Okay, so I decided to mess around with Bitsy today and make a little tennis game. I’ve always loved those super simple, retro-style games, and Bitsy seemed like the perfect tool to whip something up quickly.
Getting Started
First, I fired up the Bitsy editor. It’s all browser-based, which is super convenient. No downloading or installing anything. I started by drawing the game room, super basic stuff, you are provided already a square canvas to start.
Creating the Assets
I needed a tennis court, right? So, I used the tile tool to draw out a basic rectangle for the court, some lines for the net and boundaries, easy simple.
Next up were the players. I created two little stick figure sprites, one for each player. I gave them different colors so you could tell them apart. I am already provided with three basic colors by default so I used two.
Then the tennis ball, just a simple single-pixel dot for the ball. Nothing fancy, Keep it simple.
Adding Movement
This is where it got a little more interesting. I used the “avatar” tool to make one of the players, let’s say the left one, controlled by the player, So I can move the avatar around the room by using the keyboard keys.
For the other player, the “opponent”, I gave a simple Dialog to make it move and added some “palettes” too with the walk effect, so the opponent could follow the ball automatically, more interactions, more fun!
The “Tennis” Part
Now for the actual gameplay, The ball just goes back and forth, left to right, right to left. It’s game!
Finishing Touches
Finally, I added a simple ending. When the ball hits the left or right of the room limits, the game ends.
And that’s it! A super simple, but kind of fun, little tennis game made in Bitsy. It’s not going to win any awards, but it was a blast to make, and it really shows how much you can do with just a few pixels and a little bit of creativity. I might try adding some more features later, like a score counter or some sound effects, but for now, I’m pretty happy with my little “Bitsy Tennis Center”.
