Inspiration

Life is chaotic, and staying organized is more important than ever. While many task-management apps exist, they often feel mundane or overwhelming, which makes it harder to stay motivated. We wanted to make productivity feel more engaging by adding light gamification and a touch of magic. The idea of turning real-life progress into a boss battle came from video games, where effort is always rewarded in a visible and satisfying way.

What it does

WishCraft is a web-based task and goal-tracking app where users create “wishes” to represent personal goals. Completing wishes grants experience points that translates into a mini-game, where users cast magical attacks to defeat a boss. These attacks are based on the 4 elements Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, inspired by the tv show Avatar the Last Airbender. The app also includes an AI chatbot that helps users organize and break down tasks, reducing friction when getting started.

How we built it

We began by finalizing our idea and sketching the app’s layout and user flow. The project was then broken into manageable tasks and divided among our four-person team. We used GitHub for version control and Visual Studio Code for development.

One team member focused on building the mini-game using TypeScript, two worked on the main application’s UI and backend, and one implemented the AI chatbot using the Gemini API. The chatbot was integrated into the main UI to assist users with task organization.

Challenges we ran into

One major challenge was that none of us had prior experience with game development. Despite this, we were able to design and implement a functional mini-game in TypeScript by learning core game logic on the fly. We also ran into rate-limit issues with the Gemini API, which required us to carefully manage requests. Additionally, fully integrating the mini-game with the main app proved difficult within the hackathon timeframe.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud that we were able to build a complete, working web app with multiple components under a tight deadline. Successfully creating a mini-game without prior game development experience and integrating an AI chatbot into the main UI were major milestones for our team.

What we learned

We learned how to collaborate efficiently using Git and GitHub, how to divide work across a team effectively, and how to integrate AI tools into a web application. We also gained experience working with TypeScript in a new context and balancing feature ambition with realistic scope.

What's next for WishCraft

Next, we want to fully integrate the mini-game with the main app so task completion can lead to experience points and gaining levels. We also plan to refine the UI, improve game mechanics, and expand the AI chatbot’s capabilities to provide smarter and more personalized task recommendations.