Stonks: Social Media Stock Simulator

Landing page
"Stock" visualization and filtering options
Gemini chatbot feature

Inspiration

Many young people are unfamiliar with the world of investing. We wanted to create something that teaches investing principles in a way that feels natural and engaging. By combining the excitement of social media with the mechanics of investing, we built a space where learning investing seems more approachable and accessible. The name Stonks is inspired by an investment meme.

What it does

Stonks is a simulator where players buy and sell “shares” of YouTube channels they believe will grow in engagement. Each round represents a week of activity, and users can track their net gains and losses. Along the way, Gemini AI provides personalized insights and coaching to help players learn and improve.

How we built it

The backend runs on Flask, connected to both the YouTube API and Gemini API. We used SQLite for the database and React for the frontend interface.

Challenges we ran into

One of the toughest parts was figuring out how to pull the right YouTube channel data from the API. Another challenge came with the demo: since our game is designed to track growth over time, we had to find creative ways to simulate channel performance within a single day.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are especially proud of teaching Gemini AI to understand the context of the simulator. By logging player behavior and feeding it into the system, we were able to make Gemini generate feedback that feels tailored and insightful.

What we learned

Elizabeth picked up JavaScript and chart.js during this project, while the whole team learned how to navigate the YouTube and Gemini APIs directly from documentation. The process was a mix of problem-solving and exploration of new technologies.

What's next for Stonks: Social Media Stock Simulator

We want to expand beyond YouTube and include other platforms like TikTok, Spotify, and Instagram. Players could build full portfolios across multiple social media accounts, filter by country, and experiment with different strategies. We also plan to make the experience more playful with a gamified interface, sound effects, music, and interactive characters.