Please don’t register from next time then. It’s my earnest request. Your place should be taken by any other person who is willing to learn skills rather than just the rewards.
Me too. Very disappointed about swgas and I played arcade since season 01 2023. Not any participation in future.
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Thanks fot all the time and effort that you put on your job, it supposted that we are here to learn and plus we get a free swag, i don’t know why all these ppl are complaining, besides alot of then search on google for an arcade answer with a script. just my opinion, first time here on The Arcade
Facilitator WINS very worthwhile and REALLY useful swags. Participant/Normal Arcade player’s swags are of no use except a few items. Please bring facilitator’s type of swags for us! This is really discriminating for us as compared to facilitators. We grind hard for SIX months and in return the items are of no use in real life, also the added items are of same type taken from last season.
You’ve to give special curated rewards which must be handy and daily useful products!!! "
@Yugali
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please for the sake of GOD, bring @Yugali good and daily useful swags for us, Cheaper and local items are making us disappointment from the program’s reward curation!!!
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Hi Yugali,
I appreciate the previous responses, but I have to be completely honest — this entire experience has been extremely disappointing. It has now been several weeks since I was informed that my swag shipment is “on hold,” and since then, there has been no proactive communication, no realistic timeline, and no update from your side.
If Google initiates a campaign, collects participant details, and promises rewards, then it becomes your responsibility to fulfill that commitment within a reasonable timeframe.
This is no longer about the swag.
It’s about:
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Keeping trust with your developer community
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Respecting participants’ time and engagement
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Maintaining professionalism and basic accountability
Right now, none of these are being upheld.
I expect a clear and final update — either:
Shipment confirmation with a realistic dispatch date,
or
An official acknowledgment that the shipment will not happen.
Uncertainty for months is not acceptable, especially from Google.
Please resolve this responsibly and ensure this does not happen to others who genuinely support and engage with your programs.
@Yugali
Hey Google Cloud Arcade Team 
Big thanks for keeping the program alive — the new hoodie was a solid refresh and we really appreciate that. But honestly, it’s a bit disappointing to see the rewards not evolving much while the effort and point requirements keep shooting up.
This time, the Legend tier sits at a whopping 95 points, which takes serious time, consistency, and effort to reach. If we’re putting in that much work, the rewards should truly feel like Legend-level.
We’d love to see usable, proud-to-own gear — things like TWS earbuds, power banks, premium backpacks, or eco-friendly smart accessories — not the same cycle of basics. The hoodie was a good step forward, but please don’t stop there.
Let the rewards reflect the time, skill, and passion the community is giving back. Make the Legend tier actually feel legendary.
— Soma Sekhar
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I’m so dumb, i just discovered this platform and started in just october end. i have a question, will these swags be repeated in next year 
@Yugali
Consider adding more premium and useful items like headphones, earphones, smart backpacks, smart torches, or wireless keyboards kind of in higher tiers like champion and legend instead of the Pen Duo. The Pen Duo would be more suitable for the Novice or Trooper tiers rather than the Ranger tier. It doesn’t really feel worth receiving the same item even at the Champion or Legend tier, where the rewards should feel more exclusive and valuable.
To all people complaining about the swags:
I think we are missing a point here, the main aim of arcade is to get started and gain skills in cloud platform not just collecting swags.
Yes swags are good motivators, but that shouldn’t be the whole purpose of participating in arcade. The focus should be more on learning and swags are just a byproduct. Stop complaining!
This arcade season should contain power bank of good quality
Because swags till now are looking useless
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I am a newbie here, but i will make sure to contribute as much as possible.
Now even the pencils have been replaced with a different ones. Reverting such a decision at the very end is unfair and creates unnecessary confusion. The Pens offered previously was far better than this one!!! @Yugali
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@Yugali We asked for a replacement, not a worse version of the same thing.
Old pens were better. This change makes no sense. This isn’t an upgrade, it’s a downgrade. You can keep it.
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The community said: “Please replace the pens with something useful.”
The response: Pens → Pens
Wow. Innovation at its absolute peak 
At least the earlier pens had a light and a Parker refill.
Compared to those, these new pens are honestly worse — they bring nothing new at all.
We asked for an emoji clock, a thermal printer, or literally any tech swag— but instead we got a live demo of budget cutting.
The feedback was heard, but clearly not understood.
And this “update” isn’t an upgrade — it’s a masterclass in downgrading
If this is how changes are going to be made, then honestly — you can keep it. We don’t want this kind of replacement.
If the older item was clearly better, then changing it just for the sake of update makes no sense.
Calling this an “update” is generous. It’s just a downgrade with a new label.
Honestly- Ap rhene hi do bus, just take your replacement back 
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To the Google Arcade Team and @Yugali mam,
This is a heartfelt request from the community regarding the prize system for the Google Cloud Arcade. We’ve noticed the introduction of new, higher-point tiers like 75 and 95 points. Achieving these milestones requires a significant investment of time, effort, and dedication.
However, a growing sentiment within the community is that the prizes offered for these high-effort tiers are often repetitive or do not feel proportional to the commitment required. For participants who dedicate themselves to completing the labs, this can be quite discouraging.
We kindly request you to please consider the immense effort put in by the participants. Introducing more unique, new, and valuable prizes for the higher tiers would not only be a great motivation but also better reward the hard work of your dedicated community.
Thank you for creating this platform and for considering our feedback.
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Aw man , I only got novice tier , if only I done my best to reach legend 
, I would have gotten hoodie!!!
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This is actually so cool!
@Yugali **
“We heard your feedback.”**
Great. Because from the participant side, it honestly feels like that feedback was carefully collected… and then politely dropped into a recycle bin labelled “Seasonality, Logistics & Other Convenient Excuses.”
Let’s be honest for a moment:
this cohort has been one of the worst participant experiences so far.
Not because learning was bad — learning was actually solid — but because swag decision-making felt inconsistent, reactive, and full of visible loopholes.
You previously clarified hoodie deprecation by stating the team was working toward better and newer alternatives for older participants
(Ref: https://discuss.google.dev/t/clarification-on-deprecation-of-the-arcade-hoodie/190194)
Fast forward to now — and what we see is the exact opposite of that promise.
The Pen “Upgrade” — Or the Art of Rebranding a Downgrade
The Arcade Pen Duo was one of the very few items that actually felt:
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premium
-
differentiated
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and worth aiming for
Especially for Ranger-tier participants, who already don’t get:
-
a bag
-
a hoodie
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any wearable at all
Replacing 450+ plastic light-up logo pieces with what are essentially two standard metal pens feels less like “introducing something fresh” and more like quiet downgrading wrapped in confident marketing language.
Let’s be clear:
-
The pens aren’t bad
-
They’re just… not special enough to justify Ranger-level effort
Which leads to the unavoidable question:
What Exactly Are Those Extra 20 Points For?
-
Trooper → wearable + bag
-
Ranger → desk items, motivation optional
-
Champion → hoodie, still no bag
-
Legend → finally gets everything
From any logical or motivational standpoint, the ladder collapses right in the middle.
If swags “aren’t the focus” (as repeatedly stated), then basic fairness in reward progression should at least exist.
Constructive Suggestions (Since Feedback Is “Valued”)
Apart from certifications, this is how the cohort could’ve looked thought-through instead of reshuffled:
Novice Tier
Add one small technical utility
- Laptop stand (already used before, actually useful)
Trooper Tier
- Arcade foldable table lamp
Keeps continuity with older cohorts and matches effort vs reward
Ranger Tier (Consistently the Most Neglected)
This tier needs actual correction, not cosmetic swaps:
-
Add bag + hoodie
-
Revisit the hoodie removal decision (Champion & Legend can keep upgraded versions)
-
Upgrade 7-in-1 USB hub → 8-in-1 (it’s literally ~₹100 cheaper — budget cutting can be smarter)
-
Replace the paper-thin laptop sleeve with a hard-edge protective sleeve
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Replace LEGO Cloud Logo with a Cloud Diary / Notebook (used daily, not assembled once and forgotten forever)
Champion Tier
Add one serious technical item, such as:
- 20-in-1 precision toolkit
Something that actually feels like a Champion upgrade
Legend Tier
This is the top — it should feel rewarding:
-
Thermal printer
-
Magnetic stirrer mug
-
Thermo coaster
Small changes, big perceived value
Or Just Be Transparent — Pick One Policy
If managing variety is genuinely difficult, then just say it clearly:
-
Either:
“No swag will ever be repeated across cohorts.” -
Or:
“Design updates are mandatory every season, even if categories stay the same.”
At least then participants know the decision-making team is designing — not just rotating SKUs.
Final Thought (The Timeline Nobody Wants to Address)
As per the official schedule:
-
Cohort ended: 28 December, 11:59 PM
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Swag drops ended: 27 December
So the real question isn’t what changed —
it’s why changes were made after everything was already over.
The Arcade Pen Duo update appeared on 31 December around 12:20 AM — after:
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the cohort had officially ended
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swag drops were declared complete
-
participants had already crossed tiers and locked efforts
That timing alone raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and post-hoc decision-making.
Participants made effort and tier decisions based on what was visible and promised during the active window — not revisions introduced after the finish line.
If Arcade is truly learning-first, then timeline integrity and policy clarity matter just as much as curriculum quality.
Because when rewards change after the race ends, it doesn’t feel like iteration —
it feels like moving the goalpost once everyone has already stopped running.
And that — far more than any pen update — is what actually disappointed participants.
Note:
This feedback comes from a genuine participant perspective, based on official timelines, public announcements, and observed changes — not assumptions.
The intent is not to attack, but to highlight gaps constructively while fully respecting community guidelines and program values.
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Totally disappointed with this replacement. The swags should have been upgraded not downgraded. The previous pen had something unique, the light up google logo. but these new ones are just regular pens. @Yugali how would you justify this downgrade??
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