From Books to Memes to Multiplayer Pitches: 12 Games I Built With AI

No code, just prompts: how anyone can turn ideas into interactive games.

This post was so much fun to build, it felt like my brain was on steroids. I initially wanted to make one game, but I couldn’t stop. Every time I finished one, I thought of five more.

So I figured I’d just show you everything. Maybe it sparks some ideas or curiosities in you too.

All of this was built with Gemini, using the new Canvas feature that launched in March this year. No code knowledge. Just prompts.

Some of the games were inspired by the content we built at my startup, DO-IT App, a challenge-based app for developing soft skills. But now with AI in the mix, the possibilities are so much cooler. The rest came from following curiosity and just playing with ideas to see what’s possible.

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Who this kind of tool is perfect for:

• Self-learners who want to turn any topic (from books to exams to personal growth) into playful games that build knowledge and real skills

• Teachers & educators who want to make learning more interactive, memorable, and fun

• Corporate trainers & workshop facilitators looking to energize sessions and teach through experience

• Solopreneurs refining their message, engaging leads, or making their website stand out

• Content creators & newsletter writers who want to add playful, interactive elements to their posts

• Founders & product teams embedding small games into their onboarding, landing pages, or community experience

• Teams & coworkers using games as creative warmups, icebreakers, or idea generators

• Friends & social groups playing lightweight games together, without needing to pay for another app

• Anyone building in public or learning out loud, who wants to share ideas through playable formats

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  What you’ll find in this post:

• The exact prompts I used to build each of the 12 games

• Links so you can try them yourself

• A video walkthrough of how it works

Here’s a quick overview of all 12 games. Skim through and jump to the ones you’re most curious about.

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I used Gemini Pro, which is ~$20/month. You can also test most of these with the free version (limited runs, but enough to play).

And here’s the best part: when you build a game with Gemini using Canvas, you also get the full code, which means you can copy it, paste it, tweak it, embed it in your site, or turn it into a product. Whatever you want. It’s yours.

That’s it for the intro. Normally I write more, but this post is long enough with all the experiments already.

Let’s jump in.

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Game 1: Turn a research paper into a game

This one kicked it all off. I saw this post from

Ethan Mollick

where he turned a scientific paper into a game with a single prompt. Had to try it myself.

I grabbed this research paper on AI in emergency medicine, a pretty dense one, full of technical language, and fed it into Gemini with just a simple instruction:

Turn this paper into an interactive fun game, make sure the game mechanics are both fun and reflect key points from the paper.

And… it worked.

The result? A game that actually teaches the fundamentals of AI in emergency medicine in a way that’s easy, playful, and surprisingly sticky.

👉 Try the game here

Want to do the same? Just grab any paper and tweak the prompt.

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Game 2: Turn a book into an interactive learning tool

Then I wanted to see what happens with books.

I picked Talking on Eggshells: Soft Skills for Hard Conversations by Sam Horn, a super practical book packed with real scripts and techniques for handling tricky conversations at work, with clients, or in everyday life.

I used the exact same simple prompt:

Turn this book into an interactive fun game, make sure the game mechanics are both fun and reflect key points from the book.

The first version turned the content into an interactive quiz-based game. But when the questions started to feel repetitive, I pushed it further and asked:

Create 100 quiz questions based on the book to enhance the users’ practice experience.

And just like that, it delivered.

This approach lets you turn any book into a playable practice arena and go much deeper into applying what you’ve read.

If you prefer flashcards or a different learning format, you can tweak the prompt to generate those instead. The possibilities really are endless.

👉 Try the game here

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Game 3: Use surprise words to spark fresh ideas

This one’s based on one of the most popular challenges we ran at DO-IT App, and it’s great for when you’re stuck on a problem and need ideas.

The technique is called “collision of concepts” and it’s based on a simple but powerful idea: when your brain gets stuck, it needs something unexpected to disrupt the loop.

You take a challenge you’re working on (like “I need newsletter ideas” or “How could I turn a boring product into something people talk about?”) and collide it with a totally unrelated word (like “mountain goat”). You describe the word (agile, climbs high, focused) and use those traits to spark new angles and ideas for your challenge. Maybe your newsletter becomes a tool that helps people “leap between challenges” or “climb creative peaks”.

