🎮 Y9 Game On · Term 2 · Python Arcade

🎮 Code Your Own Arcade

Year 9 Game On ¡ Term 2 2026 ¡ Python + Pygame

"How do you teach a computer to play a game with you?"

← Term 1 (Unity & Scratch) Term 2 (Python) ← you are here

🎮 Enter the Python Arcade — 139 quests, 3900 XP

Every exercise from Python Crash Course Ch 1-9 + Ch 12-14, turned into a quest system with XP, streaks, badges and boss fights. Built for when you finish early, need a challenge, or want to practise outside class.

Your progress saves to this laptop. Students on the same laptop share a Hall of Fame leaderboard.

What you'll build

Over 11 weeks, we build ONE complete arcade game — Alien Invasion — together. I walk through every class, every line, every design decision on the projector and you code along with me. We stay strictly within Matthes' Python Crash Course Ch 12-14. No extension content.

Your assessment: a 2D Python game you submit in Week 11. It can be the Alien Invasion you built in class (with your own tuning + comments), OR a different 2D game you build in your own time using what you learned — your choice.

Phase 1 ¡ Weeks 1-2

Python refresher — diagnostic + loops + functions + classes (4 lessons).

Phase 2 ¡ Weeks 3-10

Alien Invasion walkthrough — Matthes Ch 12 Ship + Bullets (8 lessons), Ch 13 Aliens (4), Ch 14 Scoring + End (5) = 17 lessons.

Phase 3 ¡ Week 11

L22 submission + evaluation + brief showcase (1 lesson).

All 22 Lessons

Phase 1 — Python Refresher · Weeks 1-2 (4 lessons)
Lesson 01
Diagnostic Test + Python Refresher
Week 1 Lesson 02
Loops + Functions (Faster Pace)
Week 1 Lesson 03
Classes Part 1 — Attributes + Methods
Week 2 Lesson 04
Classes Part 2 + Text Adventure Checkpoint
Week 2
Phase 2a — Matthes Ch 12 Ship + Bullets · Weeks 3-6 (8 lessons)
Lesson 05
Pygame Setup + First Window (Ch 12 §1-3)
Week 3 Lesson 06
Ship Image + Ship Class (Ch 12 §4)
Week 3 Lesson 07
Refactoring — Settings + check_events (Ch 12 §5)
Week 4 Lesson 08
Moving the Ship — Keyboard Events (Ch 12 §6 pt 1)
Week 4 Lesson 09
Smooth Movement — Bounds + Float Tracking (Ch 12 §6 pt 2)
Week 5 Lesson 10
Bullet Class + Sprite Inheritance (Ch 12 §8 pt 1)
Week 5 Lesson 11
Firing Bullets + Sprite Groups (Ch 12 §8 pt 2)
Week 6 Lesson 12
Bullet Cleanup + Fire Limits (Ch 12 §8 pt 3)
Week 6
Phase 2b — Matthes Ch 13 Aliens · Weeks 7-8 (4 lessons)
Lesson 13
The First Alien — One Alien on Screen (Ch 13 §1-2)
Week 7 Lesson 14
Building the Fleet — Nested Loops (Ch 13 §3)
Week 7 Lesson 15
Fleet Movement — Edges + Direction Flip (Ch 13 §4)
Week 8 Lesson 16
Shooting Aliens — groupcollide (Ch 13 §5)
Week 8
Phase 2c — Matthes Ch 14 Scoring + End · Weeks 9-11 (5 lessons)
Lesson 17
Ship Hits + Lives + Game Over (Ch 13 §6)
Week 9 Lesson 18
Play Button + GameStats class (Ch 14 §1)
Week 9 Lesson 19
Leveling Up — Difficulty Scaling (Ch 14 §2)
Week 10 Lesson 20
Scoring HUD — Font Rendering (Ch 14 §3-4)
Week 10 Lesson 21
High Scores + Level + Ships Remaining (Ch 14 §5-7)
Week 11
Phase 3 — Submission · Week 11 (1 lesson)
Lesson 22
Submit Your 2D Python Game + 500-word Evaluation
Week 11

Your assessment

ONE task, due Week 11 (Lesson 22), 25% of your yearly mark:

Minimum bar = the in-class Alien Invasion with your comments + tuning. That's a pass. Stretch = a different 2D game you built at home applying the same patterns.

Full details in your Assessment Notification.

Tools you'll use