Vroom
A build-a-car driving game for a three-to-five-year-old. One HTML file, zero dependencies, works offline, made for an iPad in a car seat.
CREATED JUL 10, 2026 · UPDATED AUG 5, 2026
PROBLEM
Games aimed at this age are gates: a reading requirement before the fun, a fail state that ends it, and an advertisement between the two.
HYPOTHESIS
Remove all three and a four-year-old can play unassisted in the back of a car. No required reading, no way to lose, and every tap answered instantly.
ARCHITECTURE
One HTML file with no build step and no network. Icons, pictures and numerals only — nothing to read. Stars only go up and crashes are comedy, so there is no fail state to explain. Every sound is synthesised in code rather than loaded, which is also why it works with no signal. Every touch target is at least 64 px on a landscape iPad; portrait politely asks you to rotate.
STACK
RESULT
Eight worlds, eighty levels, fifteen car bodies and a victory parade at the end. Played, which is the only test that counted.
MEASURED
| metric | value | baseline |
|---|---|---|
| dependencies | 0 | — |
| levels | 80 · eight worlds of ten | — |
| minimum touch target | 64 px · iPad, landscape | — |
| required reading | none · icons and numerals only | — |
LEARNINGS
- Designing for a player who cannot read removes every affordance you were leaning on and improves the ones that are left.
- Synthesising audio in code was a constraint that paid twice: no assets to load, and offline for free.