How To Make Ping Pong Game In Scratch

Last modified: October 9, 2023

Introduction

Ping pong is a classic game that everyone loves to play. It is fast-paced, competitive, and requires quick reflexes. If you are a fan of ping pong and want to try your hand at creating your own version of the game, Scratch is a great platform to start with. Scratch is a visual programming language that allows you to create interactive stories, animations, and games. In this tutorial, I will guide you through the process of making a ping pong game in Scratch.

Setting Up the Game

To begin, you will need to open Scratch and create a new project. Once you have your project open, you can start by setting up the stage and the game sprites. The stage will serve as the playing field, and the game sprites will represent the ping pong paddles and ball.

1. First, select the default cat sprite and delete it by right-clicking on it and selecting “delete.”

2. Next, click on the “Choose a sprite from library” button below the stage and select the “Paddle” sprite from the library. This will be one of the paddles that you will control.

3. Repeat step 2 to add another paddle sprite. You can choose different sprites for each paddle to distinguish them.

4. Lastly, add a ball sprite from the library. This will be the object that the players will hit back and forth.

Creating the Paddles

Now that you have your game sprites set up, let’s begin coding the paddles. Each paddle should be able to move up and down when the corresponding arrow keys are pressed.

1. Click on the first paddle sprite and go to the “Events” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and attach the “when green flag clicked” block to the scripts area.

3. Add the following blocks to the script:
– “forever” loop block
– “if key [up arrow] pressed” block
– “change y by [10]” block
– “if key [down arrow] pressed” block
– “change y by [-10]” block

4. Repeat steps 1-3 for the second paddle sprite, but change the key in the “if key [up arrow] pressed” and “if key [down arrow] pressed” blocks to the corresponding arrow keys for that paddle.

Animating the Ball

Next, let’s add some movement to the ball sprite. The ball should start in the middle of the stage and move in a random direction when the game starts.

1. Click on the ball sprite and go to the “Events” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and attach the “when green flag clicked” block to the scripts area.

3. Add the following blocks to the script:
– “go to x: [0] y: [0]” block
– “glide [1] secs to x: [random position]” block
– You can use a random number between -180 and 180 for the x-coordinate to make the ball move in a random direction.

4. In the “Motion” category, find and drag the “if on edge, bounce” block and attach it below the previous blocks.

Adding Game Logic

Now that the paddles and ball are set up, we need to add some game logic to determine when the ball hits the paddles and the game ends.

1. Click on the ball sprite and go to the “Events” category in the blocks palette.

2. Drag and attach the “when green flag clicked” block to the scripts area.

3. Add the following blocks to the script:
– “if ” block
– “glide [0.1] secs to x: [random position]” block
– This will make the ball bounce off the paddles when it touches them.

4. Add another “if on edge, bounce” block below the previous blocks to make the ball bounce off the walls of the stage.

5. Click on the “Looks” category in the blocks palette and find the “say [Game Over]” block. Attach it below the previous blocks.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created a ping pong game in Scratch. You have learned how to set up the stage, create game sprites, code the paddles and ball, and add game logic. Now you can customize and enhance your game by adding features such as keeping score, increasing the difficulty, or adding sound effects. Have fun playing and experimenting with your creation!

Additional Ping-Pong Resources: