This is a submission for the Google AI Studio Multimodal Challenge
Demo Link: Ascii Snake Learning
What I Built
I created ASCII Snake: Web Crawler, a thematic reimagining of the classic Snake game for the modern web. This isn't just about growing a line on a grid; it's an interactive commentary on the battle for focus in an age of digital distraction.
In the game, you pilot a "snake" that represents a web crawler navigating deeper into a digital system, for this example: Learning Computer Science from Wikipedia.
-
Goal: Consume data packets (
*), which increase your depth (score) and lengthen your URL path, simulating a journey into more profound knowledge. -
Obstacles: Encounter
X— pesky ads and short-form video temptations. -
Distraction Mechanic: Hitting one triggers a pop-up window with an AI-generated image mimicking clickbait and memes. This collision:
- Diverts your attention.
- Penalizes your depth.
- Forces you to refocus your journey.
The entire experience is wrapped in a CLI and ASCII aesthetic, with:
- A dynamic data-stream background.
- Procedural retro sound effects.
- A deeply immersive, old-school hacker ambiance.
How I Used Google AI Studio
Google AI, specifically the Gemini API, powers the game's core “distraction” mechanic. A commentary on the increasing ai-generated content on the web, plus how gemini's guardrails on the latest gemini-2.5 flash image-preview are so good!!!
- I used imagen-4.0-generate-001 to generate images on the fly.
- This transformed what could have been repetitive obstacles into a dynamic, unpredictable element.
Implementation
- When a player hits an obstacle or loses a life, the game triggers an API call to Gemini.
- A curated list of text prompts produces images styled as:
- Viral memes.
- Clickbait thumbnails.
- Bizarre, attention-grabbing media.
- Example: > "Clickbait thumbnail, a person with a shocked face, giant red arrow pointing to something mundane"
- The API response — a freshly generated image — is rendered into a pop-up window on the game screen.
This makes the AI-generated content a central part of the gameplay loop, directly challenging the player.
Multimodal Features
The key multimodal feature is real-time, prompt-based image generation that responds to in-game events.
Instead of using static pre-loaded assets, the game leverages Gemini’s text-to-image capabilities to create unique visuals for every encounter.
Why This Matters
Authentic Distractions
The novelty of each distraction feels real. Like scrolling a social media feed, players never know what absurd image will appear next.Infinite Replayability
Because images are generated live, every session is unique. Players won’t become desensitized to repeating content.Thematic Reinforcement
The AI-generated images embody the narrative: bizarre, surreal, and algorithmically optimized — mirroring modern digital media designed to hijack attention.
Summary
ASCII Snake: Web Crawler takes a classic arcade formula and retools it into a playable critique of distraction culture, where AI-generated clickbait doesn’t just decorate the experience — it is the challenge.
Top comments (2)
This is really fun!
Haha! Yeah, this was a fun idea to execute. Glad you got the humour :p