I’ve dreamed of this foolish sport for years, and solely Gemini 3 might deliver it partially to life.
Google unveiled its highly effective new Gemini 3 fashions this week, and I made a decision to take Gemini 3 Professional for a take a look at drive on certainly one of my pet initiatives: Thumb Wars, a digital model of the traditional hand-to-hand sport I used to play with my youngsters. You understand the one, the place you grasp one another’s palms after which use simply your thumbs to battle it out or “wrestle”. To win, you merely need to “pin” the opponent’s thumb below your individual.
TechRadar AI Week 2025
This isn’t the primary time I’ve used generative AI to assist me create a digital sport. I’ve beforehand coded an enormous Tic-Tac-Toe-style sport with ChatGPT and, extra just lately, recreated the Asteroids arcade sport utilizing Claude’s artifacts.
Claude, specifically, impressed me with its prompt-driven coding abilities, what many at the moment are calling “Vibe Coding,” the place as a substitute of writing code, you simply inform the AI what you need – vibing with the AI outcomes – nudging it together with subsequent prompts to get the ultimate code you need.
For my newest gaming venture, I began with Gemini 3 Professional but additionally fed the identical immediate to ChatGPT 5.1 and Claude Sonet 4.5. The outcomes are all fairly totally different, and just one delivered a sport I’d play time and again.
I began in Google’s AI Studio, the place I accessed the Gemini 3 Professional Preview (entry to the Professional model normally prices $19.99 a month, although you may get a free 3-month trial).
My immediate, which you may see under, did not embody an amazing quantity of element, however I assumed I might try the consequence after which provide extra prompts to regulate and enhance the sport.
Immediate:
I’ve an concept for an app. I would like it to characteristic two digital thumbs that interact in a thumb conflict and name it Thumb Wars. Customers choose their thumb (together with most well-liked pores and skin shade), after which outfit them Lucha Libre-style. They then wait for one more participant (wherever on this planet) to hitch and settle for their problem. The play space resembles a wrestling ring. The thumb motion is managed by tapping the display with one or two fingers. One finger is a straight connect. Two fingers is a sweep transfer to knock the opposite thumb over. Three falls of your opponent and also you win.
Can we construct this as a Internet-based app and present me a demo?
To be sincere, I believed Gemini 3 Professional would possibly fail. Regardless that I might see my dream Thumb Wars sport in my head, I anxious that Gemini would shortly spot the logic gaps and inform me to “attempt once more.”
As an alternative, Gemini 3 Professional was absolutely onboard: “Sure, that is completely buildable as a Internet-based app (PWA). In actual fact, an online app is a good alternative for this as a result of gamers can be a part of immediately through a hyperlink with out downloading a 200MB app retailer binary.”
It adopted with a breakdown of all of the methods it might construct the sport’s back and front ends, and even the way it might create a “Foyer” for multi-player matchmaking.
Gemini could not create a backend host however shortly pivoted to constructing a usable “single-screen simulation”.
The HTML code, which appeared inside seconds, was surprisingly tight. I copied it after which put it in an unformatted textual content file with an “HTML” extension. Then I opened it in Chrome. This is what I noticed:
Picture 1 of 2
It was, in some methods, spectacular. The sport labored, and Gemini’s personal decision-making abilities have been evident all through. Some selections, like a hoop that appears like a strip of warning tape, usually are not nice. However Gemini 3 Professional obtained the thumb form kind of proper, and it neatly determined to generate a robotic opponent since this model of Thumb Wars was not but on-line. It additionally neatly stuffed in a spot in my sport growth technique.
Regardless that I outlined gameplay as managed by display faucets, Gemini 3 Professional knew I wanted one other management technique for a web-based sport performed on a desktop or laptop computer. So, it gave me keyboard management choices for jabs and sweeps.
I beloved the way it let me utterly customise the colours for pores and skin and the masks.
Nonetheless, I knew we might do higher. I adopted with this immediate:
That is implausible. I nonetheless need to a minimum of provide totally different masks choices.
Additionally:
Make the ring look a bit extra reasonable (it ought to have 4 sides)
Make the thumbs look just a bit extra like thumbs
Let’s begin with the thumbs additional aside and possibly add the power to maneuver foward and again with the keyboard arrow keys
Make the assaults a bit extra dramatic
Gemini 3 Professional generated a Model 2.0 with, amongst different updates, “CSS Perspective to tilt the [ring] flooring,” and drama within the type of “the entire digital camera shakes when a heavy hit lands.”
The consequence was a considerably longer HTML file and steerage on find out how to take a look at the brand new file, together with “The Setup: Discover the brand new menu. Decide “Shadow Murderer” or “The Peacock” to see the CSS form adjustments on the masks,” and “The Visuals: The thumbs now look extra natural (rounded edges, distinct nail) and the ring has depth (ropes within the foreground/background).”
This is what the file regarded like once I opened it in Chrome:
Picture 1 of 2
This was fairly a leap. I obtained my ring and a few dimension, however I quickly realized that I might solely managed to create a one-dimensional sport on a 3D aircraft. I additionally seen that the thumbs might begin outdoors the ring and go away it throughout a match.
I fed Gemini 3 Professional this immediate, but it surely’s additionally price noting that at no level does Gemini 3 Professional ask me to start out over or remind it of what we did earlier than.
