Brick Break

The gist: build a game where you control a paddle and bounce a ball of it to break up bricks displayed in a grid.

Also known as Breakout and Arkanoid.

Reference

Here is a screenshot of the arcade version of Breakout:

Game screenshot showing a blue paddle with 8 rows of bricks with 0 score displayed

Specs

  • When the ball hits a wall, bounce it off
  • When the ball hits a brick, destroy it and bounce the ball
  • When the paddle hits the ball, bounce it back
  • Level is complete when all bricks are destroyed
  • If the ball goes past the player, it's game over

Concepts

  • Collision detection
  • Velocity

Extra Credit

  • Sound effects when the ball hits anything
  • Give the player multiple lives by having the ball respawn 3 times before game over
  • Render bricks in different patterns
  • Add power ups that appear when certain bricks are destroyed
  • Keep track of score—destroying multiple bricks before hitting the ball with the paddle again could be a combo

Resources