Level up your code with TwilioQuest

It’s no secret that making your first contribution to open source can be intimidating.

A Major League Hacking survey found that a majority of students know that contributing to open source is important for their careers, but about a third of them aren’t sure where to start and struggle with confidence. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. Thanks to TwilioQuest, you can learn to code, build your confidence, and contribute to open source like a pro (and have fun too!).

What is TwilioQuest? 

TwilioQuest is a game (yes, a game!) built by Twilio to teach students how to code. It follows a storyline where “Operators” complete missions to save “The Cloud.” Each mission is a different programming skill or language. While there are many missions, one in particular, called “Flame of Open Source,” will help you contribute to an open source project—all within the context of a completely approachable, non-intimidating game.

How it went down during GitHub Univers(ity)

During GitHub Univers(ity), we ran a competition that we called Operation Univers(ity), where we asked students to play TwilioQuest and complete as many different challenges as possible. There were 220 unique players, and on average, each completed 24 code challenges in the game. One hundred and sixty of them completed the “Flame of Open Source” challenges, as well. If you want to learn more about the competition, click here.

What this means for you

Playing a game can make you a better, more confident coder. It’s that simple. Don’t take it from us. Check out TwilioQuest’s creator Kevin Whinnery’s presentation here to learn more about how TwilioQuest can help you level up your code. Note: following along with this Twitter thread may just motivate you even more.

Written by

Ariel Kanter

@arielkanter

Ariel Kanter is a writer, editor, and content strategist. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, and, of course, on GitHub. You can find her on Substack at Rel's Recs.