How I built interactive game using Cursor and Claude sonnet 4

Ridham Khandar — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 16:02:20 +0000

I will talk about how I built this NameTheCountries using Cursor Ai + Cluade Sonnet 4

I love to build random websites and stuff as a developer and I've always been fascinated by the potential of AI-powered development tools.
When I came across Cursor, I knew it that I am gonna build hell lot of stuff using this, So the first thing that I built was "Name The Countries" - a comprehensive geography learning game that exceeded my initial expectations.

The journey began with a simple prompt to Cursor AI: "Help me build a geography guessing game where users can identify countries on a map."

What impressed me immediately was how Claude understood not just the basic requirement, but anticipated the architectural needs:

// GameContext.tsx - Claude immediately suggested using React Context for state management
interface GameState {
  mode: GameMode;
  gameActive: boolean;
  startTime: number | null;
  score: number;
  guessedLocations: Set<string>;
  currentGuess: string;
  hints: number;
  // ... and much more
}

Claude didn't just create a basic game loop but it architected a scalable context system that could handle multiple game modes, scoring, timing, and even prepared the foundation for multiplayer functionality that I hadn't even mentioned yet.

One of the most challenging aspects was implementing the interactive map with country highlighting. I asked Cursor to help me integrate Leaflet.js:

// GameMap.tsx - Claude created a sophisticated mapping component
const GameMap = () => {
  const { gameState, updateMapStyles } = useGame();

  useEffect(() => {
    if (gameState.locationData && gameState.gameActive) {
      updateMapStyles();
    }
  }, [gameState.guessedLocations, gameState.locationData]);

  // Dynamic country highlighting based on game state
  const getLocationStyle = useCallback((location: any) => {
    const isGuessed = gameState.guessedLocations.has(location.name);
    // Complex styling logic for different states
  }, [gameState.guessedLocations]);
};

The most ambitious feature request I made was: "Add real-time multiplayer functionality where players can compete in the same game."

Claude didn't just add a simple multiplayer mode - it architected a complete real-time system:

// Firebase integration with sophisticated room management
const MultiplayerGame = memo(() => {
  const [roomData, setRoomData] = useState<any>(null);
  const [currentPlayer, setCurrentPlayer] = useState<any>(null);

  // Real-time room data subscription
  useEffect(() => {
    const unsubscribe = multiplayerService.subscribeToRoom(gameState.roomCode, (room) => {
      setRoomData(room);
      // Synchronized game state management
    });
    return () => unsubscribe?.();
  }, [gameState.roomCode]);

  // Synchronized timer across all players
  useEffect(() => {
    if (roomData?.gameStartTime && gameState.gameActive) {
      const syncedElapsed = Math.floor((Date.now() - roomData.gameStartTime) / 1000);
      // Complex synchronization logic
    }
  }, [roomData?.gameStartTime]);
});

The AI handled:

Firebase Firestore real-time subscriptions
Synchronized game timers across players
Room management with join/leave functionality
Race condition handling
Player state synchronization
Winner determination logic

One of the most iterative parts of the development was UI refinement. I frequently gave feedback like:

"The navbar looks congested, can you make it cleaner?"

Claude would respond with thoughtful redesigns:

// From a cluttered navbar to a clean, organized header
const GameHeader = () => {
  return (
    <div className="w-full flex flex-col md:flex-row justify-between items-center gap-4 mb-6">
      <div className="flex items-center gap-6">
        <h1 className="text-3xl md:text-4xl font-bold text-blue-600 dark:text-blue-400">
          Name The Countries
        </h1>
        {/* Status indicators */}
      </div>

      <div className="flex flex-wrap items-center gap-3">
        {/* Game controls organized logically */}
      </div>
    </div>
  );
};

Results and Impact

The final application exceeded my initial expectations:

Performance: Smooth gameplay across devices with optimized rendering
User Experience: Intuitive interface with professional polish
Scalability: Architecture ready for additional features and game modes
Code Quality: Well-structured, typed, and maintainable codebase

Lessons for AI-Assisted Development

Do's:

Start with clear, specific requirements
Iterate and refine based on testing
Provide context about user experience goals
Ask for explanations of complex implementations
Test thoroughly and report specific issues

Don'ts:

Don't try to specify everything upfront
Don't accept solutions without understanding them
Don't skip testing intermediate implementations
Don't assume AI understands unstated requirements

You can check out the game here: NameTheCountries

I am up for feedback and suggestions to improve the game even further.

DEV Community: Ridham Khandar

How I built interactive game using Cursor and Claude sonnet 4

Results and Impact

Lessons for AI-Assisted Development

Do's:

Don'ts: