24-Hour Python Wordplay

A story about how Dharmesh Shah built Wordplay.com in 24 hours to teach his 11-year-old son about practical programming applications.

"My son was taking a Python programming class. For him, it was still very abstract - he was learning programming and enjoyed everything involving technology and screens, but it wasn't tangible. On a Saturday night, I decided to build something since Python happens to be my language. I wanted to build something he could relate to since he plays Wordle.

I started on Saturday night with a deadline for Sunday. We were going to launch it by tweeting it, and I wanted him to see the whole process. I wrote the code overnight in Python - the language he was learning. We put Google Analytics on it so he could see users coming in real-time.

The whole point was to show him that when he encounters problems that are solvable with software, it's actually possible. I wanted him to think 'I don't have the skills right now to do what dad just did, but I know it's possible because he did it in the span of 24 hours.' Whether he wants to build a video game, a tool for his school, or some social network - it feels more approachable for him now. He's got years to go before he'll get to that level, but it made programming real for him.

Since launching in February, it's had about 45 million games played, 9.5 million people have come through it, and at any given moment, there are 2-3,000 people playing."