Hey all, I have something either really cool or really niche. I’ve created an app called UPUN in order to provide a space for content creators and content enjoyers to reignite their passion for media. Using video game tropes, I’ve reimagined the content viewing experience by incentivizing interactions beyond vanity metrics (like/follower/subscription counts) using XP points. Players who create an account must earn XP in order to progress their campaigns, They may do so by voting, achieving milestones, or by viewing content. Using some secret sauce, I’ve created a system that grades content depending on the contents of the media, the fullness of the content’s data, and it’s upgrades. The “Cost and Reward” grade acts as an additional label of validation that will inspire users to interact with the content, and as such the Cost and Reward label is displayed where ever the content is. The goal of this game is for each Player to achieve level 100 and gain access to The End, a special page on the app locked away with a special badge of achievement. How they get there is up to the Players…
UPUN was developed using the Wix Editor, Velo, Gimp (Image Editing), Moho Studio (SVG and Icon design), FL Studio (Sound FX), and very few dependencies. It took 4 1/2 years for me to develop alone, with this being the 11,411th version of the app. I started with no prior coding experience, beginning this project as a novice and ending…well, I made a thing and it works… so I guess I’m a bit better than novice at this point. Here are a few features that I have created using only Velo API, Wix Elements, and a barrel of creative juice:
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In-App Push Notifications: Using Wix Realtime API, the app will notify Players whenever a notification is available to them and they are active on the site. Players are also able to customize their in-app notification preferences (and eventually email notifications as well).
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Multi-Content Platform: UPUN allows Players to publish a variety of media content to the platform. Videos, Audio, Galleries (multi image), Books (text based), Interactives (multi media simulations), and Playlists are treated as individual media types known as “Creations” and may be displayed in their typical formats using UPUN’s Interactive Media Player.
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Recommendations: UPUN is an user generated content sharing platform and sports a recommendation algorithm that will find the best content for any particular Player, considering various factors such as previous experiences, player attributes (e.g. account polarity or XP needed for the next level), block list, and more. UPUN does not use AI to generate recommendations, and I will try to keep it that way.
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Microtransactions: UPUN allows Players to purchase virtual currency in order to engage in transactions on the platform. This virtual currency (called “Love”) may be exchanged between Players (as a donation or gift) or used to purchase consumables, Creation upgrades, and more. Eventually, Players will also be able to exchange the amount of Love they’ve accumulated into real money, making UPUN an incredible place monetize content.
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Player Skills: Each time the Player gains a level, they are introduced with a boost to their “Skill Byte” attribute. Skill Bytes are used to upgrade Player Skills, a very important aspect to the grind. Players are able to enhance their campaigns by building a set of skills that will prioritize their way of play: boosting the amount of XP earned per experience, increase the amount of votes to submit per action, increasing NRG capacity or increasing the amount of Love you can charge for Products (coming soon).
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Much More: These are only a few things I was really excited about. But guaranteed, there’s plenty of trials I’ve overcome in order to bring a silly idea to life.
Right now, the app is in it’s Beta stage, offering only Creative Experiences. But eventually, UPUN will feature Products (Services, Items, and Quests), Groups (Unions, Brands, and Playgrounds), and much, much more. I am looking for anyone interested in joining my team or can offer some advice in which I can take this product towards it’s next step. I would love to hear any feedback, critiques, or criticisms as well.