Scratch Games is a collection of online games that are developed by users worldwide. These are available on the official website of Scratch. Players can select from a wide range of titles to play their favorite Scratch games.
What is a Scratch Game?
A Scratch Game is a type of project which usually features user interaction and gameplay. It has been one of the most popular types of projects on the Scratch Website. Players can use the keyboard to navigate their characters, known as Sprites, in the game.
Because of this, the word “game” has become the most commonly used tags. While most game projects are original, some of them are emulations and parodies of the more popular video games such as Pac-Man, Pong, and more.
What Games Can You Make on Scratch?
With Scratch, programmers can create various types of games. You can add music of your choice to your Scratch games. These include Scroller, Platformer, RPG, Tycoon, Maze, Pong, Dress Up Games, Online Multiplayer Games on the Cloud, and Cat and Mouse. We will highlight the important aspects of each of these below:
1. Scroller
Scrollers are a kind of project where the background and objects “scroll”, or move along the screen, when being scrolled up, or down. Usually, the player will stay on the same X coordinate, but often a “jumping feature” will allow the player to change their Y coordinate, upon a keyboard interaction.
These projects commonly have an opposing AI, often called “enemies”, and platforms, which allows the player to travel upwards, or downwards depending on the elevation of the platform.
2. Platformer
A more commonly used type of game, platformers, are games where you “jump” along the Y coordinate or travel upwards on platforms to achieve a particular goal, often sending the user to the next “level” of gameplay. Some platformers also take on the aspect of scrollers in the gameplay.
3. RPG
RPG Projects are games where the user is sent to fight pieces of opposing AI players, or “enemies”, with preset actions to take, or “attacks” as they are commonly put. Often, one will have “companions” that will help them during one of the stages of attacks.
4. Tycoon
The tycoon games’ goal is to get as much “money” or whatever currency is described in that particular game as one possibly can. You are usually required to buy upgrades to advance through the level to get more money.
5. Maze
Mazes are a common form of game type projects, as they tend to be remarkably easier to program. A common form of maze creation involves barriers. If players come in contact with another sprite, they will send that particular sprite controlled by the user to the beginning of that very stage of gameplay. Other variations do not let the user go through the walls.
6. Pong
Pong games are the ones that have a platform in which you go from left to right, hitting a ball to the top of the screen and coming back down. However, if the ball goes past the platform, the game ends, or some other penalty occurs.
7. Dress Up Games
Dress-up games are played by dressing up a character, often by clicking clothes and other items for them. Some of these games have become too complex and reach the front page. Different types have select buttons to click to change the clothing.
8. Online Multiplayer Games (Cloud)
Online multiplayer games (also known as MMO) are interactive projects that use the Cloud feature to allow people from different devices to play with each other. The idea of being able to play with others online makes it a popular selection.
However, since Scratchers can only use the cloud, new players and guests cannot play these games with other people. MMO games can even be made from different popular game types.
9. Cat and Mouse
Cat and Mouse games are a simple type of projects that require constant pursuit and near captures by a sprite to the mouse cursor. That is based on how a cat hunts a mouse in real life.
Can You Play Scratch Games on Mobile?
The feature of running Scratch Projects on smartphones or any other mobile devices has been in high demand. Scratch 3.0 does not require Adobe Flash (which mobile devices don’t have) since it is Beta and is mostly compatible with mobile devices.
Why play Scratch Games on Mobile?
Some users may prefer touching the screen directly while coding or viewing projects rather than using a mouse or mousepad. Numerous programmers are also interested in writing apps for their mobile devices.
Scratch Games typically use a small screen resolution and are not incredibly long, which would usually fit a mobile device’s criteria pretty well.
Scratch Games Limitations
1. No Sensor Support for Mobile Devices
Scratch does not have any blocks for reading data from the sensors in mobile devices. Built-in tilt-sensors (gyro and accelerometer) are often in use to let users control the game by moving or tilting their screens. For example, users can steer an in-game character like this.
Scratch programmers would have to go without using these types of interactions. Another big caveat is not having a physical keyboard to use on most mobile devices. Unless the user can connect to an external keyboard, there is no way to press specific keys while running a project.
2. Networking Option For Cloud Connections Only
Due to safety concerns, Scratch does not offer any networking except for cloud connections. While this is a positive step to ensure security, it is impossible to connect with any other networking-capable programs/apps without complicated workarounds.
3. Tablet is Mandatory
Scratch apps solely run on Android tablets. However, other mobile devices may be able to access Scratch through the device’s web browser.
How Do You Make a Scratch Game Mobile Friendly?
It is essential to make games mobile-friendly because of a surge in Android and iOS users since the dawn of this century. To make a Scratch game compatible with mobiles, make sure nothing relies on the keyboard input. Tapping on a touch screen is the same as clicking with the mouse.
For example, to move up, down, left, or right creates sprites that are always visible and can be clicked or tapped. So, users can play a Scratch game on mobile devices with ease.
