Learn and Build High-Speed GameFi with Hydra

[Proposal setup] Proposal title

Please provide your proposal title

Learn and Build High-Speed GameFi with Hydra

[Proposal Summary] Budget Information

Enter the amount of funding you are requesting in ADA

45000

[Proposal Summary] Time

Please specify how many months you expect your project to last

3

[Proposal Summary] Translation Information

Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated

No

Original Language

en

[Proposal Summary] Problem Statement

What is the problem you want to solve?

We need to attract more developers to explore and test Hydra apps, expanding use cases, finding bugs, and suggesting essential features to its core team

[Proposal Summary] Supporting Documentation

Supporting links

• https://sdk.hydrawallet.app/
,
• https://hydrawallet.app/marketplace
,
• https://play-flappy.hydrawallet.app/
,
• https://explorer.hydrawallet.app/flappy/

[Proposal Summary] Project Dependencies

Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

Yes

Describe any dependencies or write 'No dependencies'

Our project depends on the readiness of the Hydra Hexcore, Hydra SDK, and Hydra Hub tools. These form the core technical infrastructure of the course, enabling students to build and test realtime GameFi with Hydra in the fastest and simplest way. We believe that with encouragement and support from the community for Hydra Hexcore, Hydra SDK, and the Hydra Hub infrastructure solution, Hydra Game Academy can achieve maximum impact, engage more developers, and accelerate Hydra adoption within the ecosystem

[Proposal Summary] Project Open Source

Will your project's outputs be fully open source?

Yes

License and Additional Information

MIT License – All course materials, including videos, slides, sample code, Hydra SDK integration examples, and Hydra Hub access scripts, will be fully open source. These resources will be freely available on GitHub and YouTube, enabling the Cardano community to reuse, improve, and expand upon them

[Theme Selection] Theme

Please choose the most relevant theme and tag related to the outcomes of your proposal

Training

[Campaign Category] Category Questions

Who you’re targeting, how you’ll reach them, and why this matters for Cardano.

We target game developers interested in blockchain, Cardano devs exploring Hydra, indie studios, and game students. We will reach them via Cardano community channels, meetups, universities, and GitHub. Goals: attract new devs, drive wallet creation and ADA transactions, expand the blockchain gaming community, and build long-term capacity for low-latency dApp development on Cardano.

Provide a list of key activities of your project?

• Design a 3-month bilingual Hydra Game Academy curriculum with clear learning goals.
• Produce 18–22 step-by-step training videos with slides and sample code.
• Provide ready-to-use Hydra endpoints and an online Explorer.
• Weekly practical labs and Q&A sessions via Discord.
• Capstone project: build a fully functional realtime GameFi dApp with Hydra.
• Release all course materials and code under an open-source license

What are your success metrics?

• Number of students completing the course and delivering a working Hydra-integrated game.
• Number of open-source repos created from capstone projects.
• Engagement growth in Hydra-related discussions on Cardano dev channels.
• Stars, forks, and contributions to Hydra-related GitHub repos.
• Post-course collaborations and new Hydra-based projects launched.

[Your Project and Solution] Solution

Please describe your proposed solution and how it addresses the problem

Hydra is one of the most anticipated technological solutions within the Cardano community, expected to significantly enhance scalability and competitiveness against other blockchains. However, for Hydra to be rapidly refined and ready for real-world deployment, it is crucial to attract more developers to explore, test, and build applications on this Layer 2 solution. This not only helps generate more real-world use cases but also supports bug detection and the contribution of new features to the Hydra core development team.

One of the most suitable fields for Hydra’s current capabilities is Realtime GameFi—where processing speed and low latency are critical. However, game developers currently lack clear, practical resources and guidance to get started with Hydra.

Therefore, it is essential to create specialized practical Hydra training programs for game developers, enabling them to quickly deploy Realtime GameFi applications on Cardano, attract new users, and foster diversity in the ecosystem.

With over one year of intensive work with Hydra, our team has gained significant hands-on experience, including the challenges and barriers new developers often face. We propose to launch Hydra Game Academy—a 3-month bilingual (English/Vietnamese) online course focused on practical training for game developers.

The course will provide:

• Detailed instructional videos from beginner to advanced levels.
• Sample code repositories and weekly hands-on lab exercises.
• Ready-to-use infrastructure, including Hydra endpoints and Hydra Explorer, so learners do not need to run their own nodes.
• A final capstone project where each student builds a fully functional Hydra-integrated game.

This approach significantly lowers technical barriers, shortens the learning curve, and encourages greater participation from the game development community in Cardano.

Target Audience:

• Game developers interested in blockchain integration.
• Cardano developers exploring Hydra for realtime applications.
• Indie game studios and game students seeking new gameplay and monetization models.

Approach & Implementation

Outreach channels:

• Announcements via Cardano community channels (Discord, Telegram, X).
• Collaboration with game development communities (meetups, online forums).
• Partnerships with universities and software/game training groups.
• Sharing open-source repos and sample projects on GitHub.

