Learning Programming Through Scratch: My Hungry Cat Game Journey

 

Introduction

When I first started learning programming, I wanted a way to understand core concepts visually. That’s when I discovered Scratch, a block-based programming language perfect for beginners. My project, the Hungry Cat Game, helped me grasp fundamental programming ideas in an interactive and engaging way.

Building the Hungry Cat Game

The goal was simple: control a cat that chases and eats mice to score points. Here’s how I implemented it:

Key Programming Concepts Used

• Motion Blocks: Made the mouse glide to random positions on the screen.

• Control Blocks: Used forever loops and if-then conditions to detect collisions.

• Looks & Sound Blocks: Switched costumes for animations and added sound effects like "meow" and "chomp."

• Variables: Tracked the score each time the cat caught the mouse.

Challenges & Debugging

At first, the mouse didn’t respawn after being eaten. I fixed this by adding hide and show blocks with a short wait time, ensuring the mouse reappeared correctly.

Insights Gained About Programming

1. Sequencing Matters

• The order of blocks affected gameplay. For example, playing the sound before hiding the mouse made the experience smoother.

2. Events Drive Logic

• The game relied on event triggers like:

• When green flag clicked (to start)

• When key pressed (for controls)

3. Debugging is Essential

• Testing small parts of the code first prevented frustration later.

Scratch vs. Other Programming Languages

While Scratch simplified learning, I compared it to other languages:

Aspect	Scratch	Python	SQL
Syntax	Drag-and-drop blocks (no syntax errors)	Requires typing code	Query-based (data manipulation)
Control	Limited for complex apps	More flexibility	Focused on databases
Best For	Beginners & visual learners	General-purpose programming	Data management

Easiest Language?

For now, Scratch wins because its visual blocks make programming feel intuitive.

Conclusion

Scratch is an excellent tool for learning computational thinking, loops, and conditionals. While it may not be suitable for complex applications, it’s a fantastic starting point for new programmers.

Check out my project here: Hungry Cat Game

References

• CompTIA. (2023). Programming languages. In Certmaster Learn Tech+ (Chap. 10).

• Wing, J. M. (2006). Computational thinking. Communications of the ACM, 49(3), 33-35. DOI:10.1145/1118178.1118215