Arduino Virtual Pet using Arduino Uno – OLED Interactive Game in Wokwi

Build your own Virtual Pet Game using Arduino Uno in the Wokwi simulator! This beginner-friendly and fun electronics project lets you create a digital Tamagotchi-style pet that reacts to button inputs. Feed it, play with it, and let it sleep while monitoring its status on a 128x64 OLED display.

This interactive Arduino project is perfect for students, STEM learners, robotics enthusiasts, and beginners who want hands-on experience with embedded systems, OLED display interfacing, and real-time game logic programming.

Components Used (Wokwi Simulation)

Arduino Uno
SSD1306 128x64 OLED Display (I2C)
Push Buttons (Feed, Play, Sleep)
Buzzer (for sound effects)
Wokwi

How the Arduino Virtual Pet Works

The Arduino Uno communicates with the SSD1306 OLED display via I2C (A4 – SDA, A5 – SCL). The virtual pet has real-time status parameters:

Happiness Level
Hunger Level
Energy Level
Age Counter

Button Interactions

Feed Button (Pin 2): Reduces hunger and slightly increases happiness
Play Button (Pin 3): Boosts happiness but reduces energy
Sleep Button (Pin 4): Restores energy

If ignored, the pet’s stats gradually decrease every 5 seconds, making the system dynamic and interactive. If hunger reaches maximum or happiness drops to zero, the pet “dies” — adding a real game logic element.

Sound Effects & Animations

The buzzer connected to Pin 8 produces:

Startup melody
Eating sound
Happy tone
Sleep melody
Warning beeps
Death sound

The OLED displays:

Animated facial expressions
Mood-based reactions (happy, sad, tired, hungry)
Bouncing animation
Live status bars
Age counter
R.I.P screen when stats reach critical levels

Key Features

✔ Animated pet expressions on OLED
✔ Real-time status bar indicators
✔ Button-controlled interaction
✔ Sound feedback using buzzer
✔ Automatic stat decay system
✔ Beginner-friendly Arduino logic
✔ Fully testable in Wokwi (no hardware required)

Learning Outcomes

This project helps learners understand:

OLED display interfacing with Arduino
I2C communication basics
Push button input handling using INPUT_PULLUP
Variables and conditional statements
State-based programming logic
Basic embedded game development
Real-time system updates using millis()

Applications

STEM classroom activity
Arduino beginner coding project
Robotics club demonstration
DIY handheld game device concept
Embedded systems mini-game

Code:

#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>

#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64
#define OLED_RESET -1

Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, OLED_RESET);

// Button pins
const int BTN_FEED = 2;
const int BTN_PLAY = 3;
const int BTN_SLEEP = 4;

// Buzzer pin
const int BUZZER = 8;

// Pet stats
int hunger = 50;
int happiness = 70;
int energy = 80;
int age = 0;

// Animation
int frame = 0;
unsigned long lastUpdate = 0;
unsigned long lastAnim = 0;

// Sound enabled flag
bool soundEnabled = true;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("Starting Virtual Pet with Sounds...");
  
  // Setup buttons
  pinMode(BTN_FEED, INPUT_PULLUP);
  pinMode(BTN_PLAY, INPUT_PULLUP);
  pinMode(BTN_SLEEP, INPUT_PULLUP);
  
  // Setup buzzer
  pinMode(BUZZER, OUTPUT);
  
  // Initialize display
  if(!display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC, 0x3C)) {
    Serial.println("Display failed!");
    for(;;);
  }
  
  Serial.println("Display OK!");
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE);
  
  // Show welcome screen with startup sound
  playStartupSound();
  display.setTextSize(2);
  display.setCursor(10, 20);
  display.println("Virtual");
  display.setCursor(25, 40);
  display.println("Pet!");
  display.display();
  delay(2000);
}

void loop() {
  unsigned long now = millis();
  
  // Update stats every 5 seconds
  if (now - lastUpdate > 5000) {
    hunger = min(100, hunger + 3);
    happiness = max(0, happiness - 2);
    energy = max(0, energy - 2);
    age++;
    lastUpdate = now;
    
    // Warning beep if stats getting critical
    if (hunger > 80 || happiness < 20 || energy < 20) {
      playWarningSound();
    }
    
    Serial.print("H:"); Serial.print(hunger);
    Serial.print(" E:"); Serial.print(happiness);
    Serial.print(" T:"); Serial.println(energy);
  }
  