Why does this work? Because creativity thrives on associative thinking. When you’re forced to link two things that don’t naturally go together, your brain is nudged into unfamiliar territory, and that’s often where your best ideas live.

It’s one of those games that often starts silly, and ends with really good ideas.

👉 Try the game here

Create a game called "Collision of Concepts"

Objective: Boost lateral thinking and spark fresh ideas by creatively connecting unrelated concepts.

Game Mechanics

You are the host of an interactive creativity game called “Collision of Concepts.” The user will go through 4 steps to generate creative ideas by combining a problem they’re facing with a completely unrelated concept.

1. Ask the user to define a problem they want to solve.
Example prompt:
“What’s something you’re stuck on or need new ideas for? e.g., ‘I need content ideas for my newsletter’, ‘Naming a new product’, etc.)”

2. Give the user a random word.
- Choose an unusual or visually rich word from a wide English vocabulary list (e.g. “flamingo”, “tunnel”, “ketchup”, “rollercoaster”, “mountain goat”, "dust storm"). 
- Prompt: “Here’s your collision word: Mountain Goat”

3. Ask the user to describe the word.
Prompt:
“Now describe the word in as much detail as possible. Think physical features, behavior, feelings, context, associations, etc. For example, a mountain goat might be: ‘agile, climbs high, furry, determined, leaps between rocks, outdoorsy, focused.’”

4. Let the user generate ideas by connecting the two.
- Ask the user to come up with 3–5 creative ideas by connecting their problem with the descriptors of the random word.
- Prompt:
“Use your problem and the mountain goat traits to come up with 3–5 fun or original ideas that connect the two. Metaphors, stories, visuals—anything!”

5. Once the user submits their ideas:
- Give constructive feedback on the creativity, originality, and metaphorical thinking.
- Suggest 2–3 additional idea sparks to help the user stretch their thinking even further. These should be new ways the word could connect creatively to their problem and inspire fresh ideas. Suggestions may include an unusual metaphor or reframe, a setting or scene where the two concepts collide, a personified version of the random word solving the problem, an exaggerated or flipped version of one of the traits.

6. Finally, prompt the user:
“Want to give it another spin with a new random word?”

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Game 4: The debate game that makes you smarter and kinder

This one’s another DO-IT challenge, designed to help you step into someone else’s shoes and sharpen your critical thinking.

You’re given a debate topic, then asked which side you actually agree with, and then you’re forced to argue the opposite.

It’s way harder than it sounds. But also way more useful.

You’ll practice seeing things from different perspectives (a skill I deeply believe the world needs more of right now), and you’ll get AI feedback on how logical, clear, empathetic, and creative your argument was.

I even tried to make it more interactive at first, like having a live back-and-forth debate with the AI, but it didn’t quite work. The AI wasn’t responding like a real conversational partner. It kept repeating preset arguments instead of adapting in real time, like you’d expect from an LLM. Maybe it could be pushed further with the right prompt, but for now, I kept it simple.

👉 Try the game here

Build a simple, browser-based game called “Role Swap Debate”

Game Objective: Help users practice empathy and critical thinking by requiring them to argue for the opposite of their actual belief—and then receive thoughtful feedback from the AI on the quality and tone of their argument.

Game Mechanics

1. Topic Selection: Randomly show 1 of 10 predefined debate topics or allow the user to choose from a dropdown. Example topics:
“Parents should decide what school their child goes to”
“Phones should be allowed in class”
“Homework should be banned”
“Social media is harmful to teenagers”
“Zoos are good for animals”
“Uniforms help students focus”
“AI should be used in schools”
“Books are better than screens”
“Teenagers should be allowed to vote at 16”

2. Opinion Selection: 
After the user selects a topic, ask:
“Which side do you naturally agree with?” → [Pro] [Con]
Then, assign the opposite side to the user.
Finally, show this message: “You’ll now argue for the [...] side.”

