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Key Highlights from ZDNET
- Meta’s Pocket app allows users to vibe-code lightweight games and widgets.
- The app generates your requests into playable experiences.
- Your creations appear within about a minute.
Meta has simplified game development with the launch of its new Pocket app, enabling users to vibe-code fun mini-games, memes, and interactive gadgets. Instead of traditional coding, users describe their desired creations in plain language, and the app leverages AI to bring those ideas to life.
Also: What is AI vibe coding? It’s gaining popularity, but it isn’t for everyone – here’s why.
As with any AI tool, the specificity of your prompts can vary. I ventured into this coding experience without prior knowledge, and to my surprise, it was more enjoyable than anticipated.
Turning a Side Hustle into a Game
My first test of Pocket involved game creation. With cookie baking on my mind from spending the weekend in the kitchen, I instructed the app: “Create a game where players bake cookies for increasingly frustrated customers.” Just 59 seconds later, I had my game, aptly named Sweet Rush Bakery.
This minimalist game featured a straightforward concept: customers placed orders, and I tapped on one of the four cookie flavors to fulfill them. Following that, I would tap a mixing bowl to prepare the cookie, an oven to bake it, and finally, deliver it to the customer. Throughout this process, the customer’s emoji expression became angrier, and if I took too long, they would leave, creating a backlog of orders.
Also: Can you predict Apple’s next move? Last chance to win in ZDNET’s Big Guessing Game.
While this version of the game was entertaining, it proved to be quite challenging. I struggled to serve five or six customers before being told I had too many orders and had to close my bakery for the day. After requesting a slight difficulty adjustment from Pocket, the customer’s frustration level became much more manageable, ironically renaming the game to Angry Cookie. I spent another 15 minutes pushing to achieve the highest score possible.
My children also explored the app and created several fun projects, including:
- a retro-style driving game where players dodge oncoming traffic
- virtual bubble wrap
- a soundboard for composing music beats
- a tilt-to-balance marble game
- a simple gizmo featuring a cat image that zooms in on its eye with dramatic sound effects when tapped.
All creations are saved automatically, allowing users to modify them further or share them publicly if desired.
Exploring Other Users’ Creations
The fun doesn’t stop at creation. Pocket also features a social feed that allows users to browse through the works of others. I discovered various games, such as one that enabled me to decorate shoes with charms, try on jewelry (the app can utilize the camera while ensuring that images and videos remain within the app), and a calming experience that involved skipping stones across a lake, accompanied by soothing music and affirming messages like “You are enough” and “Take a breath.”
Also: My top three AI tools for voice dictation while vibe coding – one is free.
At times, I would quickly scroll past a game or experience, while other times, I found myself engrossed for several minutes. Before I knew it, I had spent a significant amount of time exploring.
If you’re looking to transition from being a passive consumer of content to engaging with a more interactive social feed, Meta’s Pocket app serves as a surprisingly enjoyable entry point. No prior experience is necessary—just bring your ideas.
