The PyInstaller Fiasco

The PyInstaller Fiasco: A Tale of Two Games
I recently built a simple game, Whispurr Cafe, using Pygame Zero. It was a fun project, but when it came time to share it with friends, I got caught in a nightmare of configuration errors.

My goal was to use PyInstaller on macOS to package the game into a single executable file. However, I ran into a loop of frustrating errors like SystemError: Failed to process binary... and zsh: command not found: python3.11. No matter what version of Python I tried, the bundling process would fail. It felt like I was spending more time debugging the environment than actually writing code.

After a few days of this, I realized I needed a different approach.

The Tale of Two Versions:

The Pygame Zero Version: This version runs perfectly on my computer. The logic is simple, and it works as intended. But because of the bundling issues, I can't easily share it with friends. They would have to go through the exact same painful installation process I did, which is a non-starter.

The HTML Version: To solve the sharing problem, I took a different path. I rewrote the entire game's logic into a single HTML file. This version runs directly in a web browser, meaning no one has to install anything. It's lightweight and works on any computer with an internet connection.

My Questions for the Community:

I learned a lot from this experience, but I still have some questions for those of you who have faced similar issues:

What is the best practice for handling macOS configuration and bundling issues with Python frameworks like Pygame Zero?

Is my experience a valid reason to move from a simple framework to a full-fledged engine like Godot?

For a simple game, when does it make sense to abandon a project's original platform due to bundling challenges and just rebuild it on a platform that's easier to share, like HTML?

Thanks for reading my story. Any advice or shared experiences are welcome.