Java Pokemon Game

For a final project in a computer science class, I developed many individual pieces of code that eventually came together as a playable game. Interfaces were developed for the many possible Pokemon types (e.g. grass, electric, etc.) in order to allow strengths and weaknesses to play a part in combat. Several dozen separate pokemon were developed, with unique names, types, and stats, along with unique growth rates once instantiated. A battle system was then developed to allow two players to compete. They would each choose a pokemon, name them, and then watch the action happen…in text form. In addition, a method for catching pokemon and storing them was created, including a “pokedex” which stored information about all pokemon caught even when traded away or released. Once the game was functional, I developed a GUI (Graphical User Interface) such that with a text input box and four buttons all of these actions could be undertaken by the player(s).

It took months and many small (and big) steps, but eventually the project was a success! Although I’ve been interested in games, algorithms, and programming for a long time, it was intimidating to undertake such a large project. In the end it was a success, and I then knew for sure I was capable of developing more complex programs and games. It was a relatively simple game, but it was my first complex game with a GUI, and I was proud of the accomplishment and what I went through to finish it. I learned to think of these projects as stepping stones as I develop my skills and experience in computer science, and I’m eager to see how each of my projects improves over the last one throughout my career.