Real-Time Multiplayer Rock Paper Scissors

A real-time multiplayer Rock Paper Scissors game built with PHP, JavaScript and Pusher. Players can create or join a private room using a shareable link and play with live updates.

Overview

This project implements a lightweight real-time game system where two players interact in a shared room. Game state is synchronized across clients using event-driven updates.

Features

Create or join private game rooms
Real-time synchronization between players
Instant move updates and result calculation
Room-based game state management
Automatic room cleanup via script
Modular backend structure (Controllers and Services)

Tech Stack

PHP
JavaScript
Pusher (WebSocket-based communication)
Docker
Composer

Architecture

The backend is structured using a simple separation of concerns:

Controllers handle incoming requests
Services contain business logic (room management, real-time events)
Scripts handle maintenance tasks such as cleaning inactive rooms
Public serves frontend assets and entry point

Game state is stored per room and updated through API calls. Changes are broadcast to connected clients using Pusher.

Project Structure

public/ – frontend entry point and assets
src/Controllers/ – request handling
src/Services/ – business logic and integrations
scripts/ – maintenance scripts
includes/ – environment and bootstrap logic

Running Locally

Using Docker

docker build -t rock-paper-scissors .
docker run -p 8080:80 rock-paper-scissors

Then open: http://localhost:8080

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file with the following variables:

PUSHER_APP_ID=your_app_id
PUSHER_KEY=your_key
PUSHER_SECRET=your_secret
PUSHER_CLUSTER=your_cluster

Future Improvements

Add authentication
Persist game state in a database
Add rematch functionality
Improve frontend responsiveness
Add automated testing

rock-paper-scissors

README