When you’re just starting out in programming, there’s something incredibly satisfying about turning a simple idea into working code. One of the first games I wanted to build in Python was the classic: Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Not a graphical version. Not something with sounds or animations.
Just a good old-fashioned text-based console game, where I could finally feel like “Okay, I just built a game.”
At first, I thought it would be easy.
Three choices: rock, paper, or scissors.
Compare the two players’ picks. Decide who wins. Done.
Right?
Well… almost.
Starting Simple
I began with a list: ['kő', 'papír', 'olló'].
Kriszti (the computer) would pick randomly using random.choice(), and Sanyi (the player) would input their choice manually. That already felt cool — the computer making a move on its own!
Then I added the logic. If both players chose the same thing, it’s a draw. If not, the usual rules apply: rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock.
Pretty soon, I was playing rounds against the computer.
Making It a Real Game
But it wasn’t enough. I didn’t just want a single round — I wanted a game with scoring.
So I added a win counter: sanyi_win and kriszti_win, and the game continued until one player reached 3 points.
Now it was intense. Best of 5. Like a real match.
But I didn’t stop there — I added input validation to make sure the player didn’t accidentally type something like ko instead of kő. If they did, the program would just say “Only rock, paper, or scissors is accepted!” and let them try again.
And every round had a full update: who chose what, who won that round, and the current score.
What I Learned
It may sound like a simple project — and it is — but this little game taught me so much:
- How to use lists and randomization
- How to structure a game loop
- How to keep and update score
- How to validate user input
- How to keep code organized with multiple conditions
Looking Ahead
Right now, this is a pure console-based game, no frills, no GUI — just logic, structure, and a bit of fun.
Eventually, I want to:
- Turn this into a more modular version using functions
- Maybe add a simple graphical interface with Tkinter
- Or even allow two-player mode!
But even in this form, this project represents a big step. It’s the first time I built something that felt alive. Something interactive. And every time I saw “Sanyi wins!” pop up on screen, I couldn’t help but smile a little.
Because that wasn’t just a win in the game —
it felt like a win in my coding journey, too.