In this tutorial, you can learn on How To Make Pong Game In Python Using PyGame with the help of examples.
What is Pong Game In Python?
Pong Game is one of the earliest arcade video games. It is a table tennis sports game featuring simple two-dimensional graphics.
The game was originally manufactured by Atari, which released it in 1972. Allan Alcorn created Pong as a training exercise assigned to him by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell.
Bushnell based the idea on an electronic ping-pong game included in the Magnavox Odyssey, which later resulted in a lawsuit against Atari.
Surprised by the quality of Alcorn’s work, Bushnell and Atari co-founder Ted Dabney decided to manufacture the game.
Pong quickly became a success and was the first commercially successful video game, which helped to establish the video game industry along with the first home console, the Magnavox Odyssey.
Soon after its release, several companies began producing games that copied Pong’s gameplay, and eventually released new types of games.
As a result, Atari encouraged its staff to produce more innovative games. The company released several sequels that built upon the original’s gameplay by adding new features.
During the 1975 Christmas season, Atari released a home version of Pong exclusively through Sears retail stores. It was also a commercial success and led to numerous copies.
The game has been remade on numerous home and portable platforms following its release. Pong is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. due to its cultural impact.
Pong has been referenced and parodied in multiple television shows and video games, and has been a part of several video game and cultural exhibitions.
Also read: Python String To Int and Int To String Tutorial
How To Make Pong Game In Python?
Here are the steps on How To Make Pong Game In Python Using PyGame.
1. Import Libraries
First, import all required libraries of pong game.
import random
import pygame
import sys
from pygame import *
from easygui import *2. Create A Screen Display
Next, create a screen display for the pong game.
import pygame
pygame.init()
WIDTH = 600
HEIGHT = 400
window = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT), 0, 32)3. Draw Lines
Next, we will draw lines to execute the game.
import random
import pygame
import sys
from pygame import *
from easygui import *
pygame.init()
fps = pygame.time.Clock()
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
ORANGE = (255, 140, 0)
GREEN = (0, 255, 0)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
WIDTH = 600
HEIGHT = 400
PAD_WIDTH = 8
PAD_HEIGHT = 80
HALF_PAD_WIDTH = PAD_WIDTH // 2
HALF_PAD_HEIGHT = PAD_HEIGHT // 2
window = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT), 0, 32)
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Game by Python For Free")
def draw(canvas):
canvas.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH // 2, 0], [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [PAD_WIDTH, 0], [PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(
canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, 0], [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1
)
while True:
draw(window)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == QUIT:
pygame.display.quit()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
pygame.display.update()
fps.tick(60)
4. Create Two Paddles
Next, we will create two paddles.
import random
import pygame
import sys
from pygame import *
from easygui import *
pygame.init()
fps = pygame.time.Clock()
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
ORANGE = (255, 140, 0)
GREEN = (0, 255, 0)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
WIDTH = 600
HEIGHT = 400
PAD_WIDTH = 8
PAD_HEIGHT = 80
HALF_PAD_WIDTH = PAD_WIDTH // 2
HALF_PAD_HEIGHT = PAD_HEIGHT // 2
ball_pos = [0, 0]
ball_vel = [0, 0]
paddle1_vel = 0
paddle2_vel = 0
window = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT), 0, 32)
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Game by Python For Free")
def init():
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos, paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel # these are floats
# these are ints
paddle1_pos = [HALF_PAD_WIDTH - 1, HEIGHT // 2]
paddle2_pos = [WIDTH + 1 - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT // 2]
def draw(canvas):
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos
canvas.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH // 2, 0], [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [PAD_WIDTH, 0], [PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(
canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, 0], [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1
)
if paddle1_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel > 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel < 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
if paddle2_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel > 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel < 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
ball_pos[0] += int(ball_vel[0])
ball_pos[1] += int(ball_vel[1])
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
init()
while True:
draw(window)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == QUIT:
pygame.display.quit()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
pygame.display.update()
fps.tick(60)
5. Add Event On The Paddles
Next, we will add the event to the two paddles to move the paddles UP and DOWN.