Key activities:

1. Curriculum design: 3 months, bilingual, with clear objectives, modules, and labs.
2. Content production: 18–22 videos with slides, covering Hydra basics, game frontend/backend, SDK integration, and the capstone.
3. Infrastructure setup: Hydra endpoints and online Explorer for all participants.
4. Training delivery: Weekly video releases, sample code repos, and documentation.
5. Community engagement: Q&A sessions, office hours, and discussions on Discord/Forum.
6. Assessment: Quizzes and capstone project reviews.
7. Open-source release: All code and resources under an open license.

Success Metrics:

• Number of participants completing the course and delivering a Hydra-integrated game.
• Number of public open-source repositories generated from capstone projects.
• Growth in discussions and contributions related to Hydra in Cardano developer communities.

[Your Project and Solution] Impact

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Hydra Game Academy will expand the Cardano developer community by lowering barriers to building realtime applications on Hydra. With ready-to-use infrastructure and open-source resources, the project will drive adoption in the GameFi sector and inspire new innovative dApps.

Value the training will deliver:

• Attract new developers to Cardano through an accessible, hands-on training program.
• Encourage the creation of Hydra-integrated projects to showcase Cardano’s low-latency capabilities.
• Strengthen the ecosystem by producing open educational content that the community can reuse and improve.

How we will measure impact:

• Number of completed Hydra projects (capstones).
• Number of open-source repos created and maintained after the course.
• Growth in Hydra SDK usage metrics (downloads, forks, stars).
• Community engagement levels on forums, Discord, and GitHub.

How we will share results and opportunities:

• All materials (videos, slides, sample code) will be released under an open license.
• Capstone projects will be shared on GitHub and promoted through Cardano community channels.
• Encourage students and the community to continue developing and collaborating on Hydra projects.

[Your Project and Solution] Capabilities & Feasibility

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our team has over 10 years of experience in software and game development, including multiple blockchain integrations. We have directly deployed and operated alpha-stage products using the latest Hydra technology, version v0.22, provided by the IOG development team, to practically validate Hydra’s performance and stability before its official release. These include Hydra projects such as Hydra Wallet, Hydra Game Marketplace, and Hydra Explorer.

https://hydrawallet.app/marketplace

https://play-flappy.hydrawallet.app/

https://explorer.hydrawallet.app/

In addition, our technical team has spent considerable time working directly with members of the Hydra development team at IOG through:

• Bug reports
• Feature requests
• Testing and verifying real-world technical issues

Evidence: Our GitHub account aniadev has created and discussed many technical issues with the Hydra team, including:

• Validation issues with Aiken built-in functions and validity_range:

https://github.com/cardano-scaling/hydra/issues/2162

• Intermittent DepositExpired errors before the deadline:

https://github.com/cardano-scaling/hydra/issues/2144

• Feature request: Allow partial ADA commit from UTxO:

https://github.com/cardano-scaling/hydra/issues/2140

• Hydra Head not confirming Snapshot UTxO after TxValid when interacting with contracts using inlineDatum:

https://github.com/cardano-scaling/hydra/issues/2113

• Full list of our technical reports:

https://github.com/cardano-scaling/hydra/issues?q=author%3Aaniadev

This demonstrates that we are not only Hydra users but also active contributors to improving and refining the protocol.

The combination of proven technical deployment capability, blockchain training experience, and transparent project management ensures that we can deliver this project with high reliability, responsibility, and measurable results. All members involved in the training process possess key competencies, including:

• Technical expertise: Proficiency in Hydra Head protocol, Cardano SDK, game development frameworks (Next.js, Vue, Phaser), and backend infrastructure.
• Infrastructure management experience: Skilled in deploying and operating Hydra nodes, explorers, and API hosting for realtime applications.
• Content production capability: Experienced in creating high-quality bilingual technical learning materials, including video courses and documentation.

We will also implement a step-by-step rollout process to ensure the best feasibility and results for the training program, starting with:

• Conducting a small-scale pilot with hosted Hydra endpoints and Explorer before the official launch to ensure technical readiness and learner accessibility.
• Gathering feedback from pilot participants to fine-tune content and infrastructure.
• Applying milestone-based delivery to ensure progress, with each milestone publicly reported and reviewed.

[Milestones] Project Milestones

Milestone Title

Finalize Curriculum, Infrastructure & Launch Initial Content

Milestone Outputs

• Finalized 3-month bilingual course curriculum with clear modules and learning objectives.
• Fully prepared and hosted Hydra endpoint and online Explorer for pilot phase.
• First batch of 3–4 training videos with slides covering Hydra basics and course introduction.
• Initial GitHub repository with starter code and documentation for students

Acceptance Criteria

• Hydra endpoint and Explorer achieve >99% uptime during the pilot.
• Testers confirm full accessibility and functionality of the hosted infrastructure.
• Curriculum structure and initial learning materials are reviewed and approved internally.
• First videos and starter code meet quality standards for clarity, accuracy, and usability.

