Rameown : A Cozy Ramen Game Experience with AWS
Imagine you enter a cozy ramen shop after a busy day of work. The sound of crackling fire in the background, you put on the pot and get the water boiling.
Published Jan 6, 2025
Last Modified Jan 7, 2025
This was the inspiration behind ra-meow-n, a cozy and calming ramen-making game I created for the AWS Game Builder Challenge. In a world of high-stimulation games, I wanted to create a relaxing experience where players could pause, enjoy soothing sound effects, and immerse themselves in a serene environment.
The AWS Game Builder Challenge was my first-ever hackathon, and it was an unforgettable experience. From brainstorming ideas to watching the game come to life, every moment was exciting—and yes, I craved ramen a lot during development!
The goal of ra-meow-n was to provide a low-stimulation alternative to typical games. Using soft color palettes, cozy sound effects, and calming interactions like waiting for water to boil, I hoped to create an experience that felt like a warm hug after a long day.
One of the most exciting parts of this hackathon was working with Amazon Q Developer. It became my go-to tool for debugging, generating ideas, and even referencing solutions from Stack Overflow. (CHATGPT WHO??)
Here’s an image of me inspecting my game and asking Amazon Q for help:
ra-meow-n was built using AWS Amplify, which made deploying and integrating the game seamless. Developing with TypeScript, Vite, and TailwindCSS, I leaned on Amplify to handle backend configurations and handle hosting. This allowed me to focus on creating a cozy front-end experience.
Making ra-meow-n came with its challenges, but I learned a lot along the way:
- Finding Images: It took a long time to find the right pictures to make the game look good.
- Adding Sounds: Matching sound effects with player actions was harder than I thought.
- Using Conditional Rendering in React: I had to learn how to show or hide parts of the game based on what the player was doing.
TypeScript Basics: I learned how to use generic types to make my code simpler and easier to reuse.
Improving User Experience: Little things like sound effects and smooth transitions made the game more relaxing.
Focusing on Details: Even small things, like how buttons look when you hover over them, made a big difference in the game.
Participating in the AWS Game Builder Challenge was an incredible journey. It gave me the opportunity to explore new tools and push my creative boundaries, Special thanks to AWS for hosting such a thoughtful and inspiring hackathon.
Thank you for reading, and I hope ra-meow-n brings a little calm to your day!
Thank you for reading, and I hope ra-meow-n brings a little calm to your day!
ps. have got a final tomorrow-wish me luck!