How To Make A Ping Pong Game In Scratch - Ping Pong Magic (2024)

Last modified: September 26, 2023

Introduction

Scratch is a visual programming language that allows users to create interactive stories, games, and animations. It is a great platform for beginners to learn programming concepts and unleash their creativity. In this tutorial, we will guide you step by step on how to make a ping pong game in Scratch.

Setting up the Stage

Before we start coding, let’s set up the stage for our ping pong game. Open Scratch and create a new project. By default, Scratch opens with a cat sprite, but we will delete it and create our own game elements.

Adding Game Elements

1. Start by clicking on the “Choose a sprite from library” button below the stage. Select a sprite from the library, such as a ping pong ball.

2. Next, delete the default cat sprite by right-clicking on it and selecting “delete.”

3. Now, click on the “Choose a backdrop from library” button and select a suitable background for your game, like a ping pong table.

Positioning and Scaling

1. To position the game elements, click and drag the sprite to the desired location on the stage. Place the ping pong ball sprite slightly above the center of the stage.

2. To scale the sprite to an appropriate size, click on the sprite and select the “shrink” or “grow” button in the sprite info panel.

Setting up Variables

Variables are essential for keeping track of scores and other game data. Let’s set up two variables to track the scores of the players.

1. Click on the “Data” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and drop two “set [variable] to 0” blocks onto the coding area.

3. Rename one variable as “Player 1 Score” and the other as “Player 2 Score.”

4. Place the blocks under the “when green flag clicked” event block to initialize the scores to zero at the beginning of the game.

Creating Game Interactions

Now that we have set up the stage and variables, let’s move on to creating the game interactions.

Controlling the Paddles

1. Click on the “Events” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and drop the “when [arrow] key pressed” block onto the coding area.

3. Customize the block to detect the keypress for moving the paddle up or down, depending on which arrow key is pressed.

4. Attach the “glide [time] secs to x:[x] y:[y]” block to the event block and set the x-coordinate to the desired position for the paddle.

5. Repeat the process for the other paddle, adjusting the x-coordinate to the opposite side of the stage.

Bouncing the Ball

1. Click on the “Control” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and drop the “forever” block onto the coding area. This ensures that the code inside the forever loop will run continuously.

3. Inside the forever loop, drag and drop the “if <> then” block to check if the ball touches the top or bottom edge of the stage.

4. Attach a “change y by [value]” block to the “if” block to make the ball bounce back when it reaches the top or bottom edge.

5. Next, drag and drop an “if <> then” block to check if the ball touches the paddles.

6. Inside this block, attach a “change x by [value]” block to make the ball bounce back when it hits a paddle. Adjust the value to control the angle of the bounce.

7. Finally, drag and drop a “change [variable] by [value]” block to update the scores when a player misses the ball.

Adding Game Logic

Now that we have the basic interactions, let’s add some game logic to keep the score and declare a winner.

Score Display

1. Click on the “Looks” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and drop a “say [text] for [time] seconds” block under the “when green flag clicked” event block.

3. Customize the block to display the scores of both players using the variables we created earlier.

Winning Condition

1. Click on the “Control” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and drop an “if <> then” block under the forever loop.

3. Customize the block to check if either player reaches a specific score, indicating a winner.

4. Inside the “if” block, attach a “stop [all]” block to end the game when a player wins.

5. Optionally, you can add a message or animation to congratulate the winner.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created a ping pong game in Scratch. Through this tutorial, you have learned how to set up the stage, control the game interactions, add game logic, and declare a winner. Feel free to customize and enhance the game further by adding sound effects, additional features, or multiplayer options. Keep exploring Scratch to unleash your creativity and develop more exciting projects!