RES-9000

Inspiration

The idea sparked from nostalgia for classic NES games and the challenge of bringing that authentic 8-bit experience to modern platforms. I wanted to democratize game creation by combining AI with retro aesthetics, letting anyone describe a game idea and see it come to life instantly.

What it does

RES-9000 is a NES-style game console that runs directly in Reddit posts. Users can:

Generate games using natural language prompts via ChatGPT 5
Play authentic 8-bit games with 128×128 pixel displays
Compete on leaderboards with other Reddit users
Experience classic gaming with modern web technology
Enjoy 4-channel NES-style audio and side-scrolling worlds

How I built it

I crafted a multi-layered architecture:

Frontend: HTML5 Canvas rendering with pixel-perfect 8×8 sprites and 4-channel Web Audio
Game Engine: QuickJS sandbox for secure JavaScript execution
AI Integration: ChatGPT 5 API for procedural game generation
Backend: Express.js with Redis for state management and async job processing
Platform: Reddit's Devvit framework for seamless integration
Local Development: Proprietary testbed system using Node.js ESM loader hooks to intercept and mock Devvit APIs, enabling full local development without deploying to Reddit's infrastructure

The trickiest parts were:

Getting secure JS execution to run using QuickJS - ensuring user-generated code couldn't break out of the sandbox
Building the testbed system to mock Reddit's proprietary Devvit platform locally without modifying source code

Challenges I ran into

Sandboxing complexity: Ensuring user-generated games run safely without compromising security
Performance optimization: Maintaining 60 FPS with Canvas rendering and QuickJS execution
AI prompt engineering: Teaching ChatGPT 5 to generate valid game code with proper sprite definitions
Screen resolution: Balancing authentic retro feel with modern usability (settling on 128×128)
Server timeout constraints: Implementing async job architecture to handle AI game generation within Reddit's API constraints

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

Authentic retro experience with genuine NES-style graphics, 4-channel audio, and side-scrolling support
ChatGPT 5-powered game creation that actually works reliably from simple text prompts
Overcoming Reddit's timeout limits by leveraging ChatGPT's Responses API with async job polling
Proprietary Reddit testbed system using Node.js loader hooks to mock Devvit APIs for local development without altering source code
Robust security model with proper QuickJS sandboxing for user-generated code
Reddit integration that feels native to the platform with seamless post creation
Complete game ecosystem with leaderboards, high scores, and social features

What I learned

Building a game engine taught me the intricacies of low-level graphics programming. The biggest lesson: Simple interfaces can hide incredible complexity - a single text prompt generates complete games with sprites and game logic.