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Divakar Singh
Divakar Singh

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🧩 How I Built a Maze Game with PyGame (Using Amazon Q)

#python #ai #gamedev #amazonq

Hey Devs! 👋

I recently built a maze game using PyGame—and the coolest part? I used Amazon Q to kickstart the project. The result: a fun, theme-customizable, AI-driven race through dynamic mazes. 🏁

In this post, I’ll walk you through how the game works, what tech powers it, and how you can build or customize your own.

Game Intro

🎮 What Is Maze Runner?

Maze Runner is a simple but engaging game where:

  • You race through a randomly generated maze.
  • You can choose a visual theme (like neon, classic, or retro).
  • You can pick your difficulty level.
  • And you compete against an AI bot that finds its way through the maze using pathfinding algorithms.

The player and the bot start at the same point—and it’s a race to the goal!

⚙️ Technologies Used

Here's the stack behind the magic:

  • 🐍 Python 3 – The main language.
  • 🕹 PyGame – To build the graphical game interface.
  • 🧠 Pathfinding Algorithms – The AI uses BFS, DFS, or A* to navigate.
  • 🤖 Amazon Q – I used this new tool to generate code templates and logic, which really accelerated development.

💡 Why Amazon Q?

Amazon Q is an AI coding assistant from AWS. It helped me quickly scaffold the game logic and handle routine tasks like:

  • Setting up the game loop
  • Structuring the file layout
  • Initializing the PyGame window
  • Even writing parts of the AI logic! It’s like having a second pair of (super-fast) hands writing Python alongside you.

Amazon Q prompt results

🧠 The AI Bot

The bot was one of the most exciting features to build. Using classic algorithms like Breadth-First Search (BFS) or A*, the bot computes the shortest path to the goal.

Want a real challenge? Try beating the bot on hard difficulty—it’s fast!

🖼 Themes and Difficulty

The game supports different themes like:

  • 🟩 Classic – Simple and clean, with a traditional green maze layout.
  • 🌈 Neon – Vibrant and glowing, perfect for a retro arcade vibe.
  • 🌲 Forest – Earthy tones with a natural, wooded atmosphere.
  • 🌌 Midnight – Dark mode with starry or mysterious undertones. Maze complexity scales with the difficulty level (grid size, number of dead ends, etc.).

▶️ Try It Yourself

To run the game locally:

git clone https://github.com/divakar166/maze-game-q-cli.git
cd maze-game-q-cli
pip install -r requirements.txt
python maze_game.py
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Pick your settings and race against the AI!

🔮 What’s Next?

Some ideas I’m planning to add:

  • Sound effects and background music
  • Score tracking and leaderboards
  • More advanced AI with multiple strategies
  • Multiplayer mode (Player vs Player)

👋 Wrapping Up

Building this game was a fun way to sharpen my PyGame and AI skills. Using Amazon Q made the process faster and more structured—I highly recommend trying it out for your next side project.
If you want to test your maze-solving skills or explore the code, check out the GitHub repo.
Feel free to drop feedback, feature requests, or even submit PRs. Let’s build cool stuff together!

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