Introducing Agile Game Development with Python and Pygame

Published on 9 April 2023 in Agile Game Development with Python and Pygame.

I recently started playing computer games with my son. That sparked an interest in me to create a game myself that we can play together. Mostly because I think this will be a fun project, but also to show my son that you can actually make your own games. It’s not something that you only consume.

I thought I would also document this journey in a series of blog posts and videos.

Video version

The video version of this episode:

The challenge

The challenge is to create a game that me and my son will enjoy playing together.

The method

I want to develop this game using Agile methodology.

It means that instead of first figuring out what game I want to write, I will develop it incrementally and guide development by feedback.

It also means that I will rely heavily on self-testing code and TDD.

My background in games

I’m by no means an expert in creating games. I don’t even play games that much. But I have enjoyed creating some simple games in the past, like a Tetris clone and some kind of Asteroids.

I was actually able to restore an old copy of one of my Tetris games. It is written using Python and Pygame (which I also plan to use for my new game). I just needed to make a few small adjustments to make it work with Python 3. This is what it looks like:

Series overview

So this series will cover how to create a game from the perspective of someone who has much experience programming, but not that much knowledge in the game domain.

Here is a list of topics off the top of my head that I imagine I will cover:

• Game loop and how to test it
• Can you really use TDD for games?
• Learn to capture events from Logitech controller
• How to come up with an idea for a game?
• Performance: background erase vs redraw?
• Resolution: what to choose?
• How to incrementally develop a game idea?
• Particle effects

This list is just the beginning of my journey. I hope will enjoy following along.

See you in the next episode!