🧤 PopShot 🎯 – A Real-Time Hand Gesture Game

PopShot is a real-time interactive game built using Python and OpenCV where players use hand gestures to pop bouncing sports balls on their webcam feed. It uses MediaPipe for hand tracking and integrates audio-visual feedback for an immersive gaming experience. This project is endless, progressively challenging, and designed for fun and learning.

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🛠️ Technologies Used

• Python 3.x
• OpenCV – for computer vision and video feed handling
• MediaPipe – for real-time hand gesture detection
• Pygame – for audio playback
• NumPy – for numerical operations
• Virtual Environments – for clean Python environment setup

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📜 Version Information

Feature	PopShot (v1)	PopShot2 (v2)
Basic Gameplay	Pop balls using finger poke	Pop balls with new gesture modes
Gesture Modes	Single gesture (index finger poke)	Two modes: Normal Mode (✌️ Peace sign) and Power Mode (🤟 Yo sign)
Mode Activation	Always active	Normal Mode activated with Peace ✌️ sign, Power Mode activated with Yo 🤟 sign
Power Mode Features	Not available	Power Mode allows bigger blast radius, faster popping
Stability and Speed	Basic frame handling	Optimized frame reading and FPS smoothing
UI Enhancements	Minimal	Enhanced text and instruction overlays
Ball Images	Static 2-3 ball types	More polished ball types with different behaviors

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🚀 How to Set Up and Run PopShot Locally

Follow these steps to download, install dependencies, and run the game on your local machine:

1. Install Python First (Important!)

If you don't have Python installed:

• Download Python from the official site: https://www.python.org/downloads/

Windows Users:

• Download the "Windows installer (64-bit)".
• During installation, make sure to tick the box that says "Add Python to PATH" before clicking Install Now.

Mac Users:

• MacOS usually comes with Python pre-installed, but it's often outdated.
• It's recommended to install the latest version via https://www.python.org/downloads/macos/
• After installation, you may need to use python3 and pip3 instead of python and pip.

To verify Python installation: Open the terminal of your computer and write the following command:

python --version
# or for Mac
python3 --version

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2. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/ishar06/popshot.git

cd popshot

3. Set Up a Virtual Environment

# Windows
python -m venv venv

# MacOS
python3 -m venv venv

4. Activate the Virtual Environment

• Windows:

venv\Scripts\activate

• macOS/Linux:

source venv/bin/activate

5. Install Required Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt
# or
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

6. Add Sound and Image Assets

• Place your sound file pop.wav in the project root or appropriate sounds folder.
• Ensure ball images like ball1.png, ball2.png, bomb.png are inside the img_folder folder.

7. Run the Game

• Version 1

python PopShot.py
# or for Mac
python3 PopShot.py

• Version 1

python PopShot2.py
# or for Mac
python3 PopShot2.py

🎥 Make sure your webcam is enabled before running the game!

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🎮 Gameplay Instructions

• Normal Mode (✌️ Peace sign):
  • Gesture with two fingers to enter normal popping mode.
• Power Mode (🤙 Yo sign):
  • Gesture with thumb and pinky extended to activate power mode (bigger pops, faster pops!)
• Use your index finger or hand to pop balls by touching them virtually on the screen.
• Score as much as you can!

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👨‍💻 About the Developer

I am Ishardeep Singh, a dedicated and passionate developer pursuing a specialization in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. I have a strong interest in building innovative, real-time interactive applications that combine computer vision, AI, and user-centered design.

I specialize in Python development, with experience in frameworks such as OpenCV, MediaPipe, Flask, and Django, alongside a growing skillset in web development technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and the MERN Stack.
Through projects like PopShot, I aim to solve real-world problems while keeping the user experience intuitive, engaging, and technically robust.

Skills:

• Programming Languages: Python, C, C++, JavaScript
• Technologies & Frameworks: OpenCV, MediaPipe, Flask, Django, React (beginner)
• Areas of Interest: Computer Vision, AI/ML, Full-Stack Web Development, Game Development
• Soft Skills: Public Speaking, Team Leadership, Project Management, Problem Solving

📫 Contact & Links

• 📧 Email: [email protected]
• 💼 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ishardeep-singh-743789311
• 🌍 GitHub: github.com/ishar06
• 🪪 Resume: Click here

🔍 I am actively seeking opportunities to contribute to exciting projects, internships, and roles that align with my passion for technology and innovation. Let's connect!

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📄 License & Copyright

© 2025 Ishardeep Singh

This project is for educational and personal use. All media assets used (images and sounds) must be properly licensed or free to use. If you reuse this project, kindly give credit and do not distribute without permission.

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🎯 Enjoy popping! 🎉