I built ArtisanForge, a free platform to learn PHP and Laravel through a medieval-fantasy RPG. Instead of traditional tutorials, you progress through kingdoms, solve coding exercises in a browser editor, earn XP, join guilds, and fight boss battles.
Tech stack: Laravel 12, Livewire 3, Tailwind CSS, Alpine.js. Code execution runs sandboxed via php-wasm in the browser.
What's in there:
- 12 courses across 11 kingdoms (PHP basics to deployment)
- 100+ interactive exercises with real-time code validation using AST analysis
- AI companion (Pip the Owlox) that uses Socratic method – never gives direct answers
- Full gamification: XP, levels, streaks, achievements, guilds, leaderboard
- Multilingual (EN/FR/NL)
The idea came from seeing too many beginners drop off traditional courses. Wrapping concepts in quests and progression mechanics keeps motivation high without dumbing down the content.
Everything is free, no paywall, no premium tier. Feedback welcome – especially from Laravel devs and educators.