Learning Cloud with AWS Cloud Quest

Introduction

Have you wondered if there is a fun and exciting way of learning cloud concepts and gaining practical cloud skills? Well, this is exactly what AWS Cloud Quest does! With this role-playing game called Cloud Quest, you can practice a wide range of cloud exercises and concepts. In this article, we’ll dive into what Cloud Quest is, how to use it, its benefits, and various use cases. Join us to discover an effective way to learn cloud computing!

What Is AWS Cloud Quest?

AWS cloud quest is an online role-playing game available on the AWS Skill Builder platform that helps people learn cloud-computing skills in a fun way. After creating your avatar, you go into a virtual city and help the citizens who are faced with different cloud-related problems. The game is highly interactive and visually appealing, thus making it very easy for users to learn complex cloud concepts.

What does AWS Cloud Quest cover?

The Cloud Quest program covers a wide range of AWS services, including computing, storage, database, network, artificial intelligence, and security services. Users can work through real-world scenarios, learning how to build, deploy, and manage cloud-native applications on the AWS platform.

This game is designed for individuals who do not have much experience with AWS, as well as those with an advanced level of experience who want to deepen their AWS skills. The hands-on training makes it a practical and effective way for participants to build their AWS skills and advance their careers in the cloud computing field.

AWS Cloud Quest works by providing participants with a series of interactive labs and challenges that mimic real-world scenarios. Participants use the AWS Management Console and other AWS tools to complete tasks and solve problems, gaining hands-on experience with AWS services and best practices.

Use Cases for AWS Cloud Quest

Some of the use cases for Cloud Quest are the following:

Technical skill development: The program allows cloud professionals to build practical skills in AWS, such as developers, administrators, and IT professionals. The hands-on nature of the program makes it effective for participants to learn different AWS cloud services in a fun way.

Career advancement: The program is also useful for individuals looking to advance their careers in cloud computing, as it provides them with the skills and training they need to succeed.

Corporate training: AWS Cloud Quest can also be used as a corporate training program, helping organizations to upskill their teams and build their internal AWS expertise. You can buy a team subscription to get the team-specific features of the program.

Technical certification preparation: The program can help individuals prepare for AWS certification exams, such as the AWS Cloud Practitioner, AWS Solutions Architect or AWS DevOps Engineer.

Cloud migration: For organizations that are planning to migrate their current infrastructure to the cloud, AWS Cloud Quest can help them train and acquire the skills necessary to go through this transition.

How To Access AWS Cloud Quest?

1. Login to the AWS Skill Builder platform: http://skillbuilder.aws. Note that the AWS Skill Builder is not part of the standard AWS console, so your AWS credentials may not work here.

2. After logging into the AWS Skill Builder, you will see one free game-based course in the free version i.e., AWS Cloud Quest: Cloud Practitioner.

3. Click on the above-mentioned game course of Cloud Practitioner, and you will see the option of “Enroll” on the right-hand side.

4. Click on the “Enroll” button, and you will see following screen:

5. If you click on the “Start learning now”, you will see the course dashboard as below:

6. After you click on the “Start now” button, you might be asked for password verification one more time. Then you will see the game loading:

7. After the game is loaded, you will see the game dashboard as shown below:

8. On the bottom left, you will see a list of all the assignments. You can choose one of them to start with. For example, we selected “First NoSQL Database”
9. You will be then asked to confirm your avatar and the name of your avatar
10. As you play the game, you will learn the concepts in different ways like the following:

11. As you play the game, you can see your progress on the left hand side on top of the page:

Is AWS Cloud Quest free or paid?

AWS Cloud Quest offers three options:

Free Plan

The free plan offers 500+ digital courses, learning plans, ten question sets for AWS certifications, and the Cloud quest game for AWS cloud practitioners.

Individual subscription

The individual plan is $29 per month or $299 per year. This plan offers many premium features, including “builder labs,” which are practical guided exercises covering common cloud situations. Users are given a sandboxed AWS environment for the exercise.

Team subscription

The team subscription is priced at $449 per user per year and is intended for enterprise users. This plan includes many enterprise-level features, such as the ability to assign training exercises to employees, progress reports, and integration with an organization’s single sign-on (SSO) provider.

