Learning APIs with TwilioQuest

How many APIs have we had to learn over the years? Learning is a continual part of being a software developer, and learning APIs is a part of that. Usually, learning an API involves jumping into word walls with occasional code snippets in-between. But Twilio decided to try something different.

TwilioQuest is part video game, part training system for learning the Twilio APIs – and it’s definitely a novel way of learning.

You start by downloading the application you run on your machine.

Then you select a character.

Welcome to TwilioQuest!

Once in TwilioQuest, you navigate around in a top-down two-dimensional world. You walk up to individual items and press the space bar to complete a task.

The challenges start off basic, but you will quickly be writing and running code on your machine to solve problems the game gives you.

While I think this is the coolest API documentation I have ever seen, it probably isn’t the most efficient way to learn an API. This would be a more guided way to learn an API and potentially would take you deeper than you usually would go.

I’m not sure if this is a good option for inspiring young devs or not. Over the Christmas break, I might try to get my kids to go through the entire tutorial.

The challenges did require a Twilio account, which seems like a bit much for a kid to create on their own. This may require some help from an adult.

But overall, I really like their approach. It’s a fun and innovative way to learn.