Case study
Asteroids
A faithful recreation of the classic Asteroids arcade game built with Python and Pygame. The player pilots a spaceship through an asteroid field, rotating and thrusting to maneuver while firing projectiles to split and destroy asteroids. Built as part of the Boot.dev "Build Asteroids" course.
The brief
Challenge
Implement the full arcade Asteroids experience from scratch — including physics-based movement, asteroid splitting logic, and collision detection — using only Python and Pygame.
Approach
What we made
Used an object-oriented architecture with base classes for all game objects. Asteroid splitting is handled recursively by spawning two smaller asteroids on collision. Movement uses vector math for realistic thrust and drift.
- Classic arcade gameplay loop at 60 FPS with rotation, thrust, and shooting.
- Asteroids split into smaller pieces on hit, matching the original arcade behavior.
- Object-oriented architecture with separate classes for ship, asteroids, and shots.
- Built end-to-end through Boot.dev's guided project curriculum.
Outcome
Results
A fully playable Asteroids clone with authentic arcade feel, completed as a guided project through Boot.dev's Python game development curriculum.
Gallery
Visual snapshots
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