Scratch Game

Expert

60 mins

Teacher/Student led

+145 XP

What you need:
Chromebook/Laptop/PC or iPad/Tablet

Keepy Ups

In this Scratch game we will use the video sensing blocks to interact and play a game where we have to keep multiple footballs in the air!

To do this lesson your computer must have a camera on it.

Warning: Your screen size is quite small for viewing this. Rotate your device into landscape mode if you can.

1 Create a new Scratch project
2 Add the Basketball sprite
3 Add the Video Sensing extension
4 Create a custom 'go to top' block
5 Make the ball fall
6 Create a custom 'bounce ball' block
7 Detect when to bounce the basketball
8 Game over
9 Add more basketballs
10 Challenge!
Quiz

1 - Create a new Scratch project

Create a new Scratch project and delete the cat sprite.

https://scratch.mit.edu

Scratch: How to create a new project

Go to the Scratch website using the link below and click on the 'Create' link in the blue bar at the top.

By default, each new project starts with the cat sprite already added. To delete the cat click on the x in the blue circle beside the cat in the sprite list.

https://scratch.mit.edu

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

2 - Add the Basketball sprite

Add the Basketball sprite from the sprite library.

Scratch: How to add a sprite from the library

To add a sprite from the sprite library follow these steps:

Put your mouse over the Choose a Sprite button
Click on the magnifying glass
Find the sprite you want in the library
Click on your chosen sprite

You can use search box or the filter links (Animals, People, Fantasy etc) to locate your sprite.

👇 Mark your steps as done as you complete them.

+5 XP

3 - Add the Video Sensing extension

We're going to use the camera that's in your computer to take a video and put you in the game!

Add the Video Sensing Extension so that we can use the Video Sensing blocks.

Then add the following code to Basketball sprite, to turn on the camera on your computer.

when green flag clicked turn video [on v]

You may see a pop up asking you to allow Scratch to use your camera. Click on the Allow button otherwise Scratch will not be able to use your camera.

Scratch: How to add extension blocks

Understanding and Adding Extensions in Scratch

What are Scratch Extensions?

Scratch Extensions are additional sets of blocks that expand the capabilities of your Scratch projects. They allow you to:

Mention extensions like Pen here
Connect with external hardware (e.g., microbits)
Access web-based services (e.g., Google Translate, Amazon Text to Speech)
Use more advanced programming features

How Extensions Work

When you add an extension to your project:

New blocks appear in the blocks palette
These blocks are grouped under a category named after the extension
You can use these blocks just like any other Scratch blocks

Adding an Extension to Your Project

Look for the "Add Extension" button in the bottom-left corner of the Scratch editor
Click the "Add Extension" button
A window will open showing all available extensions
Browse through the options or use the search bar to find a specific extension
Click on the extension you want to add
The extension is now added to your project, and its blocks appear in the blocks palette

+10 XP

4 - Create a custom 'go to top' block

We're going to create a custom block of our own that we'll use to move the basketball up to a random place at the top of the screen.

Create a custom block called 'go to top' and add the following code to the define go to top block to make the basketball go to a random place at the top of the stage area.

define go to top go to x (pick random (-250) to (250)) y (250) when green flag clicked turn video [on v] // add it under here go to top

And then add the go to top block underneath the when clicked block.

Test that it works by clicking the green flag several times. The basketball should go to different random places at the top of the stage area.

Scratch: How to create a custom block

You can create your own custom blocks and give them their own instructions (code). To create a custom block follow these steps:

Go to the 'My Blocks' toolbox
Click the 'Make a Block' button
Give your block a name
If you wish you can pass variables/inputs into your blocks
Click on the 'OK' button

A 'Define My Block Name' will appear in the code area. You can add your code underneath this and then use the My Block Name block in the 'My Blocks' toolbox anytime you wish to run that code.

+10 XP

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Copyright Notice
This lesson is copyright of Coding Ireland 2017 - 2026. Unauthorised use, copying or distribution is not allowed.

Scratch is developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at the MIT Media Lab. It is available for free at https://scratch.mit.edu