Game Development Is Easy With Pygame Zero
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Programming can be a daunting prospect for anyone dipping their toe into the world of game development.
Python is often revered as an excellent coding gateway as this language prioritizes readability. If you’re familiar with Python, you may already have noticed how close the language is to English.
Pygame Zero is a great starting point for new Python programmers more eager to create than spend time writing boilerplate functions.
What Is Pygame Zero?
Pygame Zero was created to provide an easier game coding experience for newer Python programmers.
Daniel Pope (“Lord Mauve” onGitHub) set out to create a barrier-free entry for Python beginners. Pygame zero removes the need to recreate the most basic common code so it’s possible to focus on creating amazing results.
Using Pygame Zero, you may experiment with image sprites and the design of your game, without worrying too much about the low-level details.
Installing Pygame Zero
Newer Linux distributions and macOS releases come with Python included. Depending on how often you run your distribution’s updater tool, you may find yourself with an outdated version of Python.
First, confirm the version of your Python install:
If you have Python 3 installed, this command will print the exact version on the command line:
Next, install PIP—the Python package installer—using either of these commands oran alternative PIP installation method:
With PIP installed, proceed to install Pygame Zero:
The process will look something like this:
With Pygame Zero installed it’s possible to start creating games. For example, check out thishomage to the NES classic, Excite Bike,using Pygame modules.
Are you ready to create your first game?
Creating With Pygame Zero
There are a bunch of great tutorials, repositories, and sample games ready for you to learn from or build upon.
ThePygame GitHub repositorycontains some great examples of retro games to get you started. Grab a classic such as Pong, Tetris, Mines, or Tron to revel in some quick nostalgia and learn about working with Pygame Zero.
To get started with a primer to Pygame Zero, download this minimal project fromGitHub. The Python code is well documented and the README.md file explains the dependencies you’ll need.
Take a look atintro.pyand you’ll see some common functions that will help you get familiar with Pygame Zero functionality.
Function Overview
You can load a sprite by passing the base part of its filename to the Actor class. For example, to load theimages/alien.pngfile:
The draw() function tells the computer what to draw on-screen. With your sprites, sounds, and code in the correct directory structure, you can avoid fussing over extra syntax. For example, you can display the alien sprite as follows:
you could use the update() function to move sprites:
Pygame will call theupdate()function on every frame. This code tells the computer to shift the alien sprite to the right until it’s off the edge of the screen. At that point, it resets the position to the far left. The process repeats until you close the window or pressCTRL + Cin the terminal to end the program.
You can add a fun element by using theon_mouse_down()function. Use this function to check for a mouse click at the same position as the alien sprite. Print out a suitable response and change the alien sprite to display thealien_hurt.pngimage.
You now have a simple, but functional, target-hitting game. Run the code with the commandpgzrun intro.py. Remember to click on your alien sprite to get a response:
You can review the docs on the built-inPygame Zero objectsto understand the basic concepts of Pygame Zero.
Creative Inspiration
When starting out there can be so many possibilities that it’s hard to know where to begin. Here are some ideas to get those creative juices flowing!
Paperchase
Check out this quick demo of a two-player side-scrolling game with stick figures.
2D Platformer With Fancy Features
This in-depth tutorial lasts about two hours. However, it’s a great instructional guide for when you’re ready to move beyond the basics of game programming.
Challenge Yourself With Game Development
To stretch your Python skills, try programming some basic games with Pygame Zero.
There are many great resources from Pygame documentation, YouTube tutorials, and user-friendly guides to help you on your Pygame coding journey.
After you’ve spent time perfecting your Python and Pygame skills, consider contributing to the open-source project itself. You can find details in the Pygame Zero GitHub repository.
You know the basics and now you’re ready to apply them. Get started with these Python projects!
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