# I Built a 2-Player Brain Game at a Google Community Event (and Then Leveled It Up)

> Source: <https://dev.to/salman_tariq_be5d705509b0/i-built-a-2-player-brain-game-at-a-google-community-event-and-then-leveled-it-up-3j3d>
> Published: 2026-10-16 21:13:06+00:00

Today, I attended **Vibe Coding with Google AI Studio**, hosted by **GDG on Campus** in **Peshawar**. The session was about Google AI Studio and how it can turn a rough idea into a working app in minutes.

At the end, the speaker gave us a challenge: **build a game. The top 3 would get a surprise.** 🎁

Here's what I built, what I learned, and how I took it further.

## 
  
  
  🎮 Play it first

👉 **[Play Number Nebula on CodePen](https://codepen.io/Salman-Tariq-the-sasster/pen/01a1465d-e154-79f0-9507-43c0fea83afb)** 

**Controls:** Player 1 uses `A` `D` to move and `W` to fire. Player 2 uses the arrow keys. No friend nearby? Pick **Cosmic Bot**.

## 
  
  
  💡 The idea: Number Nebula

I wanted a game that is **fun for kids but still makes adults think**. So I mixed a classic space shooter with puzzles:

- 
**Math Duel:** solve the sum, then shoot the alien carrying the answer.
- 
**Word Builder:** read a clue, then shoot letters in the right order to spell the word.
- 
**Brain Mix:** both, taking turns.

Two players share one screen, and every 3 correct answers in a row fires an attack (Freeze, Fog, or Meteor Rush) at your rival.

## 
  
  
  🔁 How I built it

1. 
**Prompt:** I wrote a structured prompt (concept, controls, levels, scoring, visuals) and gave it to Google AI Studio. It built a working version on the first try.
2. 
**Iterate:** I listed improvements and ranked them by impact. The biggest problem was that players never affected each other, so I added combo attacks.
3. 
**Level up:** I added power-ups, a boss battle, age-based difficulty (so a 7-year-old and an adult can play a fair match), a bot opponent, and the Word Builder mode.

**My biggest lesson:** make one change at a time, test it, then move on. Small steps beat one giant request.

## 
  
  
  ⚙️ Under the hood

- Pure **HTML5 Canvas + JavaScript** , one single file, no frameworks
- Sound effects generated in code with the **Web Audio API** (no audio files)
- A simple **game loop** : update positions → check collisions → draw, about 60 times a second

## 
  
  
  🚀 What's next

- 
**Online multiplayer** , so two friends can play from different cities
- 
**Theme packs** for Word Builder, starting with coding words like LOOP, ARRAY and CLASS
- A **global leaderboard**

I'm a Software Engineering student at IMSciences, Peshawar, and I'm building in public. Feedback is very welcome: **what mode should I add next?** 👇