Memory Game with Amazon Q and AWS Amplify
As part of the AWS GameBuilder Challenge Hackathon, I embarked on creating a memory card game using Amazon Q's guidance. Let me share how Amazon Q helped
Published Jan 6, 2025
Last Modified Jan 7, 2025
The Cloud Quest Memory Game is a classic card-matching game with modern cloud capabilities. Players can create accounts, sign in, flip cards to find matches, track their scores and moves, and start new games. The application uses React with Vite for the frontend and AWS Amplify Gen2 for the backend infrastructure.
- Amazon Q provided a clear project structure and recommended the tech stack
- Suggested using React with Vite (TypeScript) for optimal performance
- Recommended AWS Amplify Gen2 for simplified cloud deployment
Amazon Q helped design a robust architecture including:
- Frontend: React (TS) components for game board, cards, and scoring
- Backend: AWS Amplify for authentication and data management
- State Management: React hooks for game logic
- Cloud Services: Amplify's authentication and storage capabilities
- Full code snippets for React components
- Authentication flow implementation
- Game logic algorithms
- AWS service integration code
The project leverages several AWS services:
- AWS Amplify for full-stack deployment
- Amazon Cognito for user authentication
- DynamoDB for storing game states and scores
- S3 for static asset hosting
Amazon Q guided through the deployment steps:
- Setting up AWS Amplify CLI
- Initializing Amplify project
- Adding authentication
- Deploying to AWS cloud
During the initial setup, I encountered dependency conflicts between React versions 18 and later versions (19/20). While Amazon Q first suggested using Create React App, it quickly adapted its recommendation when the setup encountered issues. Upon identifying the dependency conflicts, Amazon Q proposed switching to Vite as the build tool. This suggestion helped fixing the issue.
Another interesting aspect of working with Amazon Q was experiencing its ability to provide updated service recommendations. Initially, Amazon Q provided implementation steps using AWS Amplify Gen1 commands. However, upon requesting that Amplify Gen2 would be more suitable for our project, it promptly adjusted its guidance. When asked to update the commands for Gen2, Amazon Q provided the correct syntax and implementation steps, resulting in a more efficient and modern development workflow. This demonstrated Amazon Q's ability to adapt and provide the most current best practices for AWS services.
These experiences highlight Amazon Q's strength in not just providing solutions, but also in adapting its recommendations based on real-world implementation challenges and evolving AWS services. Its ability to pivot and suggest alternative approaches helped overcome technical obstacles efficiently, making the development process smoother and more productive.
- Amazon Q significantly reduced development time
- Received best practices for AWS service integration
- Got real-time problem-solving support
- Learned efficient ways to implement cloud features
- Able to deploy the application just by adjusting 1% of the code Amazon Q suggested
- Minimized configuration errors
- Provided security best practices
- Offered optimized code solutions
Amazon Q suggested several potential improvements:
- Multiplayer capabilities
- Real-time leaderboard
- Different difficulty levels
- Animation improvements
- Progressive Web App (PWA) features
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/SMohanaRao/AWS-Game-Builder
Amazon Q proved to be an invaluable partner in developing this memory game. It not only provided technical guidance but also helped maintain AWS best practices throughout the development process. The combination of Amazon Q's assistance and AWS Amplify's capabilities made it possible to create a professional-grade game application efficiently.
- Start with clear requirements when asking Amazon Q for help
- Use Amazon Q's code suggestions as a foundation
- Leverage Amazon Q for AWS service integration guidance
- Ask for clarification on complex implementations
- Use Amazon Q to learn about best practices
This project demonstrates how AI assistance through Amazon Q can enhance the development process while maintaining high standards of code quality and security. It's an excellent example of how modern development tools and AI can work together to create engaging applications efficiently.