3. User Argument Submission: Prompt the user to write their argument: “Write one short argument (3–5 sentences) supporting this side.” Include a text area and submit button.

4. Provide Feedback: After submission, analyze the user’s argument and provide:
- Logic Score (1–5 stars) – Is the argument rational and structured?
- Clarity Score (1–5 stars) – Is the writing clear and persuasive?
- Empathy Score (1–5 stars) – Does it fairly represent the other side’s view?
- Creativity Score (1–5 stars) – Is it original or insightful?
- 1–2 paragraphs comment with constructive feedback

5. Add “Try Another Topic” button after feedback

Now generate the game for this interactive one-shot debate game.

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Game 5: A 60-second sprint to train creative thinking

Another challenge straight out of the DO-IT playbook.

This one’s all about boosting your creativity on the spot. You get 60 seconds and a random everyday object (like a toothbrush or brick), and your job is to come up with as many surprising uses as possible (except for what it’s normally used for).

It’s weirdly addictive, and a great way to loosen up your brain.

It would be even more fun with a leaderboard so you can compete with friends, and that should be doable. I actually tested something similar in Game 12: Live multiplayer pitch battle.

👉 Try the game here

Create a timed creativity game called “How many uses can you find?”. The goal is to help users boost lateral thinking and creative flexibility by finding unexpected applications for everyday objects.

Objective: Encourage users to think divergently by coming up with as many alternative, creative, or surprising uses for a common object within 60 seconds (excluding its usual purpose).

Game Mechanics:
1. Prompt the user to start a 1-minute challenge:
“Ready to stretch your creativity? You’ll get a random everyday object and have 60 seconds to list as many creative uses for it as possible, but you can’t say what it’s normally used for!”

2. Randomly choose a common object (e.g., “brick”, “paperclip”, “umbrella”, “glass”, “toothbrush”, etc.) and show it to the user: “Your object is: 🪑 Chair — GO!”

3. Start a visible 60-second countdown. Let the user type in as many ideas as they can during that time.

4. Evaluate all their suggestions after the timer ends.
- Count the number of unique, valid uses
- Highlight the most original or unexpected idea
- Mention if any answers were too close to the original function
- Provide a score or percentile compared to other players

5. Let the user continue or end the game. Give an option to try with a new object or exit.

6. Track progress in a personal creativity dashboard
- Show each object they’ve played with, how many uses they found, and which ones were flagged as most original
- Display score trends over time, best streaks, average originality score, and top ideas
- Let them reflect on growth and challenge themselves to beat past scores

Guidelines:
- Accept wild, funny, or imaginative ideas, but they should make sense.
- Do not accept duplicates.
- Keep tone playful, constructive, and fast-paced.
- Make sure you understand the actual function of the object and can judge alternatives accordingly.

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Game 6: Master clarity by explaining the complex, so even a 5-year-old can understand it

If you really understand something, you should be able to explain it simply. That’s more than just a fun quote, it’s a great test of clarity and depth. So I asked Gemini to turn this idea into a learning game.

You’re given a complex concept (or you can type in your own), and your job is to rewrite it so clearly that even a 5-year-old could get it. Gemini then scores you with emojis, gives feedback on what could be simpler, and rewrites your explanation using analogies, stories, or metaphors.

Whether you’re a teacher, a student, a parent, or just someone who wants to make their thinking sharper and simpler, this one’s a gem.

👉 Try the game here

Create an interactive game called “Explain it to a 5-year-old”

Game Objective is to help users simplify complex concepts by rewriting them in language a 5-year-old could understand.

Core Mechanics:
- Display a random complex concept (user can also input their own).

- Let the user type their simplified explanation into a text box.

- Analyze thoroughly the user’s input and provide:
1. A fun emoji-based rating (🌟 = perfect, 🌀 = almost there, ❌ = too complex)
2. Constructive feedback on what could be simpler
3. An improved version using an analogy, story, or metaphor

- Add a “Next Concept” button to keep playing.

- Let users toggle between education categories (e.g., science, economics, language)

- Add a “Share this explanation” button to copy the result

Now write the full code to implement this game.

