You Know Python Basics—Now Let's Build Something Real
Source: Dev.to
Who This Is For
You’ve completed a Python basics course or tutorial. You understand variables, loops, conditionals, and strings, but you haven’t built anything real yet. This project is specifically for that stage.
I open‑sourced a text adventure game that combines those foundational concepts into one playable program.
Repo:
What You’ll Practice
| Concept | How It’s Used |
|---|---|
| Variables & Data Types | Game state, rooms, player info |
| Dictionaries | Nested data for the game world |
| Operators | Health checks, item membership |
| String Methods | .strip(), .lower(), .split(), .join() |
| User Input | Interactive input() game loop |
| Conditionals | if‑elif‑else and match/case for commands |
| While Loops | Main game loop |
| For Loops | Iterating inventory with enumerate() |
| Type Hints | Self‑documenting function signatures |
The point isn’t to learn new syntax; it’s to combine concepts you already know.
How to Get the Most from This
Don’t just run the code. Instead:
- Read the code first – trace the main loop and predict what happens when you type commands like
go northortake torch. Then run it to check your mental model. - Break something intentionally – remove a line or change a condition and observe the error. This reveals what each piece actually does.
- Extend it – the repo includes practice exercises:
- Add a new room with items
- Implement a locked‑door puzzle (requires a key)
- Add a scoring system
- Create new random events
Building on existing code mirrors real‑world projects.
The Pattern You’ll Keep Using
The main game loop looks like this:
while game_running:
# Check win/lose conditions
# Display current state
# Get player input
# Process command
# Trigger random eventsThis loop‑read‑process‑update‑display pattern appears everywhere:
- CLI tools
- Chat applications
- AI chatbots (read user message → send to LLM → display response → repeat)
- Game engines
- REPLs
Understanding this pattern helps you recognize it in any interactive program.
Requirements
- Python 3.10+ (required for
match/casesyntax) - No external dependencies
git clone https://github.com/samuel-ochaba-dev/zero-to-ai-engineer-projects.git
cd zero-to-ai-engineer-projects/dungeon-escape-text-adventure-game
python3 adventure_game.pySample Gameplay
========================================
DUNGEON ESCAPE
========================================
You wake up in a dark dungeon.
Find the exit to escape!
Type 'help' for available commands.
You are in the Entrance Hall.
A dusty entrance with cobwebs covering the walls.
A faint light flickers from the north.
Exits: north, east
Items here: torch
Health: 100 | Inventory: empty
What do you do? > Navigate through rooms, collect items, survive random events, and find the exit. The shift from “I know what a while loop is” to “I can use a while loop to build a game loop” is significant, and this project makes that shift concrete.
Adapted from my upcoming book, Zero to AI Engineer: Python Foundations.
I share excerpts like this on Substack →