Evidence of Completion

• Public link to the detailed course curriculum and module outline.
• Active Hydra endpoint and Explorer URLs with monitoring logs showing uptime.
• GitHub repository link containing starter code and documentation.
• Public or unlisted YouTube/Vimeo links to the first batch of training videos and slides.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

12000

Progress

30 %

Milestone Title

Complete Content & Conduct Training

Milestone Outputs

• Finalized 3-month bilingual course curriculum with clear modules and learning objectives.
• Fully prepared and hosted Hydra endpoint and online Explorer for pilot phase.
• First batch of 3–4 training videos with slides covering Hydra basics and course introduction.
• Initial GitHub repository with starter code and documentation for students.

Acceptance Criteria

• Hydra endpoint and Explorer achieve >99% uptime during the pilot.
• Testers confirm full accessibility and functionality of the hosted infrastructure.
• Curriculum structure and initial learning materials are reviewed and approved internally.
• First videos and starter code meet quality standards for clarity, accuracy, and usability.

Evidence of Completion

• Public link to the detailed course curriculum and module outline.
• Active Hydra endpoint and Explorer URLs with monitoring logs showing uptime.
• GitHub repository link containing starter code and documentation.
• Public or unlisted YouTube/Vimeo links to the first batch of training videos and slides.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

12000

Progress

60 %

Milestone Title

Capstone, Wrap-Up & Public Release

Milestone Outputs

• Completed capstone projects from students, each being a functional Hydra-integrated realtime game.
• Capstone project guidelines and evaluation criteria.
• Final quiz and assessment tools for course completion.
• Public release of all course materials (videos, slides, sample code) under an open-source license.
• Publication of capstone projects and success stories on Cardano community channels.
• Final impact report summarizing results, feedback, and performance metrics.

Acceptance Criteria

• Capstone projects run successfully on the hosted Hydra endpoint without major issues.
• All public materials (videos, slides, code) are accessible and licensed openly.
• Final report includes verified metrics such as course completion rate, number of open-source repos, and community engagement levels.
• Positive feedback from students and community on course value and applicability.

Evidence of Completion

• GitHub links to completed student capstone projects.
• Public repository containing all released course materials under the declared open-source license.
• Links to Cardano forum posts, Discord announcements, or X (Twitter) posts sharing success stories.
• Final report document including statistics, student feedback, and Catalyst submission confirmation.

Delivery Month

1

Cost

21000

Progress

100 %

[Final Pitch] Budget & Costs

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

Total Requested Budget: 45,000 ADA

1. Personnel Costs – 25,000 ADA

Covers the core project team for a 3-month implementation period.

Project Manager (PM) – 5,000 ADA (Planning, milestone management, reporting)

Lead Blockchain Developer (Hydra Specialist) – 5,000 ADA (Hydra endpoint/Explorer setup, SDK integration, technical support)

Game Developer / Game SDK Integrator – 5,000 ADA (Game frontend/backend integration, demo creation)

Content Producer / Technical Trainer – 5,000 ADA (Video production, slides, labs, GitHub content)

QA Specialist – 5,000 ADA (Testing infrastructure, code, materials)

2. Infrastructure & Tools – 10,000 ADA

Server hosting for Hydra endpoint & Explorer (high-availability setup) – 7,000 ADA

Video production tools, licenses, and editing software – 2,000 ADA

Cloud storage and content delivery – 1,000 ADA

3. Community Engagement & Dissemination – 5,000 ADA

Marketing and outreach in Cardano and game dev communities – 3,000 ADA

Capstone promotion, success story publication, and translations – 2,000 ADA

4. Contingency & Risk Management – 5,000 ADA

To cover unexpected technical requirements, additional content creation, or infrastructure scaling needs during the course.

With the exchange rate of ADA = $0.8

[Final Pitch] Value for Money

How does the cost of the project represent value for the Cardano ecosystem?

The project will deliver significant value to the Cardano ecosystem for the funds spent.

With a relatively low cost, the project will:

• Provide a 3-month bilingual training program for game developers, lowering technical barriers to Hydra adoption. This will not only create more real-world use cases but also help identify bugs and contribute new feature ideas to the Hydra core development team.

• Deliver shared infrastructure (Hydra endpoint, Explorer) and open-source repositories that will remain available for the community long after the project ends.

• Produce a substantial set of high-quality educational resources—18–22 training videos, slides, lab exercises, and a complete capstone framework—freely available for the community to use, adapt, and enhance.

• Directly contribute to Cardano’s growth by enabling developers to build innovative low-latency GameFi dApps, attracting new users and increasing ADA transaction volume.

• Strengthen the ecosystem’s technical capabilities through identifying Hydra bugs, proposing improvements, and fostering collaboration with the IOG Hydra development team.

The combination of long-term open-source assets, enhanced developer skills, and broader Hydra adoption ensures a measurable and sustainable return on investment, far exceeding the initial funding amount.

[Required Acknowledgements] Consent & Confirmation

Terms and Conditions:

Yes