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Game 7: Learn to think in symbols

I was terrible at this game. Apparently, my knowledge of English idioms is pretty bad (to say the least). But that’s exactly why it might be fun for native speakers or anyone learning the language.

You get a string of emojis that represent a movie, book, idiom, or quote, and your job is to guess the original phrase. There’s a timer mode, a streak tracker, and different levels of difficulty.

👉 Try the game here

Build a fun, browser-based game called “Emoji Translator”

Game Objective: Convert well-known phrases, idioms, movie titles, quotes, or book names into emoji strings. The user must guess the original phrase based on the emoji clue.

Core Mechanics

1. Emoji Clue Generation:
Present the user with a random emoji string that represents a:
- Famous phrase or idiom (e.g., “break a leg”)
- Movie title (e.g., “The Lion King”)
- Book title (e.g., “To Kill a Mockingbird”)
- Poem title or quote 

2. User Guess Input
Provide a text input field and a “Submit” button.
After submission, check if the guess is correct (use a tolerance for minor typos or similar phrasing).

3. Feedback and Scoring:
If correct: show “Correct! 🎉” and a short fun fact or context about the phrase.
If incorrect: show “Not quite. Try again!” (Allow up to 3 tries per round)
After 3 failed attempts, reveal the answer.

4. Next Round:
After each guess or reveal, display a “Next Emoji Puzzle” button to load a new puzzle.

5. Game Settings
Allow user to choose difficulty:
Easy: common phrases (e.g., “raining cats and dogs”)
Medium: movie titles, proverbs
Hard: classic literature, obscure idioms

6. Timer mode: Guess as many as possible in 60 seconds

7. Score tracker: for number of correct guesses

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Game 8: Turn real-life frustrations into memes

This one was more of a fun experiment than a polished tool. You give it a frustration (like “my team ignores deadlines”) and it spits out a meme.

Are the memes amazing? Not really. I had to tweak the prompt and tell it twice the text wasn’t readable, but hey, it works! Worth trying just for the laughs.

👉 Try the game here

Create a meme generator helping users turn their frustrations or goals into relatable, funny memes.

Game Objective: Create emotional connection through humor. The user provides a short sentence expressing a frustration, pain point, or goal related to their professional life. You turn it into a funny meme with a recognizable format.

Game Flow:

1. Ask the user to share a frustration or goal.
Example:
“My team ignores deadlines” or “I want to quit my job and start a business.”

2. Use that input to:
- Select a relevant meme format (e.g. Distracted Boyfriend, Drake Hotline Bling, Success Kid).
- Generate the meme caption or text overlay (top + bottom text or multiple panels).
- Keep it short, sharp, and witty—resonant but not offensive.

Return the meme output as an image, ensuring that:
- The text is clearly legible on the image.
- Use a bold font like Impact or a clear alternative.
- Use white text with a black outline for contrast.
- Ensure the font size is large enough to be read easily.
- Position the text correctly based on the meme format (e.g., top and bottom).
- Avoid placing text over complex backgrounds that reduce readability.

Rules:
- Do not include any offensive, insensitive, or politically charged memes.
- Use widely recognized and evergreen formats.
- Keep meme text under 15 words per section.
- Ask users if they want to generate another version using a different meme format or edit their original input.

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Game 9: Test your knowledge with a trivia game

This one was born from the classic icebreaker “two truths and a lie”, but I turned it into a proper trivia challenge instead.

Each round gives you three statements (two true, one fake) across different general knowledge categories like history, science, pop culture, and more. The goal is to catch the trap.

I had a few issues with this one along the way (not knowing how to code doesn’t help when debugging). But with enough trial-and-error and some good logic, I managed to identify the bug and fix it without actually reading the code. So yes, you can do that too.

👉 Try the game here

Build an interactive game called “Two Truths, One Trap”

Game Objective: Test the user’s general knowledge by showing them three statements per round—two are true, one is false. The challenge is to spot the fake (the trap). This is a general culture quiz game covering a wide range of classic trivia categories.

