Create a Classic Tetris Game using MIT App Inventor: Step-by-Step Tutorial for Beginners

Summary

In this video, the presenter demonstrates how to build a Tetris game using MIT App Inventor. The tutorial covers the entire process, starting from the game’s user interface design, including creating buttons for movement and a score display, to the implementation of game logic with block controls like rotation, movement, and scoring. The video also explains how to import the necessary Tetris extension for block rendering and interactions. The game features a restart option and handles game-over conditions. This step-by-step guide ensures viewers can create their own fully functional Tetris game app with ease.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video demonstrates how to create a Tetris game using MIT App Inventor.
• 😀 The game has a simple interface with buttons for moving blocks: left, right, rotate, and down.
• 😀 The user starts the game by clicking the 'Start Game' button, which transitions to the game screen.
• 😀 The layout of the game includes buttons for controlling the Tetris blocks and a label to display the score.
• 😀 The script involves using the MIT App Inventor's vertical and horizontal arrangements to organize the screen elements.
• 😀 The game uses a free Tetris extension that needs to be downloaded and imported into the App Inventor project.
• 😀 The procedure to start the game involves setting up the game area where blocks will appear.
• 😀 Various image assets for the Tetris blocks are uploaded to the App Inventor to be used in the game.
• 😀 The score is dynamically updated during gameplay, and the score label is updated accordingly.
• 😀 The game can be restarted using a 'Restart Game' button, and the game over screen displays the player's score.
• 😀 The tutorial encourages users to modify and enhance the game with their own designs or assets.

Q & A

What is the first step to creating the Tetris game in MIT App Inventor?

The first step is to create a new project in MIT App Inventor and name it 'Tetris game app'. Then, you set up the initial layout using a vertical arrangement to hold the start game button.

How is the 'Start Game' button customized in the design?

The 'Start Game' button is centered both horizontally and vertically. Its text is set to 'Start Game', and its background color is changed to purple with white text. The font size is set to 30, and the background color is set to black.

What happens when the 'Start Game' button is clicked?

When the 'Start Game' button is clicked, it hides the current screen (vertical arrangement 1) and displays a new screen (vertical arrangement 2) containing the game layout and control buttons.

How are the control buttons like 'Left', 'Right', 'Rotate', and 'Bottom' arranged?

These buttons are placed within a horizontal arrangement at the bottom of the screen. Each button is labeled accordingly ('Left', 'Right', 'Rotate', 'Bottom') and spaced with labels between them to ensure a clean layout.

How is the score displayed in the game?

The score is displayed using two labels at the top of the screen. One label shows the text 'Score' while the second label dynamically updates to show the current score value.

What extension is used in the app, and how is it imported?

The Tetris extension is used in the app. It is imported by downloading the AIX file and then uploading it through the 'Import Extension' option in MIT App Inventor.

How is the game layout set up after starting the game?

After starting the game, the procedure 'Start Game' is called. The game layout is created by setting up a rendering area for the Tetris blocks, and various functions like 'create renders' and 'destroy instances' are used to manage the blocks.

How are the Tetris block images uploaded into MIT App Inventor?

Tetris block images are uploaded into MIT App Inventor through the 'Upload File' option. Each block image is assigned a unique name, such as 'cell0.png', 'cell1.png', etc. These images are used later to represent different Tetris blocks.

What happens when the user clicks on the 'Left' button?

When the 'Left' button is clicked, it triggers the 'Move Left' block from the Tetris extension, which moves the current Tetris block to the left within the game layout.

How is the 'Game Over' state handled in the app?

When the game is over, the app hides the game layout and displays a 'Game Over' screen, showing the final score. A 'Restart Game' button is also available to restart the game by calling the 'Start Game' procedure again.