Small Bit Arcade Games + Site - Amazon Q Developer Quack the Code Challenger

This is a submission for the Amazon Q Developer "Quack The Code" Challenge: That's Entertainment!

What I Built

I built Small Bit Arcade, a nostalgic virtual arcade experience that transports users back to the neon-drenched world of 80s gaming. The project features a retro-styled website with multiple arcade games including Mad Monkey, Slime Sucker, Missile Madness, and Sharky Shark, all presented in retro stye with Atari-like graphics.

Demo

You can experience Small Bit Arcade by visiting the general website or directly hop to one of the games below.
Games

• Sharky Shark - Single button or screen tap, works on mobile
• Mad Monkey - single button or screen tap, works on mobile
• Missile Madness - requires a keyboard, does not work on mobile
• Slime Sucker - WASD controls, not working on mobile. Least polished

Code Repository

No public code available for this repository.

How I Used Amazon Q Developer

Amazon Q Developer did almost every single bit of work in creating Small Bit Arcade. I basically added sounds aside from intensive prompting.

1. Innitial Game Setup I prompted games individually, had Q make changes based on new prompts. I had started with Pygame then decided I wanted to get the games working on the web. Q also ported them, often in 1 attempt.

2. Initial Site Setup: I used Amazon Q to help scaffold the Astro project structure. I gave guidance on what components I wanted and then strong design guidance for the 80's neon look.

3. SVG Game Icons: Creating the pixel-art style SVG game icons was challenging. I described what I wanted to Amazon Q, which then generated the SVG code for each game icon, saving me hours of manual work. First passes weren't great or representative of the game, but telling Q to look at the game code resulted in much more representative icons.

4. Responsive Design Troubleshooting: When the arcade cabinets weren't displaying correctly on mobile devices, I asked Amazon Q for help. It identified the issues in my CSS and provided fixes that made the site fully responsive, including media queries that adjusted the layout for smaller screens.

5. Game Logic Assistance: For the game mechanics, Amazon Q implemented collision detection for Sharky Shark and the jumping physics for Mad Monkey.

Amazon Q Developer felt like having an intern working for me. I was just throwing things over to AI and getting really useable reuslts back.

What impressed me most was Q's ability to understand the retro arcade aesthetic I was aiming for and provide solutions that maintained that visual style.

Comments

[Michael Liang]

Great post