I built a game that replaces doomscrolling with quizzes, hidden history, and brain puzzles

Description and use

CurioQuest replaces doomscrolling with interactive quizzes and puzzles, motivating users to learn and earn XP.

Problem

Users spend excessive time doomscrolling, leading to unproductive consumption of content.

Outcome

CurioQuest replaces doomscrolling with interactive learning, providing a progression system, daily streaks, and leaderboards that motivate users to engage with educational content.

Workflow

• 1. User visits https://curio-quest-phi.vercel.app/
• 2. User selects a game mode (Forgotten Wonders, Science Fact Lab, Brain Games, World & Tech Pulse)
• 3. User answers quiz or puzzle questions
• 4. System awards XP, updates streaks, and displays progress on leaderboards
• 5. User can view daily news cards with citations and source links

Evidence

I kept catching myself doomscrolling, so I built something to replace it: CurioQuest, a free web game where curiosity earns you XP.

Source

Everything feeds one progression system: XP, unlimited levels, daily streaks with a calendar, 12 badges, 32+ collectible museum relics, and two leaderboards (points and streaks).

Source

Stack: React + TypeScript, built with Google AI Studio and Gemini

Source

Live news: a server-side endpoint calls Gemini with Google Search grounding, so cards come with citations and source links

Source