I recently built a New Zealand–themed memory matching game using the Amazon Q Developer CLI — a new tool that helps developers generate code using natural language, right in the terminal.
This was part of my submission for the Build Games with Amazon Q CLI Challenge — and yes, there’s a t-shirt involved. 😄
🌿 Why a Kiwi-Themed Game?
As someone currently living in Aotearoa New Zealand, I wanted to create something that reflects the local culture and wildlife. The idea of using familiar NZ symbols — like the 🥝 kiwi bird, 🌿 silver fern, 🌀 koru, and 🐤 pūkeko — made the game not only fun but also meaningful to build.
It was also a perfect fit for a small offline browser game: simple logic, a welcoming tone, and room to apply accessibility and language features.
🧠 What I Built
🧠 Kiwi Memory Game — a lightweight memory game playable in any browser.
- Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
- Features:
- Card flip animations and match logic
- Web Audio API–powered sound feedback
- Theme and language toggle (English + Te Reo Māori)
- Accessible with keyboard and screen readers
- Works completely offline
- Deployed via GitHub Pages
📁 Code:
👉 https://github.com/jajera/q-kiwi-memory-game
⚙️ How I Used Q CLI
Amazon Q CLI lets you generate, test, and refine code interactively in your terminal. Here's what my workflow looked like:
- Logged in via
q login
using my Builder ID - Ran
q chat
to open an interactive code session - Pasted a detailed spec for the game — including visual style, logic, accessibility, and sound
- Iterated multiple times to improve the UI, fix bugs, and add polish
📄 Full specification — The more specific your prompt, the better the results.
🧪 Lessons Learned
- Q CLI is a powerful tool for generating and scaffolding ideas quickly
- Clear, structured prompts yield far better results than vague ones
- It’s a collaborative tool — you still need to test, fix, and iterate
- Small games like this are a great sandbox for accessibility and browser-based UX
🎮 Play the Game
🕹️ Try the game here:
👉 https://jajera.github.io/q-kiwi-memory-game/
Or explore the code:
👉 https://github.com/jajera/q-kiwi-memory-game
If you're curious about Amazon Q CLI or just want to build something creative and fun — join the challenge and start shipping ideas today.
Questions or feedback? Drop them in the comments!
Top comments (0)