Creating a Pong game in Python using the Pygame library

Creating a Pong game in Python using the Pygame library is a great way to learn game development fundamentals. Below is a basic implementation of a Pong game:

 

Ensure you have Pygame installed. If you haven't installed it yet, you can do so using pip:

pip install pygame

 

Here's an example code for a simple Pong game:

import pygame
import random

# Initialize Pygame
pygame.init()

# Constants
WIDTH, HEIGHT = 800, 600
PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT = 10, 100
BALL_SIZE = 20
FPS = 60

# Colors
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)

# Create the game window
win = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT))
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong")

# Paddle and ball variables
left_paddle = pygame.Rect(50, HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT // 2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
right_paddle = pygame.Rect(WIDTH - 50 - PADDLE_WIDTH, HEIGHT // 2 - PADDLE_HEIGHT // 2, PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT)
ball = pygame.Rect(WIDTH // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, HEIGHT // 2 - BALL_SIZE // 2, BALL_SIZE, BALL_SIZE)
ball_speed_x = 7 * random.choice((1, -1))
ball_speed_y = 7 * random.choice((1, -1))

# Game loop
clock = pygame.time.Clock()
running = True

while running:
    win.fill(BLACK)
    for event in pygame.event.get():
        if event.type == pygame.QUIT:
            running = False

    keys = pygame.key.get_pressed()
    # Move paddles
    if keys[pygame.K_w] and left_paddle.top > 0:
        left_paddle.y -= 5
    if keys[pygame.K_s] and left_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
        left_paddle.y += 5
    if keys[pygame.K_UP] and right_paddle.top > 0:
        right_paddle.y -= 5
    if keys[pygame.K_DOWN] and right_paddle.bottom < HEIGHT:
        right_paddle.y += 5

    # Move the ball
    ball.x += ball_speed_x
    ball.y += ball_speed_y

    # Ball collision with paddles
    if ball.colliderect(left_paddle) or ball.colliderect(right_paddle):
        ball_speed_x *= -1

    # Ball collision with walls
    if ball.top <= 0 or ball.bottom >= HEIGHT:
        ball_speed_y *= -1

    # Ball out of bounds
    if ball.left <= 0 or ball.right >= WIDTH:
        ball.center = (WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT // 2)
        ball_speed_x *= random.choice((1, -1))
        ball_speed_y *= random.choice((1, -1))

    # Draw paddles and ball
    pygame.draw.rect(win, WHITE, left_paddle)
    pygame.draw.rect(win, WHITE, right_paddle)
    pygame.draw.ellipse(win, WHITE, ball)

    # Update display
    pygame.display.flip()
    clock.tick(FPS)

# Quit Pygame
pygame.quit()
 

This code creates a basic Pong game with two paddles controlled by the 'W', 'S' keys and arrow keys. The ball moves and bounces off the paddles and walls. This is a starting point; you can further enhance it by adding scoring, sound effects, or improving the game mechanics.

 

About The Author - Janhavi Gupta

Seasoned programmer with 6 years of experience in designing, developing, and deploying software solutions. Strong problem-solving skills coupled with the ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary teams. Continuously learning and adapting to new technologies and methodologies to drive innovation and deliver high-quality, user-centric solutions.