Free Python Games¶

Free Python Games is an Apache2 licensed collection of free Python games intended for education and fun. The games are written in simple Python code and designed for experimentation and changes. Simplified versions of several classic arcade games are included.

Python is one of the top-five most popular programming languages in the world and available for free from Python.org. Python includes an extensive Standard Library distributed with your installation. The Standard Library has a module called Turtle which is a popular way to introduce programming to kids. Turtle was part of the original Logo programming language developed by Wally Feurzig and Seymour Papert in 1966. All of the games in Free Python Games are implemented using Python and its Turtle module.

Starting in 2012, Free Python Games began as an after school program to teach programming to inner-city youth. The goal was to have fun as much as it was to learn. Since then the games have been improved and used in a variety of settings ranging from classrooms to summer day-camps.

The games run anywhere Python can be installed which includes desktop computers running Windows, Mac OS, or Linux and older or low-power hardware such as the Raspberry Pi. Kids across the United States in grades 6th-12th have enjoyed learning about topics such as encryption and projectile motion through games.

Each game is entirely independent from the others and includes comments along with a list of exercises to work through with students. Creativity and flexibility is important. There is no right or wrong way to implement a new feature or behavior! You never know which games students will engage with best.

Testimonials¶ “I love Free Python Games because the games are fun and they’re easy to understand and change. I like making my own games now.” – Luke Martin, Student “Free Python Games inspired and introduced a new hobby to our son. Thank you so much for exposing him to coding. He is having so much fun!” – Mary Lai, Parent “Free Python Games are great because they really engage students and let them learn at their own pace.” – Rick Schertle, Teacher, Steindorf STEAM School “Free Python Games combines play and learning in a flexible environment that reduces the stress of a difficult topic like programming.” – Brett Bymaster, Youth Pastor, The River Church Community “Free Python Games is great for students, is highly organized and flexible, and seeks to unleash inquiry and understanding.” – Terri Furton, Principal, Downtown College Prep

Features¶ Fun to play!

Simple Python code

Easy to install

Designed for education

Depends only on the Python Standard Library

Used in hundreds of hours of classroom instruction

Fully Documented

100% Test Coverage

Developed on Python 3.7

Tested on CPython 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, and 3.7

Tested on Windows, Mac OS X, Raspbian (Raspberry Pi), and Linux

Tested using Travis CI and AppVeyor CI

Quickstart¶ Installing Free Python Games is simple with pip: $ python3 -m pip install freegames Free Python Games supports a command-line interface (CLI). Help for the CLI is available using: $ python3 -m freegames --help The CLI supports three commands: list, copy, and show. For a list of all games run: $ python3 -m freegames list Any of the listed games may be played by executing the Python module from the command-line. To reference the Python module, combine “freegames” with the name of the game. For example, to play the “snake” game run: $ python3 -m freegames.snake Games can be modified by copying their source code. The copy command will create a Python file in your local directory which you can edit. For example, to copy and play the “snake” game run: $ python3 -m freegames copy snake $ python3 snake.py Python includes a built-in text editor named IDLE which can also execute Python code. To launch the editor and make changes to the “snake” game run: $ python3 -m idlelib.idle snake.py You can also access documentation in the interpreter with Python’s built-in help function: >>> import freegames >>> help ( freegames )