import random
import pygame
import sys
from pygame import *
from easygui import *
pygame.init()
fps = pygame.time.Clock()
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
ORANGE = (255, 140, 0)
GREEN = (0, 255, 0)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
WIDTH = 600
HEIGHT = 400
PAD_WIDTH = 8
PAD_HEIGHT = 80
HALF_PAD_WIDTH = PAD_WIDTH // 2
HALF_PAD_HEIGHT = PAD_HEIGHT // 2
ball_pos = [0, 0]
ball_vel = [0, 0]
paddle1_vel = 0
paddle2_vel = 0
window = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT), 0, 32)
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Game by Python For Free")
def init():
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos, paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel # these are floats
# these are ints
paddle1_pos = [HALF_PAD_WIDTH - 1, HEIGHT // 2]
paddle2_pos = [WIDTH + 1 - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT // 2]
def draw(canvas):
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos
canvas.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH // 2, 0], [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [PAD_WIDTH, 0], [PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(
canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, 0], [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1
)
if paddle1_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel > 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel < 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
if paddle2_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel > 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel < 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
ball_pos[0] += int(ball_vel[0])
ball_pos[1] += int(ball_vel[1])
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
def keydown(event):
global paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel
if event.key == K_UP:
paddle2_vel = -8
elif event.key == K_DOWN:
paddle2_vel = 8
elif event.key == K_w:
paddle1_vel = -8
elif event.key == K_s:
paddle1_vel = 8
def keyup(event):
global paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel
if event.key in (K_w, K_s):
paddle1_vel = 0
elif event.key in (K_UP, K_DOWN):
paddle2_vel = 0
init()
while True:
draw(window)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == KEYDOWN:
keydown(event)
elif event.type == KEYUP:
keyup(event)
elif event.type == QUIT:
pygame.display.quit()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
pygame.display.update()
fps.tick(60)
6. Add Ball
And now, we will be adding the ball.
import random
import pygame
import sys
from pygame import *
from easygui import *
pygame.init()
fps = pygame.time.Clock()
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
ORANGE = (255, 140, 0)
GREEN = (0, 255, 0)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
WIDTH = 600
HEIGHT = 400
PAD_WIDTH = 8
PAD_HEIGHT = 80
HALF_PAD_WIDTH = PAD_WIDTH // 2
HALF_PAD_HEIGHT = PAD_HEIGHT // 2
ball_pos = [0, 0]
ball_vel = [0, 0]
paddle1_vel = 0
paddle2_vel = 0
BALL_RADIUS = 20
window = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT), 0, 32)
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Game by Python For Free")
def ball_init(right):
global ball_pos, ball_vel
ball_pos = [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT // 2]
horz = random.randrange(2, 4)
vert = random.randrange(1, 3)
if right == False:
horz = -horz
ball_vel = [horz, -vert]
def init():
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos, paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel # these are floats
# these are ints
paddle1_pos = [HALF_PAD_WIDTH - 1, HEIGHT // 2]
paddle2_pos = [WIDTH + 1 - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT // 2]
def draw(canvas):
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos, ball_pos, ball_vel
canvas.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH // 2, 0], [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [PAD_WIDTH, 0], [PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(
canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, 0], [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1
)
if paddle1_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel > 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel < 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
if paddle2_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel > 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel < 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
ball_pos[0] += int(ball_vel[0])
ball_pos[1] += int(ball_vel[1])
pygame.draw.circle(canvas, ORANGE, ball_pos, 20, 0)
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
if int(ball_pos[1]) <= BALL_RADIUS:
ball_vel[1] = -ball_vel[1]
if int(ball_pos[1]) >= HEIGHT + 1 - BALL_RADIUS:
ball_vel[1] = -ball_vel[1]
if int(ball_pos[0]) <= BALL_RADIUS + PAD_WIDTH and int(ball_pos[1]) in range(
paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, 1
):
ball_vel[0] = -ball_vel[0]
ball_vel[0] *= 1.1
ball_vel[1] *= 1.1
elif int(ball_pos[0]) <= BALL_RADIUS + PAD_WIDTH:
ball_init(True)
if int(ball_pos[0]) >= WIDTH + 1 - BALL_RADIUS - PAD_WIDTH and int(
ball_pos[1]
) in range(paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, 1):
ball_vel[0] = -ball_vel[0]
ball_vel[0] *= 1.1
ball_vel[1] *= 1.1
elif int(ball_pos[0]) >= WIDTH + 1 - BALL_RADIUS - PAD_WIDTH:
ball_init(False)
def keydown(event):
global paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel
if event.key == K_UP:
paddle2_vel = -8
elif event.key == K_DOWN:
paddle2_vel = 8
elif event.key == K_w:
paddle1_vel = -8
elif event.key == K_s:
paddle1_vel = 8
def keyup(event):
global paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel
if event.key in (K_w, K_s):
paddle1_vel = 0
elif event.key in (K_UP, K_DOWN):
paddle2_vel = 0
init()
while True:
draw(window)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == KEYDOWN:
keydown(event)
elif event.type == KEYUP:
keyup(event)
elif event.type == QUIT:
pygame.display.quit()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
pygame.display.update()
fps.tick(60)
7. Add Score
Next, we will create a scoreboard for the two players.
