Building Asteroids: a classic arcade game in code.
"I wanted to understand how games work under the hood, so I built one of the classics from scratch. It’s just you, some rocks flying at random, and the cold laws of collision detection. The rules are simple, but the challenge is always fresh — both for the player and the programmer."
Introduction
This project is a modern take on the classic Asteroids arcade game. I built it to practice collision detection, rendering, and game loop logic. It was one of my first coding projects that combined fun gameplay with core programming concepts.
Core Features
- Spaceship controls: rotate, thrust, shoot lasers.
- Asteroid generation: random spawn, random velocity, endless waves.
- Collision detection: bullets destroy asteroids, ship collides = game over.
- Score tracking: every asteroid destroyed adds to the score.
- Asteroid splitting: every shot asteroid spits into to smaller ones.
What I Learned
- Basics of game loops and frame updates.
- Implementing collision detection (circle-based hitboxes).
- Structuring a small project into modules for readability.
- The satisfaction of creating something you can actually play.
Conclusion
This project was both practice and proof: code doesn't have to be all data and finance - it can be a game too. Building asteroids gave me hands-on experience with logic, graphics, and debugging, while also reminding me why coding is fun in the first place.