Playmaker Game Design Camp '25

📅 Date & Time: Monday to Friday, July 7-11, 2025
⏰ Duration: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm (Early dropoff at 8:30 am)
📍 Location: Do Greater Creative Lab, 2400 Greenland Avenue Charlotte, NC 28208
💸 Cost: $199 per camper
🎙️ Instructor: Calvin Robertson, Founder of Jubileague
🎂 Age: Ages 12-17
🏫 Format: Guided Learning, Small-Group Work, In-Person Experience
😌 Skill Level: Beginner (No Prior Experience Needed)

Registration Includes: Live game design camp experience, all camp materials, and lunch each day.

Who Should Attend: Young aspiring game designers and developers eager to learn, create, and collaborate in a hands-on environment.

We welcome you to an exciting, hands-on camp where young aspiring designers ages 12 to 17 become real game designers! During this time, we will explore the fundamentals of board game creation and digital game development, learning how to turn their ideas into playable experiences. Whether they love storytelling, strategy, art, or coding, Playmaker provides a space for every camper to develop their skills and bring their unique game concepts to life.

Campers will learn the fundamentals of game design, including storytelling, game mechanics, and prototyping, while gaining hands-on experience in creating and playtesting their own board games. They will also explore the importance of player experience and iteration in the design process, as well as how to present and share their games with an audience.

Playmaker is designed to provide an immersive learning experience that blends creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration. Each day includes a mix of instruction, guided activities, and independent project time, ensuring that every camper leaves with a game of their own design.

• Brainstorming and concept development
• Creating game mechanics and rules
• Prototyping and playtesting
• Finalizing and presenting your games
  

At the end of the camp, every camper will receive a Playmaker Certificate, recognizing their creativity and achievement in game design. This certificate serves as a great addition to portfolios and future applications for schools and programs in design, technology, and the arts.

Calvin is the founder of gaming organization Jubileague and the creator of Playmaker, the game-based learning program behind this very camp. With decades of experience in product design for major brands, and years spent teaching game design, building creative communities, and designing games of his own, Calvin loves helping kids discover their voice as designers, storytellers, and problem-solvers.

At Playmaker Game Design Camp, his goal is simple: create a space where every camper feels like their ideas matter. Here, he shows them that making games isn’t just for professionals…it’s for anyone with imagination and curiosity.

→ Learