InFocus This Week: Skills Boost Arcade – August 2025

[Yugali]

This month, it’s all about rolling up your sleeves and building with purpose. From crafting intelligent apps to automating entire cloud environments, the Skills Boost Arcade- August 2025 is packed with challenges designed to help you grow your skills—and walk away with something real to show for it!

The Arcade Base Camp – August 2025
It’s a new month and a new opportunity to sharpen your skills with hands-on learning experiences. Ready to power up?**

Level 1: Application Design and Delivery**
Build smart apps using Flutter, Java, and Kubernetes. Add features like speech and image recognition with Cloud ML APIs, set up CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins on GKE, and lock things down with Vault. You’ll even bring Terraform and Cloud DNS into the mix for full-stack delivery.

Level 2: Building with Cloud Tools
Explore automation with Dart, Python, and AppSheet. Work with Document AI to streamline tasks, monitor with Prometheus, and experiment with enterprise-grade tools like Neo4j, Media CDN, and SAP integrations.

Level 3: Terraform Essentials
Go hands-on with one of the most widely used tools in cloud infrastructure. Use Terraform to provision Google Cloud services like Compute Engine and Firestore, manage secrets, set up secure configurations—and build systems that are scalable, secure, and repeatable.

As always, you bring the curiosity—we bring the challenges. Let’s build something meaningful this August.

See You In The Cloud!

[Iyerrams]

I am not able to create a topic under learning tag. How do I do that ?

[Babar_Ali]

Hey @Yugali , Please Introduce the Arcade Points Criteria for different Arcade Prize Tiers.

[Iyerrams]

LAB Develop an app with Gemini issues/errors - Update

Thanks for weighing in. I opened a thread on above subject a while ago (old site). We lost that thread. After going back and forth with support, I got an update and I like to share here. Support agreed with folks + me, that this lab has issues. Here is what they said:

++++++++

Greetings from Qwiklabs. Sorry for the inconvenience caused. There is an ongoing issue with the lab “Develop an app with Gemini” and we have taken note of this. It’s our top priority to fix this, our team is already working on it, and we will fix it at the earliest. We will keep you updated with the progress. Once again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. We will put in our best efforts to fix this and get you up and running as soon as possible. Best regards,… from Qwiklabs

+++++++

Thanks again.

[nunuvin]

Was there an acrade insider email for july? Don’t see it in my arcade email box?

[Abhishekkrsanu]

Please monsoon challenge starting date reveal

[RAOKS]

I received the [Arcade Insider] August email on 13th August 2025 for my Arcade 2024 season 2, 2025 Season 1 Skill Boost ID’s , but I haven’t received it for my Arcade 2025 Season 2 Skill Boost ID.

Reply from support team:

Aug 14, 2025, 14:19 GMT+5:30

“Thank you for the information. We are aware of the issue with the August Arcade Insider emails not being sent out to new subscribers.

Please be assured that you and your friends will receive the email next month.”

[Iyerrams]

We are facing many challenges. I tried with Future Ready Skills

===============================================
8/11/25, 5:17 AM — 8/19/25, 2:29 PM
About 23 hours remaining
540 spots remaining

Building and Debugging Cloud Functions for Node.js

VPC Networking: Cloud HA-VPN

Importing Data to a Firestore Database

The above lab throw errors. It looks like have bugs. Opened support tkts. Their responses did not resolve issues. How do we complete all within remaining hours ?

Did anyone complete these labs?

Thanks .

[RAOKS]

@Iyerrams I have completed 7 labs on 11th and 12th of August 2025.

VPC Networking: Cloud HA-VPN was under maintainer and same is updated and I have completed on 18th Aug 2025 and it’s working.

[Iyerrams]

@RAOKS Thanks for weighing in. How did you that lab was on maintenance?

I did not receive any notification about it. I was going back and forth with support. I receive the response last night . They said

“I apologize for the issues you’ve been facing with the lab and the support link, and I understand.

I have checked, and it appears the “Future Ready Skills” Arcade game has indeed ended. I’m very sorry that you were unable to get these issues resolved before the game concluded.

I kindly encourage you to move ahead and participate in the upcoming games to earn more badges and continue your learning journey”

I was not able to complete 7 labs. Are you able to complete all LABS without any issues ?

Are anything left in Arcade August 2025 set to get badges?

Thanks for sharing.

[RAOKS]

@Iyerrams , I was able to complete all 7 labs without any problems on 11th and 12th Aug 2025.

VPC Networking: Cloud HA-VPN lab link was disabled and {REQUIRED] options was also displaying.

After completing all 7 labs , Future Ready Skills game badge generated on 12th Aug 2025 in my skills boost ID, I have updated same to one of learners query Have you subscribed to the Skills Boost Arcade? - #27 by chagdrashti10

Lab errors can be reduced through Mandatory Resource Cleanup Tasks

Observation: In most lab environments, gamers and learners create resources during tasks but often end the lab without deleting them. Over time, this leads to system errors and resource clutter.

Escalation: This issue has been escalated due to its recurring impact on system performance and reliability.

Recommendation: To mitigate these errors, it is recommended to implement a mandatory “Resource Cleanup” check task at the end of each lab. This step would ensure that all resources created during the lab are properly deleted before completion.

[Iyerrams]

@RAOKS

Lab errors can be reduced through Mandatory Resource Cleanup Tasks

Observation: In most lab environments, gamers and learners create resources during tasks but often end the lab without deleting them. Over time, this leads to system errors and resource clutter.

Escalation: This issue has been escalated due to its recurring impact on system performance and reliability.

Lab errors can be reduced through Mandatory Resource Cleanup Tasks

Observation: In most lab environments, gamers and learners create resources during tasks but often end the lab without deleting them. Over time, this leads to system errors and resource clutter.

Escalation: This issue has been escalated due to its recurring impact on system performance and reliability.

How do we know, how to clean up resources, if respective gcloud shell command not included in the labs?

Are there any std commands to use by ourself?

I am not able to complete the labs fully. Some listed labs are failing at the end/middle. We are loosing time/deadlines. We reported the issues to support.

Eg

REQUIRED Lab Getting started with Webpack

REQUIRED Lab Getting Started with Firebase Cloud Firestore

REQUIRED Lab Terraform Essentials: VPC and Subnet

If someone report an error, they need to exclude those labs from the list and allow us to move on.

We need a guide lines on this.

Thanks for guidance.

[SpyBoy]

Unable to Complete "
REQUIRED
Lab
Autoscaling an Instance Group with Custom Cloud Monitoring Metrics" in Skills Boost Arcade Base Camp August 2025

Any suggestions?

[RAOKS]

@SpyBoy ,Access to the lab link is temporarily disabled due to ongoing maintenance or upgrades..

Game badge is generated after completing remaining labs .

Tip: Navigate to ‘View Badges’ and check for the game badge. If it’s visible, you’ve successfully completed the game

[Iyerrams]

LAB -Deploying a Fault-Tolerant Microsoft Active Directory Environment - GSP118 failing

====================================================================

We followed your steps and lab notes. Still we did not complete. It failed at

Task 4. RDP into your instance /10

. It is still shows 75% completion.

Error

Is failing with following error. Need the workaround.

PS C:\Users\admin> Install-WindowsFeature -Name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools

Install-WindowsFeature : The term ‘Install-WindowsFeature’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script

file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct

and try again.

At line:1 char:1

+ Install-WindowsFeature -Name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementToo …

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (Install-WindowsFeature:String) \[\], CommandNotFoundException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

PS C:\Users\admin> Install-WindowsFeature -Name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementTools

Install-WindowsFeature : The term ‘Install-WindowsFeature’ is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script

file, or operable program. Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct

and try again.

At line:1 char:1

+ Install-WindowsFeature -Name AD-Domain-Services -IncludeManagementToo …

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ CategoryInfo          : ObjectNotFound: (Install-WindowsFeature:String) \[\], CommandNotFoundException

+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandNotFoundException

+++++

Did anyone complete this lab? What was your workaround ?

Thanks.

[humanspidercrab]

Same issue here. This lab has remained disabled up through the last day of August.

@Yugali Will the Base Camp badge be granted to those who completed every lab except for this one?

[seankhurana]

@Yugali Could the team please increase the deadline for the August games by even a day? This would help. A few games kept throwing bugs and errors until the very last moment. Therefore, I am still left with an incomplete badge.

[RAOKS]

@humanspidercrab @SpyBoy @Iyerrams

Below labs are optional in respective games,
Game badge is generated after completing remaining labs .

• L1 Arcade -Awwvision: Cloud Vision API from a Kubernetes Cluster

• Basecamp Arcade - Autoscaling an Instance Group with Custom Cloud Monitoring Metrics

Tip: Navigate to ‘View Badges’ and check for the game badge. If it’s visible, you’ve successfully completed the game

I hope this information is helpful.

[Iyerrams]

Thanks for sharing. I find August Arcade labs disappeared from my dashboard. I was not able to complete many labs in August Arcade even after spending many hours going back and forth with support.

I am not able to figure out rules making games optional and for us to move on.

How many iteration with support make a lab of games optional? Are there any guidelines?

If we provide login username, project ID of the failed lab, will support able to trace the errors?

We provided the info with screenshot with failing steps, but support respond with lab working as desired at their end. I did see many permission errors close the final steps. If we have some gcloud commands (cloud shell) to try to resolve these, it will help to move on.

We need to go all over again spending hours to try again. It failed again as well.

We are hoping we will get better outcome in Sept Arcade. When will Sept Arcade available ?

For longer labs (above 1 hour), they need to provide re-start options from failed steps. It will save times. I am not sure, whether this is complicated. It is not too much to ask.

Thanks for reviewing out list of concerns.

[RAOKS]

@Iyerrams , @Yugali
August Arcade games disappeared in our logins after 31st August 2025, 11:59 PM deadline as games completion deadline is not extended . Always give first priority for Arcade games, then skill badges and last lab free courses (if you are part of facilitator program)

September games uploaded on 1st September 2025 evening,

In last season (Arcade 2025 season 1) , Even though they have uploaded games with deadline as month end, they have extended date to maintain one month period as facilitator program started around 4th . Surprisingly for August games they have not extended deadline (Games uploaded on 4th August 2025 evening as facilitator program started on 4th August 2025))

We do not receive any information from support regarding optional labs. Data I have shared is based on observation since few seasons, Simple technique I always follow is completing remaining labs and check for respective game badge, if badge is found , Game completed.
Whenever lab link is disabled and you do not find/see [REQUIRED} against lab , lab is optional
I have sent mails to support long time back requesting to send a mail to all Arcade registered users of respective season when Labs are optional. This will save lot of time.

What surprises me is how labs works in particular Zones and throws errors in other zones when consistency can be maintained easily using Terraform.

Lab policy mentions when we “end” lab all resources are deleted, but it’s not happening in lot labs for which we face resources errors especially for labs which initiate Jobs (Dataflow) . We face little problem during initial upload, as gamers started completing we face resources errors and we need to keep on trying to complete lab as it becomes pure luck to get zone which is resource free.

I request all gamers/learners to update with error message with zone information in feedback of lab after ending lab. This will generate data for support team, I hope based on this information they will rectify labs in that particular zones.

I have also requested in my previous posts regarding sending a mail to all subscribed users after uploading games on Arcade website. We need to randomly keep on checking Arcade website.