🐍 Two Player Snake Game – Case Study

📌 Project Overview

Name: Two Player Snake Game (Inspired by Snake.io) Technologies: Java (Core, AWT/Swing), MySQL, Griddle Developer: Haris Khan (GitHub: developebyharis/snake-game)

This project is a real-time, competitive snake game for two players. Unlike traditional implementations, this game integrates with a MySQL database (via Griddle) to store and retrieve persistent data such as scores, matches, and player history.

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🎮 Key Features

• Two-player mode: Player 1 (W/A/S/D) vs Player 2 (arrow keys).

• Database-driven scoreboard:

  • Stores high scores, win/loss records, and match history in MySQL.
  • Displays leaderboard dynamically using Griddle integration.

• Collision detection for snake-to-snake, walls, and self-collision.

• Intelligent food placement: Prevents spawning inside snakes or outside the grid.

• Persistent session tracking: Results remain saved even after closing the game.

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⚙️ Technical Architecture

1. Frontend (Java AWT & Swing)

• Handles game rendering, animations, and input capture.

• Uses a game loop for smooth real-time movement.

• UI displays:

  • Game board
  • Current scores
  • Live leaderboard (synced with DB)

2. Backend (MySQL + Griddle)

• MySQL database schema stores:

  • players (id, name, wins, losses, high_score)
  • matches (id, player1, player2, winner, date_played)

• Griddle is used as the ORM/data access layer to connect Java with MySQL.

• CRUD operations:

  • Save new scores after each match.
  • Fetch leaderboard for display.
  • Update player statistics after each round.

3. Game Logic

• Snakes move in sync with player input.

• Food spawns at random positions not occupied by snakes.

• On collision:

  • Winner is determined.
  • Game state is saved to MySQL.
  • Leaderboard is refreshed in real-time.

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🚀 Setup & Execution

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/developebyharis/snake-game.git
   

2. The schema is build on MySql CLI.

3. Configure DB credentials in /build.gradle.

4. Compile & run the project:

   javac SnakeGame.java
   java SnakeGame
   

5. Play and watch results sync with the MySQL-powered leaderboard.

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💡 Design Decisions & Insights

Decision	Reason
Java AWT & Swing	Lightweight, portable GUI framework ideal for quick rendering.
MySQL + Griddle	Adds persistence and realism by tracking game history & leaderboard.
Two-player mode	Makes the game competitive and engaging.

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🌟 Project Impact

• Strengthened Java GUI & OOP knowledge.
• Hands-on with MySQL integration in a game setting.
• Learned to design database schemas for persistence.
• Showcases full-stack thinking: frontend (UI/game) + backend (DB).