Sky Racer

Here is a rewrite of your project story, weaving in the nostalgic inspiration from Newgrounds and childhood games, while keeping the powerful narrative about AI-assisted development.

🛩️ Sky Racer - Project Story

What Inspired Me: From Newgrounds to Now

I grew up on the internet of the early 2000s—sites like Newgrounds were my playground. I spent countless hours on simple, addictive Flash games, all driven by the thrill of a high-score leaderboard. I've always wanted to build something that recaptured that feeling: a pure, skill-based side-scroller, a tribute to the games I loved as a child.

The problem? I'm primarily a Python developer. Building a full-fledged game with physics, mobile controls, and real-time leaderboards in TypeScript felt like a mountain I'd never have time to climb.

Then I saw Reddit's Devvit hackathon. It was the perfect opportunity. As the founder of an AI startup, this became a personal challenge: could my own tool, Kiro AI, bridge the massive gap between my Python background and a production-ready game? I wanted to see if AI could make that childhood dream a reality.

What I Learned (By Building)

This project was a crash course. Kiro translated my ideas and logic into proper TypeScript, teaching me new patterns with every feature:

• TypeScript & React Patterns: I learned modern React by doing. Kiro generated the code for hooks, refs, and event handlers, explaining why they were used.
• Game Physics: Gravity, AABB collision detection, flight mechanics—concepts I'd never implemented. Kiro helped me understand the math while generating the working code.
• Reddit Devvit Platform: This was completely new to me. Kiro set up the entire integration: custom posts, the Redis leaderboard, webviews, and the message bridge to connect them.
• Mobile-First Design: We built touch controls, a responsive UI, and optimized for 60fps gameplay from the start.

How a Python Dev Built a Game in 8 Hours

This is the part that still amazes me. The entire process was spec-driven, allowing me to context-switch between my startup and this hackathon without losing momentum.

Day 1 - The Build (Total Time: ~8 hours)

• Concept to Code (30 min): I described the game concept to Kiro—a side-scrolling plane game inspired by old-school classics. It generated the entire project structure, game engine, and physics system.
• Iterative Development (3 hours): I added features just by asking:
  • "Make the plane fly up when W is pressed." → Flight controls done.
  • "Add collision detection for obstacles." → AABB collision with proper margins.
  • "Need mobile touch controls." → A complete touch interface with visual feedback.
• Asset Integration (1 hour): I used AI for the plane sprite and Figma for backgrounds. Kiro helped integrate all of them.
• Reddit Integration (2 hours): Kiro set up the Devvit configuration, wired up the Redis leaderboards, and created the custom post type.
• Polish & Deploy (1.5 hours): Added tricks, combos, particle effects, and responsive design. Deployed to Reddit.

(I estimate this would have been a 30-40 hour project for me to learn and build from scratch).

The Wildest Part? No Technical Challenges.

Seriously. This isn't an exaggeration. The "challenge" was just deciding which features to build, not how to build them.

Reddit's Devvit template was a rock-solid foundation. It made the integration process smooth and let me focus purely on the game. Kiro bridged every single knowledge gap.

When the mobile boost button felt clunky, I told Kiro. It refactored it into a toggle switch with a glowing animation. When the start screen was too big for mobile, Kiro made it responsive. Every potential roadblock became a 2-minute conversation.

What Makes Sky Racer Special

• Nostalgic Core: It's a modern take on the classic high-score chasers we loved on Newgrounds.
• Built in 1 Day: By a Python dev with zero TypeScript game experience.
• Production-Ready: Complete with physics, tricks, combos, and a live leaderboard.
• Mobile-First: Intuitive touch controls for playing anywhere.
• Reddit-Native: Plays directly inside a Reddit post.

The Impact: Amplifying Ideas

Sky Racer proves that AI-assisted development isn't about replacing developers—it's about amplifying what we can build.

For me, it meant I finally got to create that addictive, high-score chaser I dreamed of building as a kid. I learned a new platform, new physics concepts, and new TypeScript patterns in the process. Kiro didn't just speed me up; it made a decades-old idea possible in a single day.

Live Demo: r/sky_racer_game_dev Source Code: github.com/bkennedyshit/Reddit_Plane_Submission Built With: Kiro AI, React, TypeScript, Reddit Devvit, Redis

Built With

• css
• framer-motion
• javascript-frameworks-&-libraries:-react-18
• languages:-typescript
• tailwind-css
• tsx
• typescript
• vite
• vite-platform:-reddit-devvit-database:-redis-build-tools:-npm