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Every great game begins with one idea.
Popcha! started as a simple thought,and this video captures the journey of turning that idea into a fully playable Snapchat Lens with Easy Lens. From the first spark of inspiration, to designing, building, publishing, and finally playing the game, every step is part of the creative process. Easy Lens made it possible to bring my imagination to life with speed, creativity, and ease.
🎮 About Popcha!
Merge colorful Gacha capsules to create higher-level capsules, unlock rare collectible toys, and complete your collection of 8 unique characters. Every merge brings you closer to collecting them all!
The network for creativity
Join 1.25M professional creatives like you
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Creatives on Contra have earned over $150M and we are just getting started
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Created this original Snapchat Lens using Easy Lens. It features a unique visual effect designed to create a fun and engaging experience. Built from scratch for the #easylenscontra challenge.
Learn how to create a Snapchat Lens without writing a single line of code using Easy Lens AI.
In this step-by-step tutorial, you'll learn how to:
• Create Snapchat Lenses with AI
• Generate AR effects using prompts
• Publish your Lens to Snapchat
• Submit your Lens to Lens+
• Build interactive Snapchat games without coding
Whether you're a beginner or a content creator, Easy Lens lets you build professional Snapchat Lenses in minutes using artificial intelligence.
Tools used:
Easy Lens
Snapchat
Lens+
🕹️ What I Built
I created Neon Byte Runner, a fast-paced retro arcade game Lens for Snapchat inspired by classic endless dodgers and 80s neon aesthetics. Built entirely using prompt-based iteration in EasyLens, the game includes:
Procedural Pixel-Art Visuals: Glowing neon ships, data bugs, energy bytes, and background scanlines drawn in real time for crisp rendering across all screen sizes.
Drag-and-Dodge Controls: Intuitive mobile steering where players dodge incoming "data bugs" and collect "energy bytes" for score multiplier points.
Dynamic Damage System: A three-life mechanic where taking damage physically breaks off spaceship parts (wings and tail) with visual particle flares.
Magical Heart Repairs: Rare falling heart powerups that grant an extra life and visually repair broken spaceship parts back onto the ship.
Chiptune Audio & Global Leaderboard: Custom-generated arcade music and sound effects paired with an integrated HUD and leaderboard to drive replayability.
💡 Why I Built It
Reimagining Classic Arcade Mechanics for AR:
I wanted to capture the instant-play energy of old-school arcade cabinets and adapt it into a social, mobile-first Snapchat Lens. The goal was to create a game that takes seconds to learn, but offers enough depth and escalating difficulty to keep players saying, "Just one more run."
Visual & Emotional Damage Feedback:
Instead of relying on a standard health bar, I wanted players to feel the stakes. Making the ship parts physically break off and scatter across the screen creates an immediate, dramatic feedback loop when you make a mistake—and grabbing a rare heart to repair your ship feels genuinely rewarding.
Pushing the Boundaries of Prompt-Based Game Design:
As a developer, I wanted to explore how far prompt engineering inside EasyLens could go. I set out to prove that you can build complete, highly polished game systems—including state management, procedural rendering, sound synthesis, and dynamic damage states—purely by guiding AI with precise multi-step prompts.
✨ How EasyLens Made It Possible
Using EasyLens, I didn't need to hop between traditional 3D software, external audio workstations, or manual script compilers. I iterated through targeted prompts to handle:
Generating procedural visual assets on the fly.
Setting up custom arcade music and dynamic sound triggers.
Fine-tuning game controls, collision boxes, and damage states.
EasyLens handled the heavy lifting, allowing me to focus on game feel, pacing, and player experience