import random
import pygame
import sys
from pygame import *
from easygui import *
pygame.init()
fps = pygame.time.Clock()
WHITE = (255, 255, 255)
ORANGE = (255, 140, 0)
GREEN = (0, 255, 0)
BLACK = (0, 0, 0)
WIDTH = 600
HEIGHT = 400
PAD_WIDTH = 8
PAD_HEIGHT = 80
HALF_PAD_WIDTH = PAD_WIDTH // 2
HALF_PAD_HEIGHT = PAD_HEIGHT // 2
ball_pos = [0, 0]
ball_vel = [0, 0]
paddle1_vel = 0
paddle2_vel = 0
BALL_RADIUS = 20
l_score = 0
r_score = 0
window = pygame.display.set_mode((WIDTH, HEIGHT), 0, 32)
pygame.display.set_caption("Pong Game by Python For Free")
def ball_init(right):
global ball_pos, ball_vel
ball_pos = [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT // 2]
horz = random.randrange(2, 4)
vert = random.randrange(1, 3)
if right == False:
horz = -horz
ball_vel = [horz, -vert]
def init():
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos, paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel # these are floats
# these are ints
global score1, score2 # these are ints
paddle1_pos = [HALF_PAD_WIDTH - 1, HEIGHT // 2]
paddle2_pos = [WIDTH + 1 - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT // 2]
l_score = 0
r_score = 0
if random.randrange(0, 2) == 0:
ball_init(True)
else:
ball_init(False)
def draw(canvas):
global paddle1_pos, paddle2_pos, ball_pos, ball_vel, l_score, r_score
canvas.fill(BLACK)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH // 2, 0], [WIDTH // 2, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(canvas, WHITE, [PAD_WIDTH, 0], [PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1)
pygame.draw.line(
canvas, WHITE, [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, 0], [WIDTH - PAD_WIDTH, HEIGHT], 1
)
if paddle1_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel > 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
elif paddle1_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle1_vel < 0:
paddle1_pos[1] += paddle1_vel
if paddle2_pos[1] > HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_pos[1] < HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel > 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
elif paddle2_pos[1] == HEIGHT - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT and paddle2_vel < 0:
paddle2_pos[1] += paddle2_vel
ball_pos[0] += int(ball_vel[0])
ball_pos[1] += int(ball_vel[1])
pygame.draw.circle(canvas, ORANGE, ball_pos, 20, 0)
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle1_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
pygame.draw.polygon(
canvas,
GREEN,
[
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] - HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
[paddle2_pos[0] + HALF_PAD_WIDTH, paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT],
],
0,
)
if int(ball_pos[1]) <= BALL_RADIUS:
ball_vel[1] = -ball_vel[1]
if int(ball_pos[1]) >= HEIGHT + 1 - BALL_RADIUS:
ball_vel[1] = -ball_vel[1]
if int(ball_pos[0]) <= BALL_RADIUS + PAD_WIDTH and int(ball_pos[1]) in range(
paddle1_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, paddle1_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, 1
):
ball_vel[0] = -ball_vel[0]
ball_vel[0] *= 1.1
ball_vel[1] *= 1.1
elif int(ball_pos[0]) <= BALL_RADIUS + PAD_WIDTH:
r_score += 1
ball_init(True)
if int(ball_pos[0]) >= WIDTH + 1 - BALL_RADIUS - PAD_WIDTH and int(
ball_pos[1]
) in range(paddle2_pos[1] - HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, paddle2_pos[1] + HALF_PAD_HEIGHT, 1):
ball_vel[0] = -ball_vel[0]
ball_vel[0] *= 1.1
ball_vel[1] *= 1.1
elif int(ball_pos[0]) >= WIDTH + 1 - BALL_RADIUS - PAD_WIDTH:
l_score += 1
ball_init(False)
myfont1 = pygame.font.SysFont("Comic Sans MS", 20)
label1 = myfont1.render("Score " + str(l_score), 1, (255, 255, 0))
canvas.blit(label1, (50, 20))
myfont2 = pygame.font.SysFont("Comic Sans MS", 20)
label2 = myfont2.render("Score " + str(r_score), 1, (255, 255, 0))
canvas.blit(label2, (470, 20))
def keydown(event):
global paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel
if event.key == K_UP:
paddle2_vel = -8
elif event.key == K_DOWN:
paddle2_vel = 8
elif event.key == K_w:
paddle1_vel = -8
elif event.key == K_s:
paddle1_vel = 8
def keyup(event):
global paddle1_vel, paddle2_vel
if event.key in (K_w, K_s):
paddle1_vel = 0
elif event.key in (K_UP, K_DOWN):
paddle2_vel = 0
init()
while True:
draw(window)
for event in pygame.event.get():
if event.type == KEYDOWN:
keydown(event)
elif event.type == KEYUP:
keyup(event)
elif event.type == QUIT:
pygame.display.quit()
pygame.quit()
sys.exit()
pygame.display.update()
fps.tick(60)
Frequently Asked Questions
How do two players play this Python Pong game?
