The Day we Built a Game for 7 y/o Ayden

Ben Hoogenboom

— 4 min read
The Day we Built a Game for 7 y/o Ayden
When you're kids aren't ready for the web, build games they like with a mission.

Today I built a video game for a seven-year-old. It took me an afternoon. I am not a game developer.

This afternoon I was catching up with my best friend over a glass of wine. Her kids were glued to YouTube, watching Among Us gameplay videos (the excitement, the strategy, and the social deception). Her son, Ayden, was absolutely buzzing. He wanted to play the real thing so badly.

Then the mood shifted.

She told me that she and her husband have been holding off on letting the kids play online. The bullying, the anonymous strangers, and the toxicity that creeps into voice chat are enough to make any parent hesitate. Honestly, who can blame them?

As the CEO of an AI company, Navigatr, I had a thought: what if we did not have to choose between excitement and safety?

So, while sitting there, I turned to Ayden and said: "What if we build our OWN version?"

His eyes went wide.

The Two-Minute Deployment Cycle

As I started tapping away at my MacBook, the reality of "building in public" hit home. Seven-year-olds do not have a high tolerance for deployment cycles or software testing.

It became an excited, minute-by-minute test of: "Is my game ready? Is my game ready? Has Uncle Ben built my game yet?"

His mum politely explained that Uncle Ben was working on it, but Ayden was too hyped to wait. I found myself explaining to him that my "coding agent" was working through the logic. I told him that every time something came back that was not quite perfect for him, we had to go back and refine it. We wanted it to be the best it could possibly be for him.

After twenty minutes of rapid progress, the energy in the room was electric. Ayden was not just waiting for a toy: he was watching a custom-built world come to life specifically for him.

What We Built: "Among Friends"

The game is a space-themed adventure where kids travel through six worlds, including a galactic cruise ship, a Martian theme park, and a space station cafe. In each world, instead of deceiving and eliminating crewmates, you help them.

Every character Ayden meets is dealing with a real social situation that kids actually face:

  • A friend who dropped their last treat and is heartbroken.
  • A shy kid too scared to ask to join a game.
  • A new kid eating lunch alone because their food looks "different."
  • A child overwhelmed by loud noises who just needs someone to notice.

For each situation, kids choose from three responses (randomised every time so there is no pattern to memorise, just real thinking). The "best" choice triggers a massive confetti celebration. The "okay" choice gets warm encouragement. And the least helpful choice? No punishment. Just a gentle nudge: "Think about how the other person is feeling, and what would make them feel better."

The AI Part

I used AI to translate our vision into a fully working, deployed web application. In one afternoon, the AI produced:

  • Six richly animated worlds: Glowing neon environments and spinning Ferris wheels rendered in pure CSS (no image assets required).
  • A full game engine: Features keyboard and click-to-move navigation, wall collision detection, and proximity-based interactions.
  • 36 unique social-emotional learning scenarios: These teach empathy, teamwork, inclusion, and leadership.
  • A personalised start screen: Complete with a family photo and a message in Turkish, because that is what made it special for this specific family.

Why This Matters

Every week I see and post about AI replacing jobs or "AI-generated slop." Those conversations matter, but today I watched a mum cry happy tears because technology, for once, gave her something she actually wanted for her child.

This was not another addictive dopamine loop or an app harvesting data. It was a safe, beautiful, educational tool built in an afternoon by someone using AI as a creative lever. Between friends that celebrated 25 years of friendship.

The mum who wants the best for her son Ayden, and larger than life daughter. And decades ago, these two mugs were fielding your calls, complaints, and sometimes; rants - for one of the "big 2" phone companies. (Photo: 2007)

This is the use use case nobody is talking about enough.

The barrier between "I wish this existed" and "I built it this afternoon" has finally vanished.

Try It Yourself

I’ve deployed a public demo version of Among Friends that anyone can play.

No sign-up, no data collection, and no ads. Just a game that teaches kids to be good humans.

If you are a parent, let your kid try it. If you are in tech, think about what you could build for someone you love. If you are sceptical about AI, come watch a seven-year-old’s face light up when the confetti explodes because he chose to share his last "space-mallow" with a sad friend.

That is the future I’m building toward.

Ben Hoogenboom CEO, Navigatr AI

#AI #Navigatr #ParentingInTech #EdTech #SocialEmotionalLearning #AIForGood #BuildWithAI #AmongFriends

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