Making a trading Gameboy: A pocket exchange and algo trading platform

Author here. Thanks for reading this post. I had fun making this and thought the path that led me to this might be interesting for others.

I’m really interested in feedback and ideas on things I could improve and add. I found this really inspiring as it got me more into programming, discovering electronics, and 3d printing.

I have no desire to ever make this project commercial, but it’s been a great platform for me to learn and experiment new things so I’ll take any idea be it for the gameplay or purely technical. Some features I have in mind are:

- Multiplayer over bluetooth where one device is the ‘game-master’ running the exchange and can monitor and guide players while injecting events.

- Additional quoting algos such as pegging one side of the order book and fighting for position

- A tutorial and better UI. The game is hard to pick up for the first time and probably needs to be made more intuitive etc.

While all of this was made with no practical use in mind (there are a lot of markets and products, and you’d trade them in different ways, so you’d need a different game to speak to a volatility trader for example), some people I work with at various trading desks found it useful for interviews or as an introduction to the idea of market-making for junior people.

Note: for anyone trying to “stand out” to get a job, you don’t need to do this

None of this is typically relevant, even if it gets you a callback, passing subjective technical interviews is more important. No matter how fascinating your lead is, such as the hiring manager, or recruiter, or whatever nepotism you think is so great, you still have to pass that. Other things can get you the callback you need to get that far, such as simple buzzwords on your resume.

If being at entry level is the issue, then don’t be at entry level. Make a contracting company and contract. Use that as experience in your resume.

Interesting project! The kid is only mentioned at the beginning, I wonder if they participated further in the project, or if they enjoyed playing the game?

As someone who operates in the trading technology space this is really cool. Over the years I have recognized that the top active traders develop a new sense through analyzing order book data (level1-level3) and perhaps gamification like this could help/accelerate that. Just a thought.

Very interesting journey. Some can be like ben 6502 make into a long series of yet for training and future budding hacker. The whole journey inckudeing issue handling I hope.

Hmmm. Very cool project…

But the last thing I want for my kid is for them to learn that active trading is fun, lest they try doing it with real money.