[brw12]

[I was an engineer at Scratch for 4 years]

The "what do we do after Scratch" question is tricky! There's no super clear answer (and a big market opportunity!)

It is important for people getting deeper into programming to learn a text-based language. But I do want to say that you don't need to stop using Scratch -- lots of adults use it, and it's really great for many things... e.g., this memory portrait of my mother sewing when I was young https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/646805603

Several comments here have hit on the visual UI as an element of Scratch that other languages don't have as readily.

Another element is the sharable context: you can make a Scratch project with others' enjoyment in mind; your project doesn't have to have another purpose besides being fun to play with.

So for moving on to other programming languages, I think the key is to identify compelling projects and to find (or build) small communities which will use those projects.

E.g.:

* sites like replit and Glitch and Github Pages and val.town where the whole idea is to make a small program (or piece of a program), publish it instantly, share it with others and remix others' programs

* making a choose your own adventure-style or Zork-style text game

* Advent of Code https://adventofcode.com provides a massive multiplayer experience where you know you're solving the same project as thousands of other people

[jvvw]

I've seen some children move onto Unity for the 3D graphics. Physical computing can sometimes give an incentive for Python when its the only lanaguage available. We've done some stuff with Minecraft Pi at code clubs I've been involved with. although it's such an early version of Minecraft. My elder son likes maths, so we've done some mathematical things in Python, which are easier in that, although probably wouldn't be impossible in Scratch.

But it's tricky!

[em-bee]

etoys for squeak has the ability to switch between blocks and code, as a way to learn about the code that the blocks generate.

it would be interesting to have a programming language that is essentially a text form of scratch and that can drive the same animations so that you could learn the text syntax and continue creating the same games, or even translate from one to the other.