Alex Yaroshuk - Full-Stack Engineer

Project Overview

Win95Games is a nostalgic journey back to the golden age of PC gaming, featuring a collection of six classic games wrapped in an authentic Windows 95 desktop experience. Built with modern web technologies, this project combines the charm of retro gaming with contemporary performance standards.

The platform features a fully functional Windows 95-style desktop with window management, allowing users to open multiple games simultaneously. Each game has been carefully recreated to match the original experience while adding modern improvements like smooth animations and responsive controls. The games include Minesweeper with authentic gameplay mechanics, Tetris with smooth piece rotation, Arkanoid with physics-based ball movement, Snake with progressive difficulty, 2048, and classic Pong.

One of the key technical achievements was implementing the window management system that allows dragging, resizing, minimizing, and maximizing game windows just like the original Windows 95. The project also features pixel-perfect UI recreation with authentic colors, fonts, and visual effects that transport users back to the 90s while maintaining modern performance standards.

Key Features

•6 fully playable classic games (Minesweeper, Tetris, Arkanoid, Snake, 2048, Pong)

•Authentic Windows 95 desktop environment with window management

•Drag, resize, minimize, and maximize game windows

•Pixel-perfect retro UI with modern performance

•Smooth animations and transitions

•Keyboard and mouse controls for all games

•High score tracking and game state persistence

Technical Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1

Recreating authentic Windows 95 window management behavior in React

Solution

Built a custom window manager using React Context for state management and CSS transforms for positioning. Implemented z-index stacking, drag handlers with boundary constraints, and minimize/maximize animations that match the original OS behavior pixel-perfectly.

Challenge 2

Implementing smooth game physics while maintaining retro aesthetics

Solution

Used requestAnimationFrame for smooth 60 FPS animation loops while rendering graphics with Canvas API in a pixelated style. Separated game logic from rendering to maintain consistent physics timing regardless of render performance.

Challenge 3

Optimizing performance for 6 simultaneous game instances

Solution

Implemented intelligent game loop management that pauses inactive games when minimized. Used React.memo and useMemo extensively to prevent unnecessary re-renders. Each game runs in its own Canvas context with independent update cycles.