Candy Cane Conundrum - Integration Guide

Quick Start

A two-phase web game for santasfunnight.com that drives engagement and offers rewards:

Phase 1: Trivia - 5 questions about Santa's Wonderland Nights website
Phase 2: Santa Says - Progressive memory game (Simon Says style)

Players who reach Round 10 can enter their email to receive a $5 discount code.

Download Production Files (ZIP)

Contains: candy-cane-web-v1.0.0.html + backend-example.php

Embedding the Game

Option 1: iframe (Recommended) Easy

Upload candy-cane-web-v1.0.0.html to your media library or theme folder, then embed:

<iframe
  src="/wp-content/uploads/candy-cane-web-v1.0.0.html"
  width="100%"
  height="700"
  frameborder="0"
  style="max-width: 540px; margin: 0 auto; display: block;">
</iframe>

Why this works best: Isolates the game's CSS/JS from your theme, preventing style conflicts.

Option 2: WordPress Shortcode Easy

Add to your theme's functions.php:

function candy_cane_game_shortcode() {
    return '<iframe
      src="' . get_template_directory_uri() . '/games/candy-cane-web-v1.0.0.html"
      width="100%"
      height="700"
      frameborder="0"
      style="max-width: 540px; margin: 0 auto; display: block;">
    </iframe>';
}
add_shortcode('candy_cane_game', 'candy_cane_game_shortcode');

Then use [candy_cane_game] in any post or page.

Option 3: Direct HTML Embed May Have Issues

Copy the contents of the HTML file into a Custom HTML block.

Warning: May have CSS conflicts with your theme. Test thoroughly.

Backend Setup (Required for Rewards)

The game needs a REST endpoint to validate gameplay and send discount codes.

What the Backend Does

Function	Description
Validate gameplay	Checks timing to prevent cheating (can't reach round 10 in <15 seconds)
Prevent duplicates	One reward per email address
Generate codes	Creates unique coupon codes (SANTA-XXXXXXXX format)
Send email	Delivers discount code via wp_mail()

Implementation Steps ~1-2 hours

Add the endpoint code to your theme's functions.php or create a custom plugin (see backend-example.php in the ZIP)
Configure email - WordPress uses wp_mail(). Consider an SMTP plugin for reliable delivery.
Integrate with tickets - The example generates codes but you need to make them work with your ticket/e-commerce system:
- If WooCommerce: Create actual coupon codes
- If external ticketing: Set up codes in that system
- Manual approach: Store codes and verify at checkout

Endpoint URL: /wp-json/santasfunnight/v1/claim-reward
If using a different URL, update CONFIG.API_ENDPOINT in the game's JavaScript.

View Example PHP Code

See backend-example.php in the ZIP file for complete, documented code including:

REST API route registration
Play token validation
Timing/anti-cheat checks
Coupon code generation
Email sending
Optional: WooCommerce integration
Optional: Admin page to view codes

Optional: Leaderboard

What Would a Leaderboard Add? ~3-4 hours

A leaderboard would show top scores, encouraging competition and repeat plays.

Required changes:

New REST endpoints: GET /leaderboard and POST /submit-score
Database storage (wp_options or custom table)
Frontend: Name input, fetch/display top 10
Spam prevention (rate limiting, captcha)

Decision points:

Anonymous vs. name-required?
How to handle duplicate names?
Reset leaderboard daily/weekly/never?

Recommendation: Skip for launch. The email capture already provides engagement data. Leaderboard is "nice to have" that adds scope without significant value for the news segment.

Optional: Social Sharing

The Viral Potential ~8-16 hours

Social sharing could make this game go viral with people everywhere playing and telling others about it.

Current state: Players can download a certificate PNG and manually share it.

What "proper" social sharing would require:

Platform	Requirements
Facebook	Open Graph meta tags, Facebook App ID, share dialog integration
Twitter/X	Twitter Cards meta tags, intent URL with pre-filled text
Instagram	No direct sharing API - users download and post manually

The bigger picture:

We could create a mini arcade with simplified versions of various games - a "preview" of the event that builds anticipation. But there's a balance: we don't want to give away all our magic before people come.

Considerations:

Too much online could reduce in-person excitement
Games should tease, not replace the experience
Could save full social integration for post-event "share your experience"

Recommendation: Keep manual download/share for now. If this takes off organically, we can add proper sharing later. The certificate already includes the website URL.

Testing Checklist

Before Going Live

Open the game directly in browser - does it load?
Complete trivia (get 4/5 correct) - does it advance?
Play Santa Says - do sounds work on mobile?
Reach round 10 (use dev version for testing)
Email form shows appropriate error without backend
Certificate downloads as PNG
Works in WordPress iframe
No console errors
Test on mobile (touch targets, scrolling)

Files Included

File	Purpose
`candy-cane-web-v1.0.0.html`	Production game - embed this one
`candy-cane-web-dev.html`	Development version with cheat modes for testing (not in ZIP)
`backend-example.php`	WordPress REST API endpoint example
`README.md`	Technical documentation
`INTEGRATION-GUIDE.html`	This file

Questions?

Contact Zach or Brett - we can quickly clarify any integration questions.

If Brett gives Zach WordPress access, he can implement the backend himself - would take about an hour.