Lesson 15: Planning a Simple Game

Topics Covered:

• Choosing a game type
• Outlining game mechanics
• Breaking down the project into small steps

Choosing Your Game

For your first game project, choose one of these simple games:

• Dodge Blocks: Move a character to avoid falling blocks
• Pong: Classic two-player paddle game
• Maze Game: Navigate through a maze to reach the goal

Outline Game Mechanics

Think about what your game needs:

• Player controls (e.g., keyboard keys)
• Game objects (player, enemies, obstacles)
• Rules (what happens when you collide with something)
• Winning or losing conditions

Breaking Down the Project

Plan your game in smaller parts:

1. Create the game window and background
2. Add the player character
3. Allow player movement
4. Add obstacles or enemies
5. Detect collisions
6. Add scoring or lives
7. Create win/lose conditions

Activity: Sketch Your Game Idea

Use paper or a drawing program to sketch:

• Where the player will be
• Where obstacles/enemies will appear
• How the player moves

Challenge

Write a simple text description of your game’s rules and goals.