Best practices for using AWS Cloud Quest

• Start with a clear understanding of your goals: Before you begin, you must clearly understand your goals for using AWS Cloud Quest. Identifying your goals will allow you to focus your efforts in the right direction and will maximize your chances of successful training. For example, you can choose DevOps-related games and labs if you want to develop your DevOps skills.
• Take your time to review the training material: The program provides a plethora of information and resources, so take the time to review the materials thoroughly before you begin working on the challenges.
• Practice regularly: Regular practice is key to building your AWS skills and knowledge. Allocate a specific time each day to work on the labs and training materials, and do your best to complete as much as you can.
• Focus on hands-on learning: AWS Cloud Quest is designed to provide a hands-on learning experience, so be sure to spend as much time as possible working with the AWS Management Console and other AWS tools.
• Review feedback on your performance: After you complete each challenge, take the time to review the feedback and evaluate your results. Use this feedback to identify key improvement areas and focus your efforts in the right direction.
• Stay motivated: Learning new skills takes time, and AWS has many technically complex services. Make sure you stay motivated. Celebrate your achievements, set challenging but achievable goals, and keep the focus on your long-term goals.
• Use additional resources: It is perfectly possible that you might need additional help when learning a complex topic. Don’t hesitate to check out additional resources, including online tutorials, forums, or ebooks.

The AWS Cloud Quest Dashboard

Following are some of the core features provided by the AWS Cloud Quest dashboard:

• Interactive learning experience: The cloud quest game provides an interactive learning experience through which players can solve challenges and learn about AWS cloud services in a fun and engaging way.
• AWS Services Challenges: The game presents different challenges to the user that require the use of different AWS services e.g. Amazon S3, Amazon EC2, etc. This way, players can gain hands-on experience with AWS services.
• Progressive Difficulty: The game allows you to select the level of difficulty depending on the player’s experience with AWS services. It starts with basic concepts and gradually increases in complexity as players progress through the game.
• Mutual Collaboration: The game allows players to collaborate and share their progress with others, resulting in teamwork and knowledge sharing.
• Badges and Rewards: Players can earn badges and rewards for completing game challenges, encouraging them to continue learning and exploring AWS services.
• Real-world Scenarios: The challenges in the game are based on real-world scenarios instead of theoretical ones, helping players understand how different AWS services can be utilized to solve real-world problems. This feature ensures that the players can start their professional careers in AWS services much more easily as they already have experience solving real-world problems using AWS services.

Benefits of using AWS Cloud Quest

Following are some of the essential benefits of using AWS Cloud Quest:

1. Upskilling and reskilling: AWS Cloud Quest can help organizations upskill and reskill their employees, which allows them to take advantage of emerging technologies.
2. Improved workforce productivity: Businesses can improve their overall productivity and efficiency by providing employees with the relevant skills to use AWS services and tools.
3. Stay ahead of your competition: By staying up-to-date on AWS technologies and services, businesses can increase their competitiveness and remain relevant in a rapidly changing market. AWS introduces many new services every now and then. Using the latest AWS services ensures you are taking advantage of the latest technological breakthroughs that will help to improve your business.
4. Access to a large pool of talent: With AWS Cloud Quest, businesses can access a large pool of talent with the necessary AWS skills to meet their needs.
5. Improved employee satisfaction: By providing employees with the opportunity to learn and grow their skills in an engaging way, businesses can improve employee satisfaction and improve employee retention.
6. Reduced training costs: By leveraging AWS Cloud Quest, businesses can reduce the costs associated with traditional training methods, such as face-to-face instructor-led training. This is especially true for startups and SMB’s that cannot afford the cost of corporate trainers.

Conclusion

Today we discussed how users can use the AWS Cloud Quest game to learn AWS concepts in an interactive manner. Learning AWS services is key to advancing your career, whether you are a cyber-security specialist, DevOps engineer, or a cloud practitioner. Check out our AWS training courses that will help you achieve AWS certifications and equip you with in-depth skills and knowledge.

Learn how to Master the AWS Cloud

Elevate your cloud skills with our comprehensive AWS training. Our platform offers a range of training options including:

• Membership – Join our monthly or annual membership program for unlimited access to our on-demand training library.
• Challenge Labs – Learn by doing in a safe sandbox environment. Develop your cloud skills without risking unexpected cloud bills.
• AWS Training – Our in-depth AWS training will give you the best shot at passing your certification exam on your first attempt.