Arcade leaderboard is not fair

[avjayarathne]

How does google arcade leaderboard works? is it based on how fast someone complete the challenge or the accuracy or both or something else? Forgive my ignorance but how are we going to compete against a leaderboard that has zero transparency, and no human can par with speed of a bot. 

By 'bot' i meant I've seen only few usernames on every arcade leaderboard for the past year. It's always this "QiKaiSi" guy. What is the point of this leaderboard system if it's always the same person going to get first place. Where's the diversity among the learners?

Google itself measure learners based on this leaderboard for certificate opportunities and more, yet no one know how that thing works. Can please someone from Google explain this dilemma?

[Abhishek213]

QiKaiSi is one of the most senior person participating since years in cloud
he used google cloud sdk to boost his score .
He has prepared shell scripts

[janusz_szpilews]

Yes, it may be irritating seeing that someone collects 2M points just two hours after the game was started. On the other hand, those leaderboard scores have no impact on the swag credits, so they are meaningful only for those who personally enjoy such rankings. All other people may ignore it.

[avjayarathne]

yeah, but isn't Google giving away certification vouchers and others based on this leaderboard? I'm remember couple of offers like that. So, it kinda do matter; right?

[MikaCloud · Accepted solution]

Dear avjayarathne,

The leaderboard works measuting time one spends completing lab's tasks (assuming all tasks were satisfactory completed for each labs' requirements). So the shorter the time, the higher the score. One who makes it in the shortest time will get on the top. This is the logic of the leaderboard. For me, this sounds as a straightforward and fair approach for merit-based games . 

Once in the past I had a similar discussion with Qwiklabs Support Team. They said two things to me. One - if someone can gain a high score this means it is possible (the lab and the Google platform infrastructure allows this). Another - if someone can gain a high score, this means you can do it as well (by "you" they meant me).  And they were right for both statements (at least my experience proves this). So, if I can do it then it means you can do it. The question how to do it is partially answered by Abhishek213 below (we chat about this topic with him some time in the past ). I can only add that practice and patience make perfection. And also that we hardly can imagine the power of the GCP. This is the subject I am exploring.

Best,

MC

P.S: I win quite often but not always. A game is a game - luck and uncertainty are always factors. In the past I lost in 100% of games.

P.P.S: It is not correct assuming that the high score comes without any efforts.

[Anudhyan]

Hey Mike, is there any way to get connected to you personally?

[MikaCloud]

Hi, Anudhyan,

You can always message me here, using the hub/forum. I cannot promise an immediate reply but will do my best to reply asap.

Best,

MC

[pranav_purankar]

There's no single path to mastering Google Cloud, and QiKaiSi's success inspires me. If you've invested time in understanding the platform, his efficiency shouldn't be intimidating; it's a sign of a great learning resource.

Many beginners rush in, but Google Cloud is vast. Patience is key – watching the surface won't reveal everything.

As a huge fan of Google Cloud, Search, and now Gemini AI, I can easily stay updated on industry developments. Google Cloud's future as a leader seems bright. When new learners grasp the platform's core, they become not just users but customer magnets. Thank you for opening the doors of cloud computing to everyone. Arcade and Qwiklabs are fantastic tools for practical learning.

Agree with @Abhishek213 

[Paul321]

I think someone needs to make a tutorial on using the api and cloud shell scripts to get high scores. Then advance on to scraping the text of the lab instructions.   It will reveal the elegant and fast way to complete labs for everyone.   

The problem is that too many  scripts are shared on github and and lazy script runners often make up the 2nd rung of the leader board below those who make their own scripts.

Don't get me wrong,  I like to look at these solutions and learn a lot from them.  However, I don't see the leaderboard as very inspiring for beginners or even intermediate learners.  Sometimes it is fun to speed running the same lab instructions and user interface.  It wouldn't be difficult to detect off-piste methods of getting labs done but it is also important to reward these and not punish them.   Anyway, the labs should be fun and interesting in themselves.  These extras aren't all that important and transactional learning isn't everything (unless swag is at stake in which case it IS everything). 

[MikaCloud]

Hi, Paul321,

As far as I got your message clearly, below is a link from one strong Qwiklabs player in the past who explained how to use basics of SDK (you call it api) and bash scripting. Based on a number of subscribers to his channel, not many people are interested in doing labs with SDK.  Which is absolutely fine.

For one who is keen to start "doing usual labs in unusual way", her we go - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOx7EdBAxQ4

Best,

MC

P.S. The video is old but Mahmmoud did a great job explaining basics. Of course you use it on your own risk. But if you give a few likes to Mahmmoud, that will be just nice. He deserves it 🙂

P.P.S. Copying bash scripts from others can bring you to the #2 maximum. Only your own scripts might get you to the top. C'est la vie! 🙂