Zen Maker Lab (Shipyards) — Video Game Design

My 12-year-old recently attended the Video Game Design program at Zen Maker Lab in Vancouver, and overall, it was a solid experience. The instructor, Jake, was very engaged and really took the time to help each kid develop their game concept. My son loved working on his own platform game and appreciated the small group size, which allowed for more personalized attention. However, I did notice that the kids spent quite a bit of time in front of screens, which raised some concern about too much screen time. The schedule was manageable, running weekly, and pickup was straightforward. My son made a couple of friends, which was a nice bonus. I'd recommend it for creative kids who are interested in game design, but I would suggest setting some limits on screen time at home to balance things out.

My child recently attended the Video Game Design program at Zen Maker Lab in Vancouver, and overall, it was a positive experience. The instructor, Alex, was really engaging and great at explaining the game design process. My 12-year-old son loved working on his own game project, where he created a simple platformer. It was fascinating to see him put together the graphics and think about how players would interact with his game. One minor annoyance was the pickup process. The lines were quite long, and it took longer than expected to get my son after class. It might be worth adjusting the schedule a bit to ease that. However, the small group size meant that he got plenty of attention and feedback from Alex. I appreciate that the program fostered creativity without overwhelming the kids. Overall, I'd recommend it, especially for creative kids looking to delve into game design.