Building a Kiwi-Themed Memory Game with Amazon Q CLI

I recently built a New Zealand–themed memory matching game using the Amazon Q Developer CLI — a new tool that helps developers generate code using natural language, right in the terminal.

This was part of my submission for the Build Games with Amazon Q CLI Challenge — and yes, there’s a t-shirt involved. 😄

🌿 Why a Kiwi-Themed Game?

As someone currently living in Aotearoa New Zealand, I wanted to create something that reflects the local culture and wildlife. The idea of using familiar NZ symbols — like the 🥝 kiwi bird, 🌿 silver fern, 🌀 koru, and 🐤 pūkeko — made the game not only fun but also meaningful to build.

It was also a perfect fit for a small offline browser game: simple logic, a welcoming tone, and room to apply accessibility and language features.

🧠 What I Built

🧠 Kiwi Memory Game — a lightweight memory game playable in any browser.

• Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Features:
  • Card flip animations and match logic
  • Web Audio API–powered sound feedback
  • Theme and language toggle (English + Te Reo Māori)
  • Accessible with keyboard and screen readers
  • Works completely offline
  • Deployed via GitHub Pages

📁 Code:
👉 https://github.com/jajera/q-kiwi-memory-game

⚙️ How I Used Q CLI

Amazon Q CLI lets you generate, test, and refine code interactively in your terminal. Here's what my workflow looked like:

1. Logged in via q login using my Builder ID
2. Ran q chat to open an interactive code session
3. Pasted a detailed spec for the game — including visual style, logic, accessibility, and sound
4. Iterated multiple times to improve the UI, fix bugs, and add polish

📄 Full specification — The more specific your prompt, the better the results.

🧪 Lessons Learned

• Q CLI is a powerful tool for generating and scaffolding ideas quickly
• Clear, structured prompts yield far better results than vague ones
• It’s a collaborative tool — you still need to test, fix, and iterate
• Small games like this are a great sandbox for accessibility and browser-based UX

🎮 Play the Game

🕹️ Try the game here:
👉 https://jajera.github.io/q-kiwi-memory-game/

Or explore the code:
👉 https://github.com/jajera/q-kiwi-memory-game

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If you're curious about Amazon Q CLI or just want to build something creative and fun — join the challenge and start shipping ideas today.

Questions or feedback? Drop them in the comments!