Built a Game Hub Using Amazon Q CLI – and It All Started with a T-Shirt Challenge

Hey everyone! 👋

When I heard about the “Build Games with Amazon Q CLI” challenge, I was instantly curious. The idea was simple but powerful: build a game using Amazon Q CLI, share your journey, and you get rewarded with an exclusive T-shirt. But for me, it quickly turned into something way more exciting.

Instead of just building one game, I thought —

“Why not create a whole arcade of games?”

And that’s how GameVerse Hub came to life 🚀

🌟 What Is GameVerse Hub?
GameVerse Hub is a desktop-based game launcher I built that lets you choose from 12 different mini-games, all in one place! From Alien Storm to Mind Maze, Quiz Master to Simple Racer, each game was built (or bootstrapped) using Amazon Q CLI — with just prompts and a bit of creativity.

Here’s a sneak peek of the interface 👇

🧠 Using Amazon Q CLI to Build It All
Let’s be real — building games with code can feel a bit intimidating sometimes. But Amazon Q CLI totally changed that for me. You literally just talk to it like you’re brainstorming with a teammate.

Some of my favorite prompts I used:

🛸 “Build a simple alien dodging game using PyGame”

🧠 “Create a mind puzzle game that tracks score and has levels”

🎮 “Make a game hub interface with buttons to launch each game script”

Each of these prompts gave me real, working code that I could tweak and build on.

🔄 What AI Did for Me (And What I Still Did Myself)
Amazon Q CLI helped me:

✅ Set up PyGame templates
✅ Write game loops, timers, and scoring systems
✅ Auto-generate UI for the game hub
✅ Handle tricky stuff like collision detection or button click events

But it was still very much my project. I added polish, structured the layout, and stitched all the games into a cohesive hub.

💬 My Prompting Tips
If you’re planning to try this, here are a few tips that helped me:

Don’t ask for the whole game in one go. Break it down.

If something feels “off,” ask Q to fix just that part.

Ask it to explain what it wrote — it’s a great way to learn.

Treat it like a creative partner, not just a tool.

💻 A Little Bit of Code
Here’s how I handled game launching inside the hub:

The 12 Games I Built
Here’s a quick tour of every game inside GameVerse Hub:

Alien Storm 🛸
A reflex-based game where you dodge incoming aliens and blast them before they hit you.

Cookie Clicker 🍪
Inspired by the classic — click the cookie, earn points, and unlock multipliers.

Mind Maze 🧠
A simple brain teaser game — solve puzzles within a time limit.

Mini Board Game 🎲
A 2-player local board game with dice mechanics, movement, and win conditions.

Quiz Game ❓
A single-player trivia game that randomly picks questions from a pool and scores your answers.

Retro Breakout 🧱
A clone of the classic brick-breaking arcade game — use the paddle, bounce the ball, break the blocks.

Simple Racer 🏁
A top-down racing game where you dodge traffic and race against the clock.

Sim City Clone 🏗️
A very basic clone of SimCity — place, expand, and manage resources in your simulated town.

💡 Prompting Tricks I Learned
Here’s what worked best when working with Amazon Q CLI:

Break the game idea into steps — “Add scoring,” “Add enemies,” “Add sound effects”

Be specific with prompts like:
“Add a countdown timer at the start of the game”

Let it explain the code — I learned a lot just reading Q CLI’s reasoning

⚙️ My Automation Wins
Amazon Q CLI helped me:

Set up full PyGame templates with proper structure

Write GUI code with event handling

Automate repetitive logic (like resetting the game)

Catch errors in logic or game loops

I probably saved 20+ hours of development time — seriously.

🔥 Code & UI Example
Here’s how the launcher ties it all together:

🎁 Why This Challenge Was Worth It
Honestly? I joined for the T-shirt… but I left with:

12 new games

A deeper understanding of AI-assisted development

A portfolio project I’m actually proud of

And yes — I did fill the T-shirt redemption form. 😄

📢 Want to Try?
If you’re from Asia Pacific, Japan, or Greater China, you’ve got time until June 30, 2025.

🛠️ Build your own game (or hub like I did)
📝 Write a blog or record a video
🧵 Post it online with #AmazonQCLI
👕 Redeem your shirt!

💬 Final Thoughts
GameVerse Hub was the most fun I’ve had building with Python and AI. Amazon Q CLI made it easier to dream big and actually deliver. I’m already thinking of adding multiplayer or online features next.

If you’ve been sitting on a game idea — this is your sign. Start a prompt. Let the AI code with you.