1. Knowledge Category Design:
- Each round is based on a chosen category, and the facts reflect common general culture knowledge.
- Include a dropdown or selection menu with the following categories:
History, Geography, Science & Nature, Literature & Arts, Music & Movies, Technology, Sports, Mythology & Religion, Famous People, Random Mix
- Curate and randomize fact sets for each category with appropriate difficulty, not too obscure.

2. Game Mechanics:
- Category Selection: User chooses a category or selects “Random”
- Show 3 short statements (1–2 lines each), 2 should be true and 1 should be false but plausible. Randomize order each time to avoid predictability.
- User clicks the statement they believe is the trap. Lock the selection and reveal correct/incorrect feedback.
- Highlight correct choice in green, incorrect in red.
- Show a brief 1–2 sentence explanation of why the trap is false.
- Include a “Next Round” button.
- Track correct guesses (e.g., “4 traps caught out of 6 rounds”).
- Add a timer of 15 seconds to choose
- Create a streak tracker dashboard, to track and display the user’s current streak of correct guesses (e.g., “You’ve spotted the trap 7 times in a row!”). Also store and show the longest streak ever achieved by that user across sessions using localStorage.
- At the end of each round, update the dashboard with: Current streak, Longest streak, Total rounds played, Accuracy percentage
- Present this in a clean sidebar or footer panel to motivate the user.

Now generate the complete code to implement this game.

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Game 10: Practice saying hard things

Giving honest feedback is hard. Giving it in a way that’s honest and kind? Even harder.

This game is like a feedback coach in your pocket. You write the tough message just like you’d say it. Then the AI breaks it down: how it might land, what communication traps you might fall into, and how to say the same thing more constructively.

You’ll see a better version, understand why it works, and finally try rewriting it in your own words—more clear, more respectful, still true. Ideal for tough work convos, client messages, or anything you’d usually procrastinate saying.

👉 Try the game here

You are building an interactive communication coaching game that helps users practice giving difficult feedback more constructively and empathetically.

Objective: Train users to communicate uncomfortable truths (to a boss, peer, or client) with clarity, emotional intelligence, and professionalism.

Game Mechanics:
1. Prompt the user:
“What’s the hard feedback you want to give? Write it exactly how you’d say it now, no filter.”
2. Analyze the user’s message. 
3. Explain how the message might be received emotionally by the other person. Highlight potential triggers, tone issues, or unclear phrasing.
4. Mention which communication pitfalls are present (e.g., blame, vagueness, passive-aggressiveness).
5. Reframe the message into a more effective, respectful version — keeping the core truth.
6. Explain why the new version is better and which communication principle(s) were applied (e.g., I-statements, clarity, empathy, ownership, etc.).
7. Prompt the user:
“Now rewrite the feedback in your own words — one that feels natural to you, while still being respectful and honest.”
8.Final feedback: Give specific feedback on the user’s rewritten version. Mention strengths and suggest 1–2 tweaks to improve tone, clarity, or structure (only if necessary).

Game Rules:
- Never remove the hard truth — the point is to say it better, not avoid it.
- Do not use corporate fluff or vague language.
- Keep tone constructive, grounded, and emotionally aware.
- Do not rush to praise — always offer a learning-oriented critique.

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Game 11: Build a sharper elevator pitch

Whether you’re a founder, freelancer, creator, or just trying to explain your newsletter better, this tool helps you craft a clear, specific, and persuasive elevator pitch using a simple structure: who it’s for, what you offer, why it matters, and how you deliver it.

You get instant feedback on how strong your pitch is, plus 3 improved variations to refine or remix.

Great for sharpening your messaging, testing angles, or building better landing pages. It gave me some really useful feedback on my own trial, as you’ll see in the video below.

👉 Try the game here

Build an interactive game called “Elevator Pitch Builder”

Goal: Help users quickly refine and improve their product or service messaging by crafting, testing, and iterating on a structured elevator pitch.

