Python Arcade

Python camp course

Python Arcade

Campers build a complete arcade shooter in Python Turtle, one stage at a time — from an empty screen to a game they can demo to their parents on Friday.

Start setupJump to Stage 1

Gameplay preview10-stage build

10playable stages

5 dayscamp-ready pacing

1 Trinketone project, all five days

What campers ship

A real game, not ten worksheets

Every stage adds one game system to the same Trinket project. By Friday campers have a playable game and the code to show how it works — and the project lives in their own Trinket account forever.

✓

A complete arcade shooter you can demo to your parents

✓

Movement, collisions, score, lives, win and lose states

✓

Your own Trinket project you keep forever

Gameplay moments

Each stage adds something campers can see and play

Every stage produces a visible change in the same game. Campers run, test, and tweak as they go — the screen is the proof.

The playfield has a map

Stage 1 names the screen edges, then places the cannon on the floor. Every later alien, laser, and score update happens inside that map.

Lasers live in a list

Press space and a new laser appears. The game stores each laser in a list, then the loop moves every laser upward frame by frame.

A whole swarm moves at once

Each alien is its own Turtle. A loop walks the alien list every frame so rows of enemies can drift down together and clean themselves up at the bottom.

Score, lives, and timer create stakes

The HUD turns moving shapes into a real game. Points show progress, lives add pressure, and the timer gives the player a clear way to win.

Course path

Your game grows stage by stage

Each stage names what is new in the game and the one game-design idea behind it.

Stage 1

Build the Game Screen

Set up the playfield and drop a player cannon at the bottom.

Pick a visual themeStage 2

Move the Cannon

Listen for arrow keys and move the cannon left and right.

Bouncy edgesStage 3

Fire Lasers

Spacebar shoots lasers that fly up and disappear off-screen.

Rapid-fire modeStage 4

Spawn the Alien Fleet

Use nested loops to build a multi-row alien formation from one list.

Mixed alien typesStage 5

Move the Alien Fleet

Make every alien in the formation drift downward using one loop.

Wave patternsStage 6

Detect Hits and Score

Check distances between lasers and aliens; add a score.

Combo bonusesStage 7

Add Lives and Game Over

Lose a life when an alien lands; end the game when lives hit zero.

Shield power-upStage 8

Add a Timer and Win State

Survive long enough and the game declares a win.

Endless modeStage 9

Tune the Difficulty

Adjust fleet size and make aliens get faster as the game goes on.

Difficulty curveStage 10

Polish and Demo

Final touches, a title screen, and a script for parent day.

Custom title screen

For camp flow

Default path first

Each stage default is enough to keep the game running. Stretch challenges add depth when campers finish early.

Begin