Implement the Classic Snake Game in Java

Understand how to structure a small game using the SOLID principles

Remember that little snake chasing dots on your old phone’s screen? It’s back! In this article, we’ll rebuild the Snake game from scratch in Java. But we won’t just copy-and-paste code, we’ll discuss best practices, the why behind each decision, and show you some “bad code” examples to highlight potential pitfalls.

After reading this tutorial, you’ll:

• Understand how to structure a small game using the SOLID principles.
• Learn to keep your code well-organized, maintainable, and easy to extend.
• Gain insights on how to avoid certain “bad code” traps.

Lets build it

Basic Game Rules

• The snake moves continuously in one of four directions (UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT).
• When the snake eats food, it grows in length.
• If the snake runs into itself or a wall, the game ends.

Avoid The One-Class-Fits-All Approach

Avoid this type of approach

public class SnakeGame {
    int rows = 20;
    int cols = 20;
    int[][] board;
    // We also store the snake's body…