claude icon and your Applications folder. Drag Claude onto Applications. That puts it on your Mac.
Open Claude. Open your Applications folder and double-click Claude. If your Mac asks whether you are sure you want to open it, click Open. You see a sign-in screen. That's the next chapter.

Want to open Claude again another day? Do this:

⌘+space then typeClaude thenreturn

⊞ Win then typeClaude thenEnter

The Claude window opens. That's all. You just opened a door most people never find.

claude.ai/download

Get Claude Desktop

This opens the real download page in a new tab. It comes from Anthropic, the company that makes Claude.

a window you can talk through

The Friend

Now, meet a friend.

Inside the Claude app lives a helper called Claude Code. You type what you're dreaming of, in your own words. It writes the code, saves the file, and tells you what it did. You don't need to know the computer's language, because it already does.

Meet it in three steps

Sign in. Use the same email you use for Claude. Claude Code needs a paid Claude plan. Pro is enough.
Find the Code tab, and click it. It's at the top left of the Claude window, and it looks like </>. Some versions show the word Code. Not sure it's the right one? Rest your mouse on it, and a tip says Code. A tab is like a divider in a binder: click it, and you see a different page.
Look for + New. When the Code tab is open, you'll see + New in the list on the left, like in the picture. You'll also see the word Local, just above the box where you type. That word tells you the Code tab is open. You'll use + New in the next chapter. Can't find the Code tab, or does Claude ask you to upgrade? Read the note beside this list.

Windows only: Claude may ask you to install a free helper program called Git for Windows. If it does, get Git for Windows here, install it, and click Next on every step. The standard answers are right. Then close Claude completely and open it again. You will never type a Git command here. Claude uses it behind the scenes.

A real picture of the Claude app, taken on Windows. A Mac looks a little different. The Code tab is the </> button, at the end of the top row. The tip that says Code only shows while your mouse rests on the button. + New is just below, on the left.

Can't find the Code tab? It's easy to miss! Look at the row of small buttons at the top left of Claude. The Code tab is the last one, right next to the speech bubble. Does Claude ask you to upgrade? Then your plan does not include Claude Code yet. Claude Code comes with a paid Claude plan: Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise. To check your plan, go to claude.ai, sign in, click your name at the bottom left, then Settings, and look for the word Plan. If it says Free, email Rachel at rachel@emdesigns.ai before you buy anything.

A Home

Every star needs a place to be born.

Two small jobs. First, make a folder for your game. Then open that folder in Claude, before you type a single word to it.

A folder is like a lunchbox: everything your game needs gets packed inside. Pick your computer, because making a folder is a little different on each.

Make a folder called little-star on your Desktop. Click an empty spot on your Desktop. At the very top of the screen, click File, then New Folder. A new folder appears with its name ready to change. Type little-star and press return. Right-click an empty space on your Desktop. Choose New, then Folder. A new folder appears with its name ready to change. Type little-star and press Enter. Use small letters and a dash, with no spaces. Still called untitled folderNew folder? Click its name once, wait a moment, then type little-star.
Start a new session. In the Code tab, click + New in the list on the left. Some versions say New session. A session is one conversation with Claude, like one phone call. A new call starts fresh.
Choose Local. Look just above the box where you type. You'll see the word Local, and a folder button beside it. Local means Claude works right here on your computer, with your own files. If it says something else, click it and choose Local.
Click the folder button next to Local. It may show another folder's name, or say Select folder. A window opens. Go to your Desktop. Click little-star once. Then click OpenSelect Folder. If your Mac asks whether Claude may use files in your Desktop folder, click Allow.
Set the mode to Manual. Just under the box where you type, on the left, there's a small word, like Plan. That word is a menu. Click it and choose Manual. Under Manual it says: Always ask before making changes. That means Claude shows you every change and waits for your yes. Some versions call it Ask permissions. Can't find it? Press Cmd+Shift+MCtrl+Shift+M to open the menu.
Check, before your first message. Above the box: Local, and little-star. Under the box: Manual. Claude works in the folder the session starts with, so check now. Wrong folder name? Click it and choose little-star again.