Player 1 uses W (paddle up) and S (paddle down) on the left side. Player 2 uses Up Arrow (paddle up) and Down Arrow (paddle down) on the right side. The ball bounces between paddles. Missing the ball gives the opponent 1 point. First to a target score (usually 5 or 10) wins. The code is easy to modify: change PADDLE_SPEED, BALL_SPEED, or BOARD_HEIGHT constants at the top of the file to tune difficulty.
What Python version do I need to run this game?
Python 3.8 or newer works. We recommend Python 3.11 or 3.12 because Pygame ships pre-built wheels for those versions (faster pip install, no compilation errors). Python 3.13 may need a slightly older Pygame release because some wheels lag the latest CPython. Verify your version with python –version on Windows or python3 –version on Mac/Linux.
How do I install Pygame for this project?
Run pip install pygame in your terminal (Windows: open Command Prompt, Mac/Linux: open Terminal). On Windows, if pip is not recognized, try python -m pip install pygame instead. On Linux, you may need sudo apt install python3-pygame if pip fails. Verify with python -c “import pygame; print(pygame.version.ver)”.
Can I use this Python game as my BSIT capstone project?
On its own, no, most Philippine BSIT panels expect a full system with users, data, reports, and a real-world problem. A single Pygame game is too narrow for capstone scope. BUT, you can use this game as ONE module inside a larger capstone (e.g. a gamified learning system, a math practice tool for elementary students with this game as the reward layer, or an arcade-style POS for an internet cafe). Pair the game with a Django backend, a database, and analytics for a defensible capstone.
Can I package this game as a standalone .exe to distribute?
Yes, use PyInstaller. Run pip install pyinstaller then pyinstaller –onefile –windowed your_game.py from the project folder. PyInstaller bundles Python and Pygame into a single .exe (Windows) or .app (Mac) that runs without Python installed on the target machine. Include asset files (images, sounds) with –add-data “assets;assets”. Output goes to the dist/ folder.
Where do I get help if the game does not run?
Check the top 3 most common failures: (1) Pygame is not installed correctly, re-run pip install pygame. (2) The game cannot find an asset file (image/sound), make sure you run python from the project folder so relative paths resolve. (3) Wrong Python version, this code expects Python 3.8+; older Python 2.x or 3.6 raises syntax errors. If you still hit a wall, drop a comment on this article with the exact error message, our team monitors comments daily.
Conclusion
We have completely discussed the step-by-step guide on how to make pong game in python with the help of examples.
This tutorial is good for beginners who want to learn to program especially game development.
I hope this simple Python Game Tutorial will help you a lot.
Thank You!
Glay Eliver
Programmer & Technical Writer at PIES IT Solution
Glay Eliver is a programmer and writer at PIES IT Solution, author of over 600 tutorials at itsourcecode.com. Specializes in JavaScript tutorials, Microsoft Office how-tos (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), and Python error debugging covering ImportError, TypeError, AttributeError, ModuleNotFoundError, and JavaScript ReferenceError. Authored several of the site’s highest-traffic Excel and MS Office reference articles.
Expertise: JavaScript · MS Excel · MS Word · MS PowerPoint · Python · Python ImportError · Python TypeError · Python AttributeError · ModuleNotFoundError · JavaScript ReferenceError · Pygame · View all posts by Glay Eliver →