Learn Python Skills While Creating Games

Is game programming a good way to develop your Python programming skills? This week we have Jon Fincher on the show. Jon is an author on the Real Python team, and we talk about his recent articles on PyGame and Arcade.

Jon talks about his background working at Microsoft. We discuss if a game would make a good portfolio piece. We compare and contrasts the two popular Python game libraries of Arcade and PyGame. Jon also reveals ways to find assets for your own creations.

Want your question featured on the show? Here’s a new thing we’re trying out. Send us your question at realpython.com/podcast-question and we might feature it on a future episode of the show.

Topics:

• 00:00:00 – Introduction
• 00:00:56 – Jon Fincher
• 00:05:17 – Start with Real Python
• 00:07:08 – Is game programming a good way to learn?
• 00:13:16 – Setting specific goals and limits
• 00:19:28 – Is a game a good portfolio piece?
• 00:21:07 – PyWeek 29
• 00:22:58 – Al Sweigart books
• 00:25:00 – Comparing PyGame and Arcade
• 00:37:34 – Finding game art and other assets
• 00:41:04 – Licensing game assets
• 00:44:29 – Packaging your game and sharing
• 00:47:34 – What are you excited about in the world of Python
• 00:50:20 – Final Thoughts
• 00:54:13 – Conclusion

Show links:

• TEALS: Help us close the computer science gap
• Scrum for One
• Raymond Chen: The Old New Thing Blog - You don’t know what you do until you know what you don’t do
• PyGame
• Real Python Article - PyGame: A Primer on Game Programming in Python
• Pygame Zero
• Arcade
• Real Python Article - Arcade: A Primer on the Python Game Framework
• The Python Arcade Library: Reddit Group
• PyWeek 29: March 22, 2020
• Quill Creates
• Quill Twitch Stream
• Al Sweigart Twitch Stream:
• Al Sweigart: Automate the Boring Stuff With Python
• Al Sweigart: Invent With Python & Pygame
• Scratch (non-Python)
• Snap! (non-Python)
• Godot Game engine (non-Python)
• Unity Game Engine (non-Python)
• Unreal Game Engine (non-Python)
• Tiled Map Editor
• Pymunk: Pythonic 2D Physics library
• OpenGameArt
• Font assets
• Distributing your Game: Real Python article on PyInstaller
• Beeware: Write once. Deploy everywhere
• Audacity: Free, Open Source, Cross-platform audio software

What are you excited about in the world of Python?

Jon’s pick:

• ursina 3D Engine: Open Source Game Engine
• Panda3D: The Open Source Framework for 3D Rendering and Games

Chris’s pick:

• Real Python Podcast: Submit a Question

Level up your Python skills with our expert-led courses:

• Make a 2D Side-Scroller Game With PyGame
• Intro to Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) in Python

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