Threading the Beads: Coding in the Era of AI

"Even a bushel of beads isn’t a treasure until they are threaded." (Korean Proverb)

Whenever I use Gemini to create something, this old proverb comes to mind.

Today, Gemini pours out an endless stream of "beads"—the code. In the past, each bead was a precious thing I had to carve by hand, but now they are so abundant they roll around under my feet.

However, if they are just scattered, they remain nothing more than fragments of data. Ultimately, it is still my job to thread them into a complete, meaningful whole.

That’s why these days, I prefer to define myself as a "Creator."

More than an "OK" Button

Of course, there are moments of mild existential dread when I’m just hitting Enter or clicking OK on code Gemini has written for me.

"Am I just a biological machine that eats food and clicks ‘OK’—a (productive) poop 💩 generator?"

This is why I try even harder to keep my wits about me. I focus on which colors to pick from the beads Gemini pours out and in what order to thread them to create a beautiful necklace. I remind myself to pour all my senses and intellect into the "Planning" and "Intent."

Otherwise, I might fall into a bottomless pit of despair, wondering if I’m a real human developer or just a "productive algorithm" that spits out results when fed data. (Well, at least results are coming out, so I pat myself on the back for being a "highly productive being." 😄)

Where Code Vanishes, Only "Intent" Remains

As Generative AI brings the cost of coding toward zero, there is a sentiment many now agree with:

"In an era where anyone can be a creator, the ‘What’ (the idea) matters more than the ‘How’ (the implementation)."

I recently found a fascinating GitHub repository called whenwords. Surprisingly, it is an open-source library with zero lines of code—only "Specifications (Specs)."

Inspired by this, I decided to start a similar experiment called history-of-video-game.

🔗 Github: bebechien/history-of-video-game

Collecting the "Blueprints"

The first bead I’ve picked is the classic masterpiece Pong.

I’m not sure what kind of necklace this repository will become. But for now, I plan to collect the specifications of games released in the past, one by one.

If you’re curious how these specs turn into a "treasure," check out this link to see Gemini’s implementation.

The process with current technology is surprisingly simple. Go to gemini.google.com, turn on the "Canvas" feature, and hand over the game spec (pong.md). Then, just say one thing: "Build this game." The code appears like magic.

We live in an era where AI can rewrite code anytime, as many times as needed. That’s why I believe the essential logic of "how it should work" is more precious than the code itself.

Whether it’s a Pull Request, a request for a new game, or a small contribution—you are always welcome. I’m looking for people to thread these beads with me.

The Future We Face

Perhaps in the future, downloading finished games from an App Store will be a thing of the past.

Sharing game "specs" on social media, thinking, "Oh, this rule looks fun," and then bringing it over to remix it into your own style—won’t that become a common way to play?

Services like Astrocade are already showing us glimpses of that experimental future.

In an era overflowing with beads, what kind of treasure are you threading today?