Introduction
Between January 13 - 15, 2023, I participated in TreasureHacks 3.0, a 32-hour hackathon. I teamed up with talented individuals, Freddy Gonzalez and Shanmukha Pothukuchi, to build a game-ified NFT minting website using React.js, TailwindCSS, Firebase, and the Verbwire API, where we won “Best Use of Verbwire”. In this blog post, I'll share my experience and some details about the project we built.
The Design Phase
Our team started by designing a mock-up of the website using Figma. We wanted a simple and user-friendly interface that would attract users to our website. We ensured that the design was responsive and could display well across different device types.
Building the Website
After finalizing the design, we jumped into building the website. We used React.js as our front-end framework and TailwindCSS for styling. We used Firebase for user authentication and the Verbwire API for minting NFTs. One interesting feature of the website was the use of a JavaScript module for randomly generating avatars that users could mint as an NFT upon signing up.
The Dashboard and Games
Upon signing up, users would be greeted with a dashboard of games they could play to earn the ability to mint more NFTs. We chose to focus more on the website itself and the integration of MetaMask as opposed to the selection of games, so the only game we created during the hackathon was Tic-Tac-Toe. Our plan was to design the games to be fun and interactive, allowing users to earn rewards by completing challenges and winning against the computer player.
Lessons Learned
Participating in TreasureHacks 3.0 was a great opportunity for me to learn and grow as a developer. I learned how to use Figma, work with a new API, and collaborate with new people in a short timeframe.
Conclusion
In conclusion, participating in TreasureHacks 3.0 was an incredible experience. The hackathon challenged me to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions. I learned a lot from my teammates and had the opportunity to work with some amazing technologies, which I will continue to experiment with in future hackathons. I encourage everyone to sign up for TreasureHacks 3.5, happening between April 28 - 29, 2023. You can find the Devpost here. Verbwire is sponsoring the event with a $1000 prize pool and you can learn more about their API through their quickstart guide and documentation!. Check out our submitted project here along with the GitHub repository and Devpost submission.