I Built a 2-Player Brain Game at a Google Community Event (and Then Leveled It Up)

On a recent Google Community event in Peshawar, I had the opportunity to participate in Vibe Coding with Google AI Studio. The event showcased how Google AI Studio can quickly transform an idea into a functional app. At the end, the speaker challenged us to create a game, with the top three submissions receiving a surprise.

I decided to build a two-player brain game named Number Nebula. The concept aimed to entertain kids while challenging adults. I combined elements of a classic space shooter with math and word puzzles. Players took turns solving math sums or arranging letters to spell words. They also shared a screen, with every three consecutive correct answers triggering a powerful attack to weaken their opponent.

To create Number Nebula, I utilized Google AI Studio's prompt feature. I outlined the game's concept, controls, levels, scoring, and visuals, and the tool generated a functional version in just one attempt. After the initial build, I focused on refining the game by identifying improvements and prioritizing them based on their impact. The primary challenge was ensuring that the players' actions influenced each other. To address this, I introduced combo attacks, which added excitement to the gameplay.

I then expanded the game by incorporating power-ups, a boss battle, and varying difficulty levels based on the players' ages. The game also included a bot opponent for solo play and the Word Builder mode. To ensure smooth performance, I used pure HTML5 Canvas combined with JavaScript, implementing a simple game loop that updated positions, checked collisions, and drew the game elements approximately 60 times per second.

Looking ahead, I envision adding online multiplayer functionality so that two friends could play from different cities. Additionally, I plan to introduce theme packs for the Word Builder mode, starting with coding-related terms like LOOP, ARRAY, and CLASS. Finally, I intend to create a global leaderboard to encourage friendly competition among players worldwide.

As a Software Engineering student at IMSciences in Peshawar, I am committed to building in public and welcome any feedback. If you have suggestions for new game modes, please share them—I'm eager to hear your ideas!