Sure, it’s much more limited than its PC-based siblings (and yeah, the name is really dumb), but this game got my 11-year-old daughter super into making games. She’s very creative and loves storytelling. She always comes up with the plots for the games she plays with her brothers and friends, and she’s even written four books.
I’m a software developer, something I’m really passionate about, and I’ve tried sharing it with her a couple of times. She’s shown interest, but it never really stuck. Then, earlier this week, I randomly remembered my 10th grade English project from 2003. We had just read Macbeth and were supposed to write a report on it. I had recently discovered the translated version of RPG Maker 2000 by the legendary Don Miguel. My friend and I asked our teacher if we could make a video game instead, and surprisingly, she said yes.
We ended up spending over 100 hours recreating the story in RPG Maker, complete with our silly humor and over-the-top voice acting. We even got to demo the game in front of the class. That project made a real impact on me and helped steer me toward software development.
After remembering this, I ran downstairs, grabbed the kids, and played through the game I had made (using my now-legal copy of RPG Maker 2000 through Steam). They laughed so much and were genuinely interested. I asked if they’d want to make their own games, and they were shocked that it was something anyone could do.
I immediately drove to the store and bought a copy of this game. It turned out to be a bit too complex for my younger kids, but my daughter has been glued to it. She’s constantly offering to do extra chores just for more time with it. Her siblings love playing through her creations. I’ve spent some special time with her, teaching her more advanced concepts like variables and conditional logic. It’s been a great bonding experience.
It’s far from perfect, but it’s more than capable of helping you make your own RPGs. I’m really looking forward to spending more time with my kids and seeing what they come up with.
For me, the “With” in RPG Maker With means getting to spend some special time with my family.
