Python GUI Development with PyQt: The Next Step After PyGame to Learn Python
Learn PyQt with Python to build powerful desktop applications, strengthen OOP skills, and take the next step beyond PyGame into real-world development.
Over the past few months in our Python Roadmap to Success, we’ve covered a lot together. We started with the basics—things like variables, conditionals, loops, and functions.
From there, we built onto more advanced topics: modules, object-oriented programming, and how to solve problems the way real devs do.
All along, my sole goal hasn’t been for you to just memorize commands. I’ve wanted you to start thinking like a programmer. How to look at problems, break them down, and then build solutions with Python.
That’s what programing is, our ability to solve problems through code.
In our last lesson, we dug into PyGame. That was a big milestone because it forced you to pull everything you’ve learned so far into one interactive project.
Games are a great way to test your skills as you get live interactive feedback, but now it’s time to push further and start working with a tool that will not only sharpen your Python but also prepare you for real-world development. That tool is PyQt.
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PyQt is Python’s way of using the Qt framework, which is one of the most widely used systems for building apps that run on different platforms.Basically it lets you create desktop applications with things you’re already familiar with: windows, buttons, text boxes, sliders. These are all the pieces you see in everyday software.
It’s such a good fit for this stage of your learning because it’s built entirely around classes. Every piece of the interface you touch in PyQt from it’s a button, windows, or a text field is a class.
Each of these classes has its own properties, methods, and built-in inheritance you can use. Instead of building a button from scratch, you just create an object from an existing class and tweak it to work the way you want.
That’s why PyQt is one of the best ways to reinforce object-oriented programming in Python. You’re not working with made-up examples anymore, you’re inside a framework where OOP is the natural way to build things.
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Why PyQt is the Next Step
When we first got into PyGame, I called it the perfect playground for practicing Python because it really is. It’s a real test to start putting your skills together. PyQt has a similar feel, but it serves a different purpose.
PyGame is all about building games. PyQt is about building applications. That means things like calculators, note apps, media players, or even the first version of more advanced tools like dashboards.
This shift matters because it pushes you closer to the type of coding you’d run into in real jobs. I can pretty much guarantee you a company won’t hire you to build a 2D PyGame… But almost every industry relies on desktop applications in some way.
By learning PyQt, you’re not just practicing Python you’re getting experience that lines up with real-world development.
Learning the basics of Python was pretty much like practicing a sport, for me that sport is Tennis. PyGame was like your first lesson, PyQt is more like entering an actual Tennis match. It takes structure, discipline, and real command of your fundamentals.
PyQt has its own flow, it runs on something called an event-driven model. In normal Python scripts, you decide what runs first, second, and so on. In PyQt, you create widgets, hook them up to actions, and then step back.
The user drives the program. They click a button, type in a box, or move a window, and your app reacts.
This event-driven approach is at the core of GUI programming, and it ties directly into what you already know about OOP. Every widget is a class, every action is a method, and every property can be adjusted to fit what you need.
If you want to take your OOP skills up a level, then this should become your best friend.
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How PyQt Reinforces Object-Oriented Programming
You might be thinking, “Wait, haven’t we already gone over OOP?” And you’re right—we have. But the thing is, theory will only get you so far.
Object-oriented programming is one of those ideas that really clicks once you’re forced to use it. PyQt makes that happen, because you can’t write a PyQt app without working with classes and objects.
Remember the four pillars of OOP I went through? I covered encapsulation, inheritance, polymorphism and abstraction. PyQt gives you hands-on practice with all of these.
Take encapsulation, it’s about keeping data and behavior together. A QPushButton in PyQt is a perfect example. It’s not just a variable or a function, it’s an object.
It has properties like its label text, size, or color, and it has methods like what happens when you click it. You don’t have to know how the button is built under the hood so you just use its interface.
Inheritance shows up when you want to create something custom. Say you want a button that flashes red when clicked. Instead of writing it from scratch, you make a new class that inherits from QPushButton and then tweak or extend what it does.
Polymorphism comes into play when you connect signals (events) to slots (functions or methods). You might have several buttons tied to the same method, but each one behaves a little differently depending on the context. Same method, different result is polymorphism.
All of a sudden, these abstract OOP principles aren’t abstract anymore. They’re part of every line of PyQt code you write. You’re not just studying OOP, now you’re actually using it to create something.
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Building Your First PyQt Application
I’ve actually covered a few in-depth PyQt Desktop Projects here on The Nerd Nook during our monthly Python projects on Project X. I will put a few here for you guys, these will help you get started with PyQt and strengthen your OOP.
The best way to see why PyQt is such a powerful tool is to build something small: a simple window with a button that helps you subscribe to The Nerd Nook premium, of course.
At first, this might look a little heavier than the scripts you’ve written before, but once you break it down, it’s not so bad.
We start by importing the main classes we need from PyQt. One thing you’ll notice right away: almost everything in PyQt is built as a class—QApplication, QWidget, QPushButton. This is on purpose as it’s framework designed around object-oriented programming.
Next, we create our own class, MyApp, which inherits from QWidget. This is inheritance in action. A QWidget is the base class for any user interface element in PyQt. By extending it, we’re saying: MyApp is a QWidget, but with its own custom setup.
Inside our class, the __init__ method calls initUI. That’s where we set up the window: we give it a title, a size, and add a button. Notice how the button isn’t just sitting there—it has behavior.
We connect its click signal to the subscribe method, which should subscribe to The Nerd Nook when clicked (You’d need to write a method for that still). That’s encapsulation.
Finally, in the main block, we create a QApplication (every PyQt program needs one), make an instance of MyApp, and start the event loop with app.exec(). Without the event loop, nothing would respond to clicks or window actions.
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PyQt vs. PyGame: Complementary Learning Tools
You might be wondering how PyQt fits in when we’ve already spent time with PyGame. The truth is, they’re very different, but they actually work really well together to help you actually master Python.
PyGame is all about experimenting. It shows you how to mix logic, graphics, and user input to make something come alive on the screen. It’s creative, playful, and a great way to test your problem-solving skills.
PyQt, on the other hand, is about structure. It teaches you how to build polished, user-friendly applications that feel like real software. Here, organization and design matter just as much as the code itself.
Both have value, and together they give you a balanced foundation in Python.
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Wrapping Up Lesson Twenty-One
By this point in the roadmap, you’re no longer just learning Python as a standalone language. You’re applying it in real frameworks that look and feel like what developers use every day.
PyGame gave you practice with interactivity and logic, while PyQt takes you further by adding structure, user interfaces, and an event-driven way of thinking.
The biggest shift with PyQt is how much it leans on object-oriented programming. Every button, window, and widget is a class. Every action you connect is a method. You’re not just reviewing OOP anymore—you’re relying on it as the backbone of your applications.
If you keep going with PyQt and challenge yourself with a few projects, you’ll come out with more than just stronger coding skills. You’ll gain the confidence to take on projects that look and feel professional.
And that’s the real goal. It’s not only about knowing Python syntax—it’s about learning how to design, structure, and build software like a programmer. PyQt is one of the best tools to help you make that leap.
So as you keep moving forward, keep this in mind: PyGame helped you play with Python, but PyQt shows you how to put your skills out into the world. That’s the point where you stop thinking of yourself as just a learner and start stepping into the role of a developer.
Let’s keep moving forward with Day #22 next week.
Hope you all have an amazing week nerds ~ Josh (Chief Nerd Officer 🤓)
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