Game Mechanics:

1. Prompt the user to fill in these four components:
- Who is it for? (target audience)
- What do you offer? (product/service)
- Why does it matter? (value or result it creates)
- How do you deliver it? (method or unique mechanism)

2. Then, the user manually combines these parts into a single, concise elevator pitch.

3. Finally, evaluate the user’s pitch and respond with:
- Clarity score (1–5)
- Persuasiveness score (1–5)
- Specificity score (1–5)
- Total Score (out of 15)
- A paragraph of feedback
- 3 stronger alternative pitch variations based on the user’s input, rewritten for clarity, punchiness, or positioning

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Game 12: Live multiplayer pitch battle

This one gave me the most trouble, which is exactly why I saved it for last.

But it’s also the coolest: a live multiplayer game where you and your friends (or students, or teammates) can pitch wild ideas together in real time.

The idea is simple: you get a random product + audience + constraint. You have 3 minutes to pitch. Then Gemini scores your pitch and gives feedback.

But here’s where it gets fun: everyone else in your session gets the same prompt and submits their own pitch too. At the end, a leaderboard reveals who nailed it.

It started out as a solo game (that worked really well), but I kept pushing until I got the multiplayer version running. Built lobbies, added session codes, synced the prompt across players, created the leaderboard. It had a few bugs (you’ll see them in the video), but after testing it multiple times with a friend, it finally worked. Iteration is everything.

I think this is one of the best examples of how far you can take interactivity with just a few prompts and tweaks.

👉 Try the game here with a friend

First prompt I used for the solo version:

Build an interactive game called “Pitch Roulette”

Game Objective: Challenge users to sharpen their creativity, positioning, and communication skills by pitching a random product idea to a specific audience under a constraint—in 3 minutes or less.

Core Mechanics

1. Random Prompt Generator:
- Each round, the game randomly generates: a product type (e.g., toothbrush subscription, budgeting app, handmade planner), a target audience (e.g., truck drivers, new moms, startup founders, Gen Z students), a creative constraint (e.g., must include gamification, works offline, priced under $10, delivered in video format)
- Combine all three into a single sentence prompt.

2. Pitch Timer:

- Display a countdown timer (3 minutes) when the prompt is shown.
- Allow user to type their pitch in a text area.
- Optional toggle: “Practice Mode” (no timer).

3. Pitch Submission & Feedback
- After time runs out or pitch is submitted, evaluate the pitch on:
Clarity, Creativity, Fit for audience, Integration of constraint.
- Give a 1–2 paragraph comment with feedback and a score.

4. Next Round Button
- After feedback, include a “Spin Again” button, that generates a new random pitch combo and resets the timer.

Now write the complete code to implement this game.

Second prompt to add interactivity and expand the game:

Extend the current version of the Pitch Roulette game by adding multiplayer support for classroom play. You do not need to rebuild the full game, just add the following features:

1. Multiplayer Session Code System
- When a user clicks “Create Game,” generate a 6-character session code (e.g., A4F9XZ) and store it.
- Allow others to join the same session by entering this code on a “Join Game” screen.
- Store each participant’s name/nickname with their session code.

2. Shared Prompt Sync
- When the host starts a round, generate one shared prompt (product + audience + constraint).
- Ensure all users in the same session see the exact same prompt at the same time.

3. AI Pitch Evaluation Per Player
- Each player submits their pitch independently.
- Then, evaluate each pitch based on: Clarity, Creativity, Audience Fit, Integration of Constraint
- Give each category a score (1–5), show total out of 20, and a short feedback comment.

4. Real-Time Leaderboard
- After all players have submitted, display a shared leaderboard view showing:
- Player names
- Total scores (out of 20)
- Top performer(s) highlighted
- Store each round’s results per session in memory.

Keep everything browser-based and mobile-friendly.

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One idea + AI = endless possibilities

If there’s one thing I hope this post shows you, it’s that you don’t need to be a developer or designer to build something interactive and valuable.

All you need is an idea, a problem to solve, or a need to explore, plus a bit of curiosity to see where it leads.

It’s also what I write about in my newsletter: how anyone—creators, professionals, entrepreneurs—can use AI not just to consume faster, but to create better.

Tried a game? Built your own? I’d love to hear.

Need help creating yours? Send me a DM. I’d love to help.

And if you want more experiments like this, hit subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next.