  // Animation frame
  if (now - lastAnim > 500) {
    frame = (frame + 1) % 2;
    lastAnim = now;
  }
  
  // Check buttons
  if (digitalRead(BTN_FEED) == LOW) {
    hunger = max(0, hunger - 30);
    happiness = min(100, happiness + 5);
    playEatSound();
    showMessage("Fed!");
    delay(500);
  }
  
  if (digitalRead(BTN_PLAY) == LOW) {
    if (energy > 20) {
      happiness = min(100, happiness + 20);
      energy = max(0, energy - 15);
      playHappySound();
      showMessage("Fun!");
      delay(500);
    } else {
      playSadSound();
      showMessage("Too tired!");
      delay(500);
    }
  }
  
  if (digitalRead(BTN_SLEEP) == LOW) {
    energy = min(100, energy + 40);
    playSleepSound();
    showMessage("Zzz...");
    delay(1000);
  }
  
  // Draw screen
  display.clearDisplay();
  
  // Check if dead
  if (hunger >= 100 || happiness <= 0) {
    playDeathSound();
    drawDead();
  } else {
    drawPet();
    drawStats();
    drawButtons();
  }
  
  display.display();
  delay(100);
}

// ============ SOUND FUNCTIONS ============

void playStartupSound() {
  // Happy startup melody
  tone(BUZZER, 523, 150); // C
  delay(150);
  tone(BUZZER, 659, 150); // E
  delay(150);
  tone(BUZZER, 784, 200); // G
  delay(200);
}

void playEatSound() {
  // Eating sound - quick ascending notes
  tone(BUZZER, 400, 100);
  delay(120);
  tone(BUZZER, 500, 100);
  delay(120);
  tone(BUZZER, 600, 100);
  delay(120);
}

void playHappySound() {
  // Happy playful sound
  tone(BUZZER, 800, 100);
  delay(120);
  tone(BUZZER, 1000, 100);
  delay(120);
  tone(BUZZER, 1200, 150);
  delay(170);
}

void playSleepSound() {
  // Sleepy descending melody
  tone(BUZZER, 700, 200);
  delay(220);
  tone(BUZZER, 600, 200);
  delay(220);
  tone(BUZZER, 500, 300);
  delay(320);
}

void playSadSound() {
  // Sad descending notes
  tone(BUZZER, 400, 200);
  delay(220);
  tone(BUZZER, 300, 300);
  delay(320);
}

void playWarningSound() {
  // Warning beep
  tone(BUZZER, 800, 100);
  delay(150);
  tone(BUZZER, 800, 100);
  delay(150);
}

void playDeathSound() {
  // Sad death sound (only plays once)
  static bool deathSoundPlayed = false;
  if (!deathSoundPlayed) {
    tone(BUZZER, 500, 300);
    delay(320);
    tone(BUZZER, 400, 300);
    delay(320);
    tone(BUZZER, 300, 500);
    delay(520);
    deathSoundPlayed = true;
  }
}

// ============ DRAWING FUNCTIONS ============

void drawPet() {
  int x = 64;
  int y = 30;
  
  // Body
  display.fillCircle(x, y, 12, SSD1306_WHITE);
  
  // Determine face based on stats
  if (hunger > 70) {
    // Hungry face
    display.fillCircle(x-4, y-2, 2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.fillCircle(x+4, y-2, 2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.fillCircle(x, y+4, 3, SSD1306_BLACK); // Open mouth
  } else if (energy < 30) {
    // Tired face
    display.drawLine(x-5, y-2, x-2, y-2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.drawLine(x+2, y-2, x+5, y-2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    if (frame == 0) {
      display.setCursor(x+12, y-8);
      display.setTextSize(1);
      display.print("Z");
    }
  } else if (happiness < 40) {
    // Sad face
    display.fillCircle(x-4, y-2, 2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.fillCircle(x+4, y-2, 2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.drawLine(x-3, y+6, x, y+4, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.drawLine(x, y+4, x+3, y+6, SSD1306_BLACK);
  } else {
    // Happy face
    display.fillCircle(x-4, y-2, 2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.fillCircle(x+4, y-2, 2, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.drawLine(x-5, y+3, x-2, y+5, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.drawLine(x-2, y+5, x+2, y+5, SSD1306_BLACK);
    display.drawLine(x+2, y+5, x+5, y+3, SSD1306_BLACK);
    
