Easel is a 2D game programming language with multiplayer baked in.
Make shareable little games and learn to code, the fun way!

The game engine for beginner coders

Easel is powerful enough to be interesting, but simple enough to be accessible.

What makes Easel great for beginners? It is because Easel's programming language allows something as complex as a game to be structured in a way that is approachable.

Easel games are made of two main building blocks - entities and their behaviors. Easel's hierarchical programming language makes the building blocks easy to find, while features like contextual parameters make them easy to rearrange, inviting beginners to experiment and explore. Beginners can start by remixing these building blocks into new and interesting combinations. Then when they are ready, they can make their own building blocks using Easel's fully featured programming language. There is no need to learn everything at once.

Easel provides a gentle slope for beginners to climb, while giving them the satisfaction they need at every step of the journey to stay motivated.

Try remixing a game yourself! Find any Easel game on the homepage, then click the Remix this Game button at the bottom of your screen to make your own version.

Code structured for humans

Most game engines require you to organize code for the computer that runs it, not for the humans who read it. They normally use a frame-by-frame update model, which requires you to unnaturally split up your code into per-frame state machines that can be hard to follow.

Easel is an event-driven and concurrent programming language. This allows you to separate each independent part of your game into an independent behavior, which you can write in a straightforward step-by-step way. Combined with Easel's hierarchical programming model, you can organize these behaviors in a way that matches the natural structure of your game.

Easel code can be much easier to follow than traditional game engine code. Beginners will find it easier to approach and experiment with, while experienced programmers will be much more productive thanks to its clarity.

If you are an experienced programmer, you may enjoy reading the Key Concepts page for a more in-depth look at the unique features of Easel's programming language.

Effortless multiplayer

Multiplayer games are not only fun to play, but they provide social motivation when learning to code. Unfortunately, they are also the most difficult to make. They require decisions about synchronization, authorities and prediction. On top of this, every part of your game needs to be made for multiplayer. If you miss anything, your game will desynchronize. These are all scary problems that are out of reach for a beginner coder.

Multiplayer is baked into Easel's programming language,
so any game you make with Easel is already multiplayer, without any extra work. Even if you have never coded before, you can make a multiplayer game with Easel!