Building Spookseek AR on Replit: How a Designer Shipped an AR Ghost Hunting Game in a Week

Ruth Heasman, a graphic designer turned builder, created Spookseek AR, an augmented reality ghost hunting game, for Replit's mobile Buildathon, showcasing her journey from non-coder to master builder. Utilizing Replit Agent to overcome her lack of experience in 3D math and AR development, Heasman crafted a bespoke 3D system with elements such as Three.js for rendering and custom shaders for ghostly visuals, despite challenges like Expo's lack of ARKit support. Her approach focused on leveraging mobile hardware features, creating a playful Halloween-themed experience, and overcoming the complexities of transitioning from development to production builds. Spookseek AR was built within a week, highlighting the power of Replit's platform and tools to enable rapid, creative development without compromising user privacy, as the app runs locally without needing constant API calls or personal data. Heasman's story emphasizes the potential for nontraditional builders to achieve ambitious projects by embracing a "vibe coding" mentality, leveraging Replit's flexible tools, and maintaining a focus on user experience and creative expression.