    // Bounce animation
    if (frame == 0) y -= 2;
  }
  
  // Feet
  display.fillCircle(x-8, y+13, 3, SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.fillCircle(x+8, y+13, 3, SSD1306_WHITE);
  
  // Draw musical note if happy
  if (happiness > 70 && frame == 0) {
    display.setCursor(x+15, y-5);
    display.setTextSize(1);
    display.print((char)3); // Musical note character
  }
}

void drawStats() {
  display.setTextSize(1);
  
  // Hunger (inverted - lower is better)
  display.setCursor(0, 0);
  display.print("H:");
  int h = map(100-hunger, 0, 100, 0, 20);
  display.drawRect(12, 0, 22, 6, SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.fillRect(13, 1, h, 4, SSD1306_WHITE);
  
  // Happiness
  display.setCursor(38, 0);
  display.print("E:");
  int e = map(happiness, 0, 100, 0, 20);
  display.drawRect(50, 0, 22, 6, SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.fillRect(51, 1, e, 4, SSD1306_WHITE);
  
  // Energy
  display.setCursor(76, 0);
  display.print("T:");
  int t = map(energy, 0, 100, 0, 20);
  display.drawRect(88, 0, 22, 6, SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.fillRect(89, 1, t, 4, SSD1306_WHITE);
  
  // Age
  display.setCursor(114, 0);
  display.print(age);
}

void drawButtons() {
  display.setTextSize(1);
  display.setCursor(0, 56);
  display.print("Feed");
  display.setCursor(44, 56);
  display.print("Play");
  display.setCursor(88, 56);
  display.print("Sleep");
}

void drawDead() {
  display.setTextSize(2);
  display.setCursor(20, 15);
  display.println("R.I.P.");
  display.setTextSize(1);
  display.setCursor(10, 35);
  display.println("Pet has died");
  display.setCursor(5, 50);
  display.println("Reset to restart");
}

void showMessage(const char* msg) {
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.setTextSize(2);
  display.setCursor(20, 25);
  display.println(msg);
  display.display();
}

Features of the Virtual Pet Project

Animated face expressions on OLED
Button-controlled interaction
Real-time status updates
Beginner-friendly Arduino logic
Fully testable in Wokwi simulator
Great for robotics and STEM learning

Diagram.json:

{
  "version": 1,
  "author": "Wokwi",
  "editor": "wokwi",
  "parts": [
    { "type": "wokwi-arduino-uno", "id": "uno", "top": 0, "left": 0, "attrs": {} },
    { "type": "wokwi-ssd1306", "id": "oled", "top": -100, "left": 100, "attrs": {} },
    { "type": "wokwi-pushbutton", "id": "btn1", "top": 150, "left": -50, "attrs": { "color": "green" } },
    { "type": "wokwi-pushbutton", "id": "btn2", "top": 150, "left": 20, "attrs": { "color": "blue" } },
    { "type": "wokwi-pushbutton", "id": "btn3", "top": 150, "left": 90, "attrs": { "color": "yellow" } },
    { "type": "wokwi-buzzer", "id": "buzzer", "top": 100, "left": -100, "attrs": {} }
  ],
  "connections": [
    [ "oled:GND", "uno:GND.1", "black", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "oled:VCC", "uno:5V", "red", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "oled:SDA", "uno:A4", "blue", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "oled:SCL", "uno:A5", "green", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "btn1:1.l", "uno:2", "green", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "btn1:2.l", "uno:GND.2", "black", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "btn2:1.l", "uno:3", "blue", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "btn2:2.l", "uno:GND.2", "black", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "btn3:1.l", "uno:4", "yellow", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "btn3:2.l", "uno:GND.2", "black", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "buzzer:1", "uno:8", "red", [ "v0" ] ],
    [ "buzzer:2", "uno:GND.3", "black", [ "v0" ] ]
  ]
}

IOT & SMART SYSTEM PROJECTS

TRAFFIC & SMART CITY PROJECTS

ROBOTICS PROJECTS

LORA & WIRELESS COMMUNICATION PROJECTS

LED, LIGHTING & DISPLAY PROJECTS

SENSOR & DETECTION PROJECTS

FUN & INTERACTIVE PROJECTS

INDUSTRIAL / AUTOMATION PROJECTS

ROBOTICS

Search This Blog