AWS GameDay

Fun, gamified, hands-on learning

AWS-GameDay

About AWS GameDay

GameDay is a collaborative learning exercise that tests skills in implementing AWS solutions to solve real-world problems in a gamified, risk-free environment. This is a completely hands-on opportunity for technical professionals to explore AWS services, architecture patterns, best practices, and group cooperation.

Our approach is unconventional compared to other learning formats. Ambiguity and non-prescriptive guidance allow teams the flexibility to think creatively as they navigate a wide array of technical challenges. There is no one right answer; teams pave their own path based on resources we provide them with in live AWS accounts. If you enjoy open-ended challenges without step-by-step instructions, look no further.

The setting for every GameDay is our famous (fictitious) narrative. Participants are new hires at Unicorn.Rentals and this is their first day on the job.

Unicorn.Rentals New Hires

Congratulations on your new position at Unicorn.Rentals! We are the largest provider of mythical creatures in the world, fulfilling the needs of parents who have caved to their childrens' demands of temporary use of a unicorn.

As part of our dominance of the Legendary Animal Rental Market (LARM), we understand the importance of our human capital and invest heavily in training programs for our growing team of technical experts. This will be a new hire orientation that you will never forget!

Unicorn Rentals

Upcoming Public Events

Stay tuned for public events!

GameDay Partner League

Eligibility

AWS Partners in AWS Service Delivery, Service Ready, Competency, and Managed Service Provider Programs are eligible to compete against each other in hands-on technical challenges. Winners of the League are promoted on AWS social media.

Fans can subscribe to AWS GameDay Twitch channel, and follow AWS GameDay Twitter.

How to Participate

Once your company achieves an AWS Service Ready, Service Delivery, Competency, or MSP Program designation, our League scouts will email tournament invitations to your alliance lead and technical staff.

Benefits

  1. Learn AWS for free
  2. Get expert advice
  3. Foster collaborative problem-solving

 

 

AWS GameDay Partner League Leaderboard

First Place Teams - September 2022
Worldwide Regional Cups

Europe, Middle East, Africa- Zen Internet
Latin America (Portuguese) - Enkel
Asia Pacific - Interactive Pty Ltd
Latin America (Spanish) - Clouxter

 

On-Demand Essentials

Join us for an interactive, six-part series to get hands-on cloud computing experience in the fun, fictitious startup world of Unicorn.Rentals! These videos will help you get up to speed for your first new hire orientation.

  • When you jump into an AWS account, it’s common to have existing resources in that account, and GameDay is no exception. Finding out what you have is essential to be successful in the game. We’ll talk about how to identify your inventory and assess your configuration. You’ll get some background on logging services, such as Cloudtrail and Cloudwatch. Bring your browser, your questions and your love for unicorns; it’s going to be a blast!

    GameDay Essentials | Episode 1 - Recon (1:01:06)

  • Scaling your application infrastructure is a critical component to being successful in Gameday. It starts with autoscaling groups, but it doesn’t end there. We learn about various scaling techniques, where it makes sense to use them and how to implement with running infrastructure. Of course, we’ll have a few surprises for you. Don’t miss it!

    GameDay Essentials | Episode 2: Scaling (1:00:54)

  • Just like in real life™, your Gameday is not static, you’ll have to deal with change; whether that’s more users or new code. We’ll dive into team dynamics, which is a key component to success, as well as show you how to use native AWS security and deployment tools to track and manage change.

    GameDay Essentials | Episode 3: Changes (57:46)

  • Tightly coupled systems live together and die together. We’ll explore how loosely coupled systems operate, and how to diagnose failures when something goes wrong. A plan for failure outplays a failure to plan every time, so tune in to get the answers you need to win.

    GameDay Essentials | Episode 4: Decoupling (50:54)

  • At AWS, security is job zero, and it should be for you too. An advantage of the AWS cloud is that you can scale and innovate, all the while maintaining a secure environment. In GameDay, paying attention to security can be the difference between winning and losing. We’ll look at access methods, how to securely access services and unscramble the topic of encryption. As always, there will be fun facts, audience polls and lots of surprises.

    GameDay Essentials | Episode 5 - Security is Job Zero (58:31)

  • Frugality is one of our core principles at Amazon, and in GameDay, it’s literally part of the scoring equation. Making smart choices to optimize cost is your key to climbing the scoreboard and taking home the prize. We’ll look at instance optimization, explore cost management tools built into your account and share plenty of tips and tricks along the way. You’re sure to learn new skills that you can take to any AWS environment and be a hero.

    GameDay Essentials | Episode 6: Optimizing for Cost (1:01:15)