Trying good. A number of extra small updates
The thumbs ought to begin the battle contained in the ring
Enable the thumbs to maneuver up and down within the ring with the up and down arrow keys
The motion on the vertical axis in a 3D surroundings offered a number of challenges that, to my shock, Gemini shortly sorted and deliberate for. Earlier than its new HTML code, it defined its technique:
“Depth & Perspective:
As you stroll “Up” (away from digital camera), the thumb will get smaller and darker.
As you stroll “Down” (nearer to digital camera), the thumb will get bigger.
This creates a practical 3D impact contained in the CSS surroundings.
Z-Axis Hit Detection: You may now not punch somebody if they’re on the opposite aspect of the ring vertically. You should line up your shadow with theirs to land a success.
Foreground/Background Ropes: The ring is now cut up into layers. The underside rope is in entrance of the thumbs, so in the event you stroll near the digital camera, you might be visually “inside” the ring behind the ropes.”
The HTML file produced this consequence:
Picture 1 of 2
The management and movement throughout the 3D ring are spectacular. I used to be disenchanted, although, that we misplaced the configuration choices. I went again and requested Gemini so as to add these again in. As Gemini precisely assessed earlier than constructing its greatest HTML file but, “This combines every thing we have now constructed to this point.”
My sport will not win any awards, however the consequence was, contemplating what we began with, close to good.
Picture 1 of 2
ChatGPTs flip
Subsequent, I took my base immediate to ChatGPT 5.1. Like Gemini 3 Professional, ChatGPT expressed pleasure, “Sure, we will completely construct a web-based demo of Thumb Wars. Right here’s a first-playable prototype you possibly can run in your browser,” and shortly started working.
It took significantly longer for ChatGPT 5.1 to jot down the HTML/CSS/JavaScript code, and the consequence was a single configuration and gameplay display that I initially appreciated (it will get factors for cuteness), however I quickly noticed its vital limitations.
Not like Gemini, ChatGPT did not bake in desktop controls, which meant I could not use a keyboard and even trackpad faucets to manage the thumbs. I wanted to present ChatGPT extra element if this was going to work.
I delivered this immediate to ChatGPT:
Good begin. Let’s make these changes
I would like a extra realistic-looking ring
After gamers select their thumb fashion, swap to a full-screen ring for match
In lieu of a web-based opponent, default to taking part in in opposition to the pc
Make the thumbs look a bit extra reasonable
Enable for keyboard assault management. Arrow keys for motion X and R keys for 2 sorts of assault
ChatGPT responded, “Love these tweaks – that is beginning to really feel like an precise little preventing sport.”
We’ll see…
Picture 1 of 2
ChatGPT 5.1 cut up the sport right into a setup and principal gameplay display, but it surely nonetheless lacked the depth and pleasure of the Gemini display. What’s extra, regardless that ChatGPT advised me I’d be pitted in opposition to a CPU opponent, the opposite thumb barely moved. I simply did not really feel like this sport was shifting in the appropriate path. We weren’t vibing.
Claude’s flip
Subsequent, it was Claude Sonet 4.5’s flip. I might beforehand had some success with Claude Artifacts, which helped me construct that Asteroid sport, so I had excessive hopes for its Thumb Wars makes an attempt.
Clause was no much less enthusiastic, telling me, “I like this idea! Let me construct a demo of Thumb Wars for you. This will probably be a totally purposeful prototype with:
Character customization (thumb choice, pores and skin tone, lucha libre masks/outfits)
A wrestling ring play space
Faucet-based fight (1 finger = jab, 2 fingers = sweep)
Three-fall match system
Matchmaking simulation (for the demo, you may play in opposition to an AI opponent)
Let me create this for you:”
Picture 1 of 3
Due to Claude’s Artifact capabilities, it instantly offered a functioning sport window subsequent to the code.
The customization controls have been nice, particularly the choice to decide on to play with the appropriate or left thumb. Nevertheless, the sport barely functioned, and largely as a result of, as I assessed with the opposite platforms, I did not present sufficient data, particularly for desktop controls.
I attempted utilizing a immediate much like the one I offered to Gemini 3 to assist information Claude towards a greater, extra purposeful model of the sport. The important thing replace, although, was me asking for it to assign keyboard controls.
I might present you what it regarded like, however the Claude thumb Wars replace was nearly unchanged. It did not even implement the promised keyboard controls.
In the long run, it was barely a contest. Gemini 3 Professional was sooner and smarter. In locations the place I offered skeletal steerage, it stuffed within the gaps to make my dream sport a actuality. Gemini 3 Professional appeared to virtually intuit my intention and, basically, gave, contemplating the constraints, the absolute best consequence.
I’ll return to this vibe-coding activity with Gemini 3 Professional, and maybe sometime you, too, will probably be taking part in Thumb Wars on the desktop (and later smartphone!).
The most effective MacBooks and Macs for all budgets
Comply with TechRadar on Google Information and add us as a most well-liked supply to get our skilled information, critiques, and opinion in your feeds. Be certain to click on the Comply with button!
And naturally you can even observe TechRadar on TikTok for information, critiques, unboxings in video kind, and get common updates from us on WhatsApp too.
