Vibe-Coding a Browser Game

After reading this post by Django-creator Simon Willison about the inflection point in vibe game development, I had to try it for myself. The premise is that AI has gotten to the point where it can make complete (little) video games from a single prompt.

I fired up Claude (not even Claude Code), picked Opus 5.5 in Max effort mode, and told it:

Make a game in three.js about a kid going trick or treating. Include a costume selection mechanic. Setting is a rural village. include fun encounters and Easter eggs. perspective is angled top down 3d. target audience are my kids, aged 8 and 6

With that, it churned away for an hour and came back with something finished and playable (if not quite polished). So I deployed a trick from Willison's article and told it:

Make it A LOT MORE FUN

That's it. Those two prompts and nothing else produced Pumpkin Hollow. Click the link to play it in the browser. No download required. You pick a costume that gives you a special ability, then explore the town to collect candy and find the various hidden secrets. It even comes with a spooky MIDI-style soundtrack. All from one not-that-specific prompt plus a "Make it more fun" prompt.

What's much more exciting than the speedup (generating this by hand would have taken me many hours) is the potential. I very much agree with Willison's assessment: If two prompts, that took me not even two minutes to type into my phone, produce something like Pumpkin Hollow, just imagine what a dedicated and skilled game developer can pull off.

Amazing times, and with that, enjoy the Halloween Weekend!