Ahmad
I’ve always wanted to make a video game, but there was one massive hurdle: I can’t code to save my life. The worlds of Python, C++, and JavaScript felt like impenetrable fortresses guarded by cryptic syntax and endless logic puzzles. For years, my game ideas remained locked away in notebooks, gathering dust. Turns out, I just needed a new key.
This is the story of how I decided to build a fully functional mobile game using only text-based AI prompts. No coding, no complex game engines, just me and a few AI tools. My goal was to see if no-code game development is truly possible for a complete beginner. Could I make a mobile game with AI from scratch?
Spoiler alert: I did. I created a simple but playable game called “Astro Ascent,” and I’m going to show you exactly how I did it, from the first fumbled prompt to the final, playable product.
A “Doodle Jump” Inspired Dream
Before diving in, I needed a concept. Grand visions of open-world RPGs and complex strategy games were tempting, but I knew I had to start small. The best project for an experiment like this is one with simple, well-defined mechanics. I landed on the idea of creating a clone of the classic mobile game “Doodle Jump.”
Why a “Doodle Jump” clone?
- Simple Core Loop: The gameplay is straightforward: jump on platforms to go higher. This is easy to explain to an AI.
- Verticality: The game moves in one direction (up), which simplifies level design.
- Clear Goals: The objectives are clear: get a high score and don’t fall.
This concept felt achievable and was a perfect test for an AI game generator. It was complex enough to be a real game but simple enough that I wouldn’t get lost in the weeds.
My No-Code AI Tools For Game Generation
To bring “Astro Ascent” to life, I assembled a small but powerful suite of AI tools. My entire development studio consisted of just three browser tabs:
- ChatGPT-4o for Code and Logic: This was my lead programmer. I used it to generate all the Python code for the game using the Pygame library. Its ability to understand context, refine code, and troubleshoot errors was the backbone of this entire project.
- Midjourney for Art and Assets: This was my art department. I used it to create the player character, platforms, background, and UI elements. With a few descriptive prompts, I could generate all the visual assets needed for the game.
- Suno for Music and Sound: This was my composer and sound designer. I generated a retro, space-themed background track to give the game some much-needed atmosphere.
I will choose these tools because they are leaders in their respective fields and are known for their powerful generative capabilities. But why would I use a separate tool for each work when the AI game creation tool Astrocade is present. It represents the best chance you had to build a game with text prompts.
Step 1: The First Prompt (and the First Failure)
With my tools ready, it was time to write my first line of “code” a text prompt. I opened ChatGPT and typed with the unearned confidence of a seasoned developer:
Prompt: “Create a simple game using Python and Pygame where a character jumps on platforms to go up. The game should be like Doodle Jump.”
The AI whirred for a moment and spit out a block of code. Eagerly, I copied it, ran it, and… a black screen appeared. A character was there, and it could jump, but there were no platforms. It just fell endlessly into a digital void.
This was my first lesson: AI is a powerful tool, but it’s not a mind reader. My prompt was too vague. I hadn’t specified that platforms needed to be generated, that the screen should scroll, or how the controls should work. It was a failure, but a valuable one. It taught me that successful ChatGPT game development is all about clarity and iteration.
Step 2: Refining the Core Mechanics
I didn’t give up. Instead, I started treating the AI like an actual developer I was collaborating with. I broke down the problem into smaller, more manageable pieces and gave much more specific instructions.
Making Platforms Appear
My next prompt was more focused.
Prompt: “Okay, let’s refine the game. The screen should be populated with platforms at random horizontal positions. When the game starts, generate 10 platforms on the screen. As the player moves up, new platforms should be generated at the top, and old ones should disappear at the bottom.”
This time, it worked! I suddenly had a screen full of platforms.
Adding Player Movement and Scrolling
The character could jump, but it couldn’t move left or right, and the screen was static. Time for another prompt.
Prompt: “Now, let the player control the character’s horizontal movement with the left and right arrow keys. When the player jumps on a platform and reaches the top half of the screen, make the screen scroll down, moving all platforms down with it. This will create the illusion that the player is moving up.”
After a bit more back-and-forth and some troubleshooting (the scrolling was initially jittery), the core mechanic was in place. My character could now navigate the world, and the game felt like it had a purpose. I even added a scoring system by telling the AI, “Add a score that increases as the player gets higher.”
Step 3: Generating the Art and Sound
My game was functional, but it looked like a programmer’s placeholder art. It was time to give it a personality. I fired up Midjourney and started crafting prompts for my game’s visuals.
I decided on a “pixel art retro space” theme.
Prompt for Character: “pixel art astronaut character, 16-bit style, full body, simple design, facing forward, transparent background, sprite sheet”
I used similar prompts for the platforms (“pixel art floating rock platform, sci-fi style, glowing blue cracks”) and the background (“pixel art starry night sky, deep space, distant nebulas, seamless vertical loop”).
For the audio, I went to Suno and prompted it with:
Prompt for Music: “instrumental, 8-bit chiptune, upbeat and adventurous, space exploration, retro video game loop”
In minutes, I had a catchy, looping track that perfectly fit the game’s aesthetic. Integrating the art and sound was a matter of prompting ChatGPT to modify the code to load these new asset files.
Step 4: Putting It All Together and Exporting
With the mechanics, art, and sound in place, I had a real game on my hands. The final stage was to polish it and package it for mobile. This is where I thought the process would fall apart, but once again, the AI surprised me.
Prompt: “How can I package this Pygame project into a standalone executable file for Windows? And what are the steps to convert it for Android?”
The AI provided a detailed, step-by-step guide on using tools like Astrocade for desktop builds and pointed me toward frameworks like Kivy for mobile conversion. While this step required more interaction with my computer’s command line, the AI held my hand through the entire process, telling me exactly what to type. It even helped me debug errors I encountered along the way. This was a crucial test for the viability of AI for indie developers, it not only wrote the code but also taught me how to deploy it.
The Final Product “Astro Ascent”
After a few days of prompting, refining, and a lot of trial and error, “Astro Ascent” was complete.
The final game was surprisingly close to my initial vision. It had a main menu, a scoring system, a playable character, and an endless stream of platforms. It wasn’t perfect, the controls could be tighter, and it lacked enemy variety, but it was a complete game that I had created from nothing. The biggest limitation was my own ability to describe what I wanted. The AI could only be as good as my instructions.
Check out Mosquito Mayhem someone took the same “endless vertical jumper” idea, added swarms of angry mosquitoes, and it’s already been played over 800K times.
You Can Do This, Too
This experiment taught me that the barrier to entry for game development has been completely obliterated. AI has made it possible for anyone with a creative vision to bring their ideas to life. You don’t need to be a programmer or a technical genius anymore. You just need to be a good communicator.
The key takeaways from my journey are:
- Be Specific: Vague prompts lead to vague results. Break down your idea into the smallest possible steps.
- Iterate Constantly: Your first attempt will likely fail. The magic is in refining and building upon what the AI gives you.
- You Are the Director: The AI is your tool, your programmer, and your artist, but you are the creative director. Your vision guides the entire process.
So, if you’ve ever had an idea for a game, now is the time to make it. You no longer have an excuse. Open up a tab, start typing, and see what you can create.
Still think you need weeks or months? One child made, a full endless vertical shooter with waves of enemies, power-ups, and leaderboards, in under 4 hours using nothing but text prompts on Astrocade. If they can do that, your Doodle Jump clone is basically already finished.
