Like a lot of boys my age, I loved playing games. I’ve always wondered how my favorite games were created. And finally, in the summer of 2023, I got a chance to join the Fessenden School summer camp for coding. I was first introduced to Python and loved creating games with it. Last summer, I also joined the iD Tech camp at MIT, where I learned C++ game programming and algorithms. So, I am actually working on developing some programs and games using that, but they are not complete yet. So, instead, let me introduce you to a few games I created using python.
1. Card matching game (aka the memory game): The photos used in this program are my own. I made it so my family and friends can enjoy the memory game more with cards made with my photos.
2. Ball catching game: This program is a game where you move a space bar to bounce a ball up, never letting it fall down.
3. Turtle racing game: This program is a game where you pick one of 6 turtles that will race down a track. It’s all about luck and of course algorithms. I also tried making a similar one using C++ during my iD Tech Camp at MIT.
Racing game programmed using python.Using C++
4. Jump game: This is a game where the player jumps to avoid obstacles. You press the space bar to jump high, and press the up key to jump low. The moment the player touches an obstacle, the game ends and the game time is displayed.
5. Tarot card fortune-telling game: I learned to interpret tarot cards. And I would be asked to read it for many people around me. It was cumbersome to carry around the card, so I created it with a program. Keep in mind that tarot card interpretations can result in many different interpretations in many different situations.
6. Maze game: This game is a commonly seen maze escape game. Creating a maze room was a very challenging task. This is a game where you win by moving the cat and avoiding randomly appearing skeletons, while also obtaining gifts. In fact, since making this game, I have never beaten it.
7. Get All Items in 30 seconds: This game is won when the purple wizard avoids the ghosts and collects all the yellow gems. You have to move the left and right, up and down keys very quickly, and the game ends even if the wizard touches the wall.
8. Avoid Halloween Items: This game is about avoiding randomly falling Halloween items by quickly moving your character left and right. If the item touches you, the game ends.
9. Country-capital quiz: Since I was making games every day, my mom felt anxious, so I also made a quiz game to help me study. This game took a lot of effort because I had to gather all the countries and their capitals. But basically, it just asks you what the capital of a country is and if you answer correctly, it moves on to the next country. If you answer incorrectly, it tells you the correct capital city. So, you can learn it for next time.
10. Spaceship-remove space rocks!: This game is about using spaceship rockets or what look like bubbles to remove space rocks that might hit the spaceship. Both the space rock and the spaceship move randomly, and bubbles are launched by pressing the space bar. The left and right keys allow you to move the angle of the spacecraft by 30 degrees. It is the most difficult of all programs so far because it requires creating multiple classes to program it.