The latest articles on DEV Community by Mauro (@justdude). https://dev.to/justdude https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3298105%2Fc72da60f-b6fb-4171-ae23-6ce05c878f8a.jpg https://dev.to/justdude en Mauro Thu, 26 Jun 2025 20:04:36 +0000 https://dev.to/justdude/turning-my-resume-into-an-interactive-game-reactjs-go-4chd https://dev.to/justdude/turning-my-resume-into-an-interactive-game-reactjs-go-4chd <p>I recently moved to Berlin and needed to stand out in the job applications. Instead of a traditional portfolio, I built an interactive pixel-art game where visitors walk through my career journey: </p> <p><a href="https://retrojourney.dev" rel="noopener noreferrer">RetroJourney Dev</a> 🎮</p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F3g6566som6oresz0nmfp.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F3g6566som6oresz0nmfp.png" alt="Main Sandbox" width="800" height="563"></a><br> <em>The main game world - walk around and discover my journey!</em></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Frvdj1o6tlejti8a3q3z1.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2Frvdj1o6tlejti8a3q3z1.png" alt="Dashboard Desktop" width="800" height="502"></a><br> <em>Analytics dashboard to track visitor interactions</em></p> <p><a href="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F7la8a9wl8yetp3cfyvke.png" class="article-body-image-wrapper"><img src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F7la8a9wl8yetp3cfyvke.png" alt="Sandbox Mobile Experience" width="746" height="1336"></a><br> <em>Mobile experience with virtual joystick controls</em></p> <h2> The Challenge 🎯 </h2> <p>As a senior backend developer (Java, Python, Go), this was my first time touching TypeScript, so be gentle! 😅</p> <h2> Tech Stack 🛠️ </h2> <ul> <li> <strong>Frontend</strong>: React + TypeScript ⚛️</li> <li> <strong>Backend</strong>: Go (Gin) 🐹</li> <li> <strong>Database</strong>: MongoDB 🍃</li> </ul> <h2> What I Built 🏗️ </h2> <ul> <li>Interactive 2D world with WASD movement 🕹️</li> <li>Career timeline (buildings = companies, statues = tech stack) 🏢</li> <li>Quest system and analytics dashboard 📊</li> <li>Mobile-friendly with touch controls 📱</li> </ul> <h2> Key Learning 💡 </h2> <ul> <li>React hooks felt like magic coming from backend ✨</li> <li>TypeScript caught tons of bugs (worth the initial frustration) 🐛</li> <li>CSS is harder than scaling distributed systems 😅</li> </ul> <h2> Assets 🎨 </h2> <ul> <li>Environments: Midjourney (for speed) 🤖</li> <li>Character sprites: Created by a friend 👨‍🎨</li> <li>Planning to do custom pixel art later ⏰</li> </ul> <p>This 3-week sprint taught me more about frontend than any tutorial. Sometimes the best way to learn is to build something you're excited about! 🚀</p> <p><strong>Looking for backend opportunities in Berlin</strong> 🇩🇪 - this project definitely helped me stand out in applications.</p> <h2> 🔗 Links </h2> <p><a href="https://github.com/SplinterPezz/retro-dev-journey" rel="noopener noreferrer">GitHub</a></p> <p><strong>Please give me some clap! 🗿</strong> <em>What creative approaches have you used to showcase your skills?</em> 💭</p> <p><strong>Tags</strong>: #react #typescript #golang #portfolio #career #webdevelopment #berlin #gamedev</p> react go opensource webdev