Interview with Zyenapz: how to make awesome games with pygame

Zyenapz

Ok, I’m a fan of Zyenapz. I like pygame and I always look for talents out there that enjoy making videogames with this great tool for python that now has 20 years! I’m a great a fun or arcade games too, so when I first saw the first game Startfigher (first for me) I was suddenly nicely surpriced by the style of the game, with that eyecatching graphic, the simplicity but addictive gameplay, and the music that matched all together. That game had all the nostalgic atmoshere of classics like Galaga, but also some new kind of gameplay that makes you appreciate immediately the game.

There are many games out there that have simple concepts, some sort of clone of the classic 80ies games, but I have to say that the games made by zyenapz, in my humble opinion, got something that stands out and I am certain that this guy could do something really nice in the next months, depending, of course, on what he will decide to do. For this reasons, after I saw other two games made by himw, Youkon Escape and Caffeine fueled (all with a nice sense of humor in the style that reminds even more the japanese classic arcade games of the 80ies), I decided to contact him to make some question about his way of coding and the reason for he choose pygame instead of another tool. I was curios to understand his motivation and his point of view on gaming. So, without further ado, let’s see what he has to say about these stuffs I asked him.

Questions and answers about videogames and pygame with Zyenapz

Zyenapz basic bio:
He’s 20 years old CS undergraduate living in the Philippines, planning on working in the game development industry after I he gets his degree.

Q: How you started programming?
A: I first started programming when I was 11 years old using C++. The first book I bought, ‘C++ through Game Programming’ by Michael Dawson, taught both C++ and game development processes at the same time.

Q: How do you started learning pygame?
A: I first started learning pygame back in 2017 but I didn’t go far into it because I struggled a lot with how to make the simplest of games work. In hindsight, I struggled because I was still unfamiliar with the syntax of Python and I was unfamiliar with 2D game development and its terminologies. I came back to developing games in pygame sometime around the middle of 2019, after entering college, with renewed vigor and I have been developing games with it ever since.

Q: “Why you choose to make games with pygame?”
A: It is mostly because of its simplicity and the fact that I can write it in a programming language that I am extremely familiar with. Its simplicity compared to other game engines / frameworks gives me a sort of creative limitation that forces me to be creative on how to approach problems.

Q: What Tips would you give to the coders who want to start creating their games with pygame?
A: I’d say you should probably familiarize yourself with Python’s syntax first before delving into pygame. Not being familiar with the programming language was a dumb mistake I made back then that cost me hours of misery. Also, I advise you to be very persistent because some of the concepts can take a while to wrap your head around but is very rewarding once all of it clicks. Don’t forget to actually practice what you learned and experiment a lot because that’s how you will learn.

Q: What are the current projects you’re working on?
A: I’ve been working on a remake of my old game called Keyboard Smasher. It’s a game where you have to type as fast as possible under a time limit. I was developing it for the Finally Finish Something Jam on http://itch.io but I got sidetracked by another jam called Pygame Community New Years Jam (which I developed Caffeine Fueled for).

https://twitter.com/i/status/1345723960332177409

Q: What are your thoughts about gaming?
A: I find gaming very fun and relaxing. Gaming is nice way to de-stress after a long day’s work.

Q: What is that makes you keep coding?
A: Problem solving and making cool stuff is what makes coding so enjoyable for me. It’s definitely not for everyone because the learning curve is quiet steep and some may find it boring. However, mastering it is very rewarding and a valuable skill in today’s world.

Q: What do you think will happen in the future of indie games or in the video game industry in general?
A: I think it’s about to become more diverse and more interesting in the future as more game developers enter the market, each with their own unique signature.

Q: Where do you get your ideas from?
A: I get my ideas for my games from everywhere. From the books I read to the videos I watch. Sometimes I get ideas while I’m just experimenting.

Q: Why did you choose this eighties arcade style?
I choose the 80s arcade styles for my games mostly because they are very simple to do and they impart this pleasant sense of nostalgia that evokes childhood memories. Furthermore, I think it is very easy to make pixel art look great and slick compared to other styles.

Q: What was when you was a child and what is now your favourite videogame?
My favorite childhood game is a tie between Max Payne and Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2. I remember losing track of time messing around with those games. I still play those games from time to time.Now, I am really fond of Undertale, Among Us, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Undertale was the game that inspired me to consider game development as a career and you can see its influence on my games if you look hard enough (especially Caffeine Fueled).

So, at the end of this interview …

… I want to thank Zyenapz for being so kind for answering to my questions and for letting me share them with you on the blog. I’m happy he’s been continuing to program games in pygame and I will let you know about his future progress as I will get to know about them. It would be nice to stay in contact with him to keep you informed about what he has in mind for the future, ready to play his new videogames.

Zyenapz on social networks

Read the post about Caffein fueled, the last game from Zyenapz.


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Started with basic on the spectrum, loved javascript in the 90ies and python in the 2000, now I am back with python, still making some javascript stuff when needed.