Setting up, one step at a time

Step 1: a new, empty folder called little-star, on your Desktop.This one is a drawing, not a real picture.

Step 2: in the Code tab, click + New.A real picture, taken on Windows. Some versions say New session.

Step 3: Local, with the folder button beside it.A real picture of the Claude app, with the folder name changed to little-star, like yours.

A window opens. Go to your Desktop.Click little-star once.Then click Open.

Step 4: click little-star once, then Select Folder.on a Mac, the button says Open.A real Windows picture from a Week 1 lesson. Yours will say little-star.This one is a description, because the pictures were taken on Windows.

Step 5: choose Manual. Its description says: Always ask before making changes.A real picture. Here Plan has the tick. Your list may show more or fewer choices, so look for the word Manual.

Locallittle-starManual

Step 6: check. Local, little-star, and Manual.This one is a drawing. When all three match, you are ready.

Watch, then do it for real.

When the name next to Local says little-star, and the word under the box says Manual, you're ready. From here on, you make the game by typing plain words to Claude. Each chapter gives you one wish. Watch it here first. Then copy the wish, paste it into the box in your real Claude, and press returnEnter.

When you get stuck

Coming back tomorrow? Open Claude and click the Code tab. Your little-star session is in the list on the left. Click it to keep going. Can't find it? Click + New, choose Local, pick the little-star folder, and set Manual, all before your first message.
Can't find index.html? Open Finder and click Desktop in the list on the left.Open File Explorer and click Desktop in the list on the left. Open the little-star folder. index.html may show as just index. Double-click it to play.
It opened as a page of code, or in another program? Right-click index.html, choose Open with, and pick Chrome, Edge or Safari.
Nothing changed, or the page is blank? Refresh the game tab: hold Command and press Rpress F5. Still wrong? Type to Claude what you see, and what you expected to see.
Can't find the Code tab? It's easy to miss! Look at the row of small buttons at the top left of Claude. The Code tab is the last one, right next to the speech bubble. Rest your mouse on it, and a tip says Code. Does Claude ask you to upgrade? Then your plan does not include Claude Code yet. Go back to The Friend chapter to check your plan.

Your Turn

It's yours now. Change anything.

The game isn't finished. Games never really are. Try one of these wishes and watch the world obey, then type the same words to your real Claude.

index.html

Play it. Then remix it.

Remix wishes

Tap a wish to hear Claude answer. This is a simulation.

In your real Claude, any of these will work too. Try your own. Be specific about what you see and what you want.

Seeds to plant next

Three things to remember

i

Type what you see.

Then type what you want. “When I ___, it ___. I want ___.” That one sentence fixes almost anything.

ii

One wish at a time.

Small wishes come true more often. Play after every change, and notice how it feels.

iii

You can always go back.

The easiest undo is a no. In Manual, click no on a change you don't want (the button may say Reject), then type what you wanted instead. Press Esc to stop Claude mid-way. If a change already happened, type undo your last change. And keep a copy that works, just below.

Keep a copy that works. When your game plays the way you like, save a copy. On your Desktop, click the little-star folder once. Press Command+CCtrl+C to copy it, then Command+VCtrl+V to paste. A copy appears, called little-star copylittle-star - Copy. Click its name once, wait a moment, and type little-star-first-win. Never change that copy. To go back to it, copy it again and work in the new copy.

Time to rest? Just close the Claude app. Your game stays safe in its folder. Next time, open Claude and click the Code tab. Your little-star session is in the list on the left. Click it to keep going.

Share it. Your game is one file. Send index.html to someone you love and it will open in any web browser. You made a thing that can travel.

Every chapter you walked through was a spark.

An hour ago, the Claude app was a door you had never opened. Then you opened it and asked for what you wanted. When something didn't feel right, you said so, and it got better.

You made something that glows.

Now go make something that makes someone feel something.

The Week 1 lessons are waiting in the Learning Studio, back at camp.

A handmade course. The Claude windows that play on this page are simulations, and your real Claude will phrase things its own way. The ideas are the same. The pictures of the Claude app are real, taken on Windows.