From Vibe Coding to Play-First Programming

Greg, a developer working with VoIP phone systems, discovered that using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude for analyzing Wireshark packet captures dramatically sped up troubleshooting. This led him to experiment with AI-generated code for HTML, Python, and C#, creating small projects in minutes. He now identifies as an "AI-Assisted Play-First Programmer," focusing on learning through playful building rather than monetization, and is seeking a community of like-minded enthusiasts.

Hello, my name is Greg. About six months ago I started using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude at work for small tasks — proofreading emails, summarizing meeting notes, that kind of thing. But also some technical stuff too. One thing that really came in handy was analyzing packet captures from Wireshark. I work with VoIP phone systems, and when things go wrong, feeding a PCAP file into an AI chatbot speeds up the troubleshooting process dramatically. Before long I was asking AI to write code. First simple HTML pages, then Python, then C . I was amazed by the results. These weren't big projects — just small experiments — but they came to life in minutes instead of days. I found out there was already a term for this: vibe coding . Perfect, I thought. I made project after project and wanted to share the excitement with other people who were surely doing the same thing. I created a free learning website, published a book on Kindle Unlimited, and went looking for a community. I landed on Reddit. There were already vibe coding subreddits. I thought — this is great, I've found my people. Then reality hit. These communities had "vibe coding" in the name, but they weren't exactly vibe coding friendly. The term had already been claimed by people focused on monetizing their creations fast, with little interest in actually learning to code. That created a massive anti-vibe-coding crowd on the other side, and honestly there was an all-out war going on between them. Not really the place for someone just looking to share cool stuff they made. I came to a realization: I wasn't really a vibe coder — at least not the kind people were arguing about. I wasn't in it for the money. I was in it for the fun. I didn't mind learning programming concepts along the way. I wasn't trying to sell anything or launch a startup. I just liked making things and solving problems. So I retreated and regrouped. That's when I found a better description: Play-First Programmers . People who start by playing around. People who learn by building. Nothing too serious — just curiosity leading the way. The concept already existed, but now there's a new flavor of it: AI-Assisted Play-First Programmers . That's what I am. So that's my new mission — sharing the fun, sharing the discoveries, and hopefully finding the like-minded people who are out there somewhere. Maybe they're quietly building projects after work. Maybe they're hiding in the shadows, looking for a community and a way to describe what they do without getting flamed on social media. Most of the criticism aimed at vibe coding is well deserved. But that's not me. I'm not the guy spraying graffiti on the wall. I'm just the guy having fun learning how to hold the paintbrush.