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Swayam Nax
Swayam Nax

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🐍 Building a Classic Snake Game with Amazon Q CLI & Pygame

#python #aws #gamedev #developers

🎮 Introduction

Remember the thrill of guiding a pixelated snake to gobble up food while avoiding collisions? Let's recreate that nostalgia by building the classic Snake game using Amazon Q CLI and Pygame.

Amazon Q CLI is an AI-powered command-line tool that assists in generating code through conversational prompts. By leveraging it alongside Pygame, we can streamline the game development process on a Linux environment.

⚙️ Setup: Development Environment

🛠 Tools Required

  • Amazon Q CLI: AI-driven code generation tool
  • Pygame: Library for game development in Python
  • Python 3.8+: Programming language
  • Linux: Ubuntu/Debian-based system recommended

📦 Installation Steps (Linux)

1. Update and install dependencies: 

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv git
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2. Install Pygame: 

pip3 install pygame
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🧰 Installing Amazon Q CLI on Linux

You can install Amazon Q CLI using the official .deb package provided by AWS.

1. Download the .deb installer: 

wget https://desktop-release.q.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/latest/amazon-q.deb
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2. Install the package with dpkg: 

sudo dpkg -i amazon-q.deb
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3. Fix any missing dependencies: 

sudo apt-get install -f
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4. Verify the installation: 

q --version
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You should now see the installed version of Amazon Q CLI.

5. Start an interactive session: 

q chat
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Screenshot 2025-05-22 022325

🧠 Prompt-Driven Development: Building the Game

With Amazon Q CLI ready, we can start crafting our Snake game by providing specific prompts.

1. 🐍 Game Skeleton & Movement

Prompt:

Create a basic Snake game using Pygame where the snake moves with arrow keys, grows when it eats food, and the game ends upon collision with walls or itself.

Outcome:

  • Initialized game window
  • Snake movement via arrow keys
  • Randomly placed food
  • Snake grows upon eating food
  • Game ends on collision

2. 🖥️ Title Screen

Prompt:

Add a title screen displaying "Classic Snake Game" with a start button centered on the screen.

Outcome:

  • Title screen with game name
  • Start button to begin the game

3. 🧮 Score Display

Screenshot 2025-05-22 035105

Prompt:

Display the player's current score at the top-left corner of the game screen using a readable font.

Outcome:

  • Real-time score tracking
  • Score updates as the snake eats

4. 🎨 Game Over Screen

Screenshot 2025-05-22 033701

Prompt:

Upon game over, display a screen showing "Game Over" and the player's final score, with an option to restart or quit.

Outcome:

  • Game over screen with final score
  • Option to restart or exit

📝 Final Features Recap

  • ✅ Snake movement with arrow keys
  • ✅ Randomly appearing food
  • ✅ Snake grows when eating food
  • ✅ Collision detection with walls and self
  • ✅ Score display
  • ✅ Title and game over screens

🚀 Conclusion

By using Amazon Q CLI and Pygame on a Linux system, we've efficiently built a classic Snake game with just a few smart prompts. This AI-assisted workflow boosts productivity and makes game development accessible even to beginners.

Feel free to extend the game with features like:

  • Increasing speed over time
  • Multiple levels or themes
  • Sound effects and music
  • Leaderboards with persistent scores

Happy coding! 🐍

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/633ea655-ea38-449c-a0c4-793a9f76c718

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