4.02 Your business idea

What is your business idea? It could be something realistic, something from a book or movie you like, or something completely silly.

Open a new Scratch project and look at the range of sprites and backdrops that you can use. Spend some time thinking about your business idea.

What backdrop and extra scenery sprites will you need?

• A backdrop from the Scratch library, or a plain coloured backdrop?
• A desk, counter, or window to sell from?
• A shelf or bookcase to put items on — you could Paint this on the backdrop

Click Choose a Backdrop or paint your own backdrop.

Click Choose a Sprite and add or paint extra scenery sprites.

You can always add more scenery later if you find that you need it.

What will the seller sprite look like?

• A person or non-player character such as a shopkeeper, farmer, or librarian?
• A machine such as a vending machine, jukebox, or cash register?

An NPC is a non-player character that you can interact with in a game or interactive story. Can you think of games you have played that have NPCs? Next time you play, think about how it was someone’s job to make that character.

Add a sprite to represent the seller.

What is the name of your business?

Create a variable called name:

Test: Make sure you can see your business name as the value of the variable on the Stage.

Get ready to welcome your first customer.

Debug: You might find some bugs in your project that you need to fix. Here is a common bug.