What is Scratch Games Code?
Scratch Games code is a set of instructions from programmers who specialize in writing game code and sharing them with other users on the Internet. They give links to relevant videos and offer insights on what tools they used to create a specific project. For instance, the Halo game is one such example that a user created.
Moreover, they provide information on what other Scratch Games projects they are actively developing using particular Scratch Games code. Some users give a list of shared and favorite projects. All this information is available on Scratch’s official website.
What is the Most Viewed Game on Scratch?
The most viewed, played, and loved game on Scratch is Griffpatch’s Paper Minecraft, with 32+ million followers. Players can use the keyboard to navigate the sprite in the 2D world. They can start a new game or load a previously saved one. It is also possible to move the screen using the mouse to look up, down, right, or left.
Next up is Geometry Dash, with 22+ million followers. It is a set of levels developed by different creators like griffpatch, hoppingicon, and Robtop__Games. Each of these offers various levels of gameplay. For instance, one of these gives the option to play level 7-8, and the other level 9-10.
How to Make Scratch Games?
This section is a comprehensive guide for you to create an interactive project using Scratch Games. Scratch is a program that you can use to create animations with ease. The first step is to download Scratch by opening up your web browser and going to the official website of Scratch. You can find its link and review here .
Next, you will be directed to a web page to download the program on your desktop computer. You can get the latest Scratch version for either Windows or Mac, depending on which operating system you are using.
Before you download the application, you have to fill out a form so that the system knows what you are using it for and your data for information collection purposes. If you are using Scratch for macOS, you need to have an operating system of version 10.4 or later.
On the other hand, you would need Windows 2000, XP, or Vista for PC. If you do not have administrative permissions on your computer or have trouble with the installer, you can use a files-only version provided on the web page.
Lastly, if you want to use Scratch on the Linux operating system, you can check out an experimental version.
1. Creating Your Animation
Once your program has downloaded completely, you can open it. Next, you will see a working panel alongside side panels. You can now start animating objects with various methods. The discussion on your screen’s left side will show you a few options that you can use to animate your objects.
In particular, you will see eight buttons, each of which gives you some direction to animate your character. For example, the motion action will give you a range of options that you can use to move your name. Also, you will see a list of options that you can use to move your character.
2. Drag-And-Drop
All you need to do to make it move is to drag-and-drop the options you want to implement on your name onto the scripts panel. These will allow you to move forward or backward and turn, however many degrees you want.
You can layer these commands to stack on top of each other and execute one after another. Below the motion option is the looks, which can make your character perform specific actions. You can change the color effect by any percentage you like as well as the costume.
You can also make it say some dialogue. If you want to implement any of the options on the looks commands, you have to drag-and-drop them just like you did with the motions command. Keep in mind that all the orders should be stacked on top of each other to execute.
If you want to change any of the options, you can right-click on the option and choose from a list of menu items that will pop up on your screen. For example, the change effect option shows the color action by default, but you can choose from several steps to take, such as pixelate and mosaic, if you right-click on it.
3. Scratch Control Button
Scratch offers a lot of customization options. Another main component is the control button, which will give you a list of options that you can stack on top of each other. You can use it to add functionality to your animation, such as putting on loops and assigning an action to perform when the mouse is clicked.
One of the best parts about Scratch is all the options are in color according to the category that they belong to. This way, you will not get confused about the type and option of each of these.
4. Sound
The Sound button is an essential factor that you might consider integrating with your character because it can give your name some sounds upon comments. You can play several sounds installed into the system or enable a command to stop all the sounds.
You can even choose from commands that can set an instrument to a certain number of beats. It also has controls that you can use to change the volume up and down according to your preferences. All this gives you a lot of customization options when it comes to animating your character.
Like you did with the other commands, you can drag-and-drop the sound commands onto your script bar instruct them alongside the other authorities according to the order you want them to be executed.
5. Panel
Once you have selected and dropped all the commands you want your animated object to execute onto your script screen, you should go on the panel that is on the bottom of your screen. You will see a slide show icon on the top left corner of the bottom panel board.
When you click on it, the program will automatically start playing all and executing all the actions that you are assigned to your characters. You can also make Scratch Games that are very interactive using these building blocks. Once you experiment with all the customization options, you will get better at animating through this platform. You can also see some examples in the program itself.
6. Game Projects
To see some examples that are by default a part of the program, first, you need to go to the Scratch Games folder. It will show you a list of projects that you can choose from, including Pac-man and Doodle. Click on any of the games you want to visit, and you will see all the building blocks the system used to build this game.
You can even go to the presentation icon on the bottom panel’s top left corner to play the interactive mode game. It is a great feature of Scratch because it inspires users to create their own by looking at top-rated example games.
Finally, you also note that many of these are very diverse and come with their unique artworks. The possibilities are endless when you want to develop Scratch Games. It all depends on the amount of creativity you have and the practice you are willing to do.
