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Activity

Scratch hungry dino

Beginner | Scratch | Accelerometer, LED display | Selection, Sensors, Variables

Step 1: Make it

What is it?

Learn how to make a wireless game controller with your micro:bit and Scratch - and help feed tacos to your dinosaur!

Screenshot of Scratch game where a dinosaur has to eat tacos and avoid bugs

How it works

  • To play the game, connect your micro:bit to Scratch, then tilt it to move the dinosaur to catch and eat tacos.
  • Every time the dinosaur touches a taco the points variable increases by 1.
  • Avoid the bugs – touch them and the points variable is reduced by 1.
  • The program uses the micro:bit’s accelerometer input readings to sense which way you tilt it.
  • It then uses selection to decide what happens next: if you tilt it to the front or back it moves the dinosaur sprite up and down (in the Y-axis).
  • If you tilt it left and right it moves the dinosaur across the screen in the X-axis.
  • The program also sends your score to the micro:bit so it appears on its LED display output.

What you need

  • micro:bit and optional battery pack
  • suitable computer with Scratch link installed. See https://scratch.mit.edu/microbit for details on how to get Scratch working with micro:bit

Step 2: Code it

Step 3: Improve it

  • Add a winning or losing score to end the game.
  • Add more bugs or tacos or other goodies and baddies.
  • Add levels to the game to make it harder as you progress.