Welcome to this comprehensive tutorial where we will explore how to use Claude, a powerful AI model, to recreate four classic games: Tetris, Pac-Man, Flappy Bird, and Snake. Claude can help you quickly generate code for these games, allowing you to focus on designing and enhancing your project. We will also utilize the artifacts feature, which not only generates code but also allows you to visualize the rendered and interactive versions of your web games.

Key Objectives

1. Use Claude's artifacts feature to generate classic video games.
2. Understand the basic structure and functionality of Tetris, Pac-Man, Flappy Bird, and Snake.
3. Customize the functionality and appearance of each game to suit your preferences.

First, you need to go to Claude and if you don't already have one create an account (free or not).

Tetris

Let's create our first game: Tetris.

Use this simple prompt

Recreate the original game Tetris using HTML5, Javascript and CSS. I want the game to be playable and functional.

Pac-Man

Now, let's recreate the famous Pac-Man.

Recreate the Pac-Man game using HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS. I want the game to be playable and functional.

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Flappy Bird

Remember the Flappy Bird craze? I can't believe you can now recreate such a hit in only... one prompt.

Recreate the Flappy Bird game using HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS.I want the game to be playable and functional. Use a bird and the same assets used in this game.

One thing to keep in mind regarding the look of the game is that Claude cannot use Flappy Bird's original assets, so you either have to give them to the chatbot yourself, or generate them with prompts.

Snake

Finally, let's recreate the Snake game.

Recreate the Snake game using HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS.I want the game to be playable and functional.

Making sure the main features are there

Review the generated code and game features. Some may be missing, so here's a list of the main features so you can check for yourself:

Tetris

• Game Board: A grid where pieces fall.
• Pieces: Different shapes that can rotate and move.
• Controls: Arrow keys to move and rotate pieces.
• Collision Detection: Check for filled rows and game over conditions.

Pac-Man

• Game Maze: A grid representing the maze.
• Pac-Man: The player-controlled character.
• Ghosts: Enemies that chase Pac-Man.
• Pellets: Items for Pac-Man to collect.
• Controls: Arrow keys to move Pac-Man.

Flappy Bird

• Bird: The player-controlled character that flaps.
• Pipes: Obstacles that the bird must avoid.
• Gravity and Jump: Physics for the bird's movement.
• Score: Increment when passing pipes.
• Controls: Spacebar to make the bird flap.

Snake

• Snake: The player-controlled character that grows.
• Food: Items for the snake to collect.
• Grid: The playing field.
• Controls: Arrow keys to move the snake.
• Collision Detection: Check for collisions with the snake's own body or the walls.

Debugging and Customizing the Games

Once you have the basic versions of the games running, you may want to fix bugs or change the functionality and appearance of the games. Claude can assist you with these tasks as well.

Debugging

• Identify Issues: Play the game and identify any issues or bugs. This could include unresponsive controls, graphical glitches, or gameplay problems.
• Ask Claude for Help: Provide a detailed description of the issue to Claude. For example:

The Tetris game has [details of the problem]. Please fix this issue.

Customizing Functionality

You might want to add new features or change how the game operates. Here's an example:

Change Game Speed: To adjust the speed of the game, you can ask Claude to modify the timing functions. For example:

Increase the speed of the falling pieces in the Tetris game.

Customizing Appearance

To change the visual aspects of the games, such as colors, graphics, or layout, you can ask Claude to update the CSS or JavaScript code accordingly:

Change Colors: To change the color scheme of Tetris, use this prompt as an example:

Update the Tetris game to use a different color scheme. Use a dark background and neon-colored 2.5D pieces.

Update Graphics: For Flappy Bird, you might want to use different images for the bird or the pipes:

Replace the bird, pipes and background with assets that look more like the original Flappy Bird game.

By following these steps, you have recreated and customized functional versions of Tetris, Pac-Man, Flappy Bird, and Snake using Claude and its artifacts feature. Now have fun customizing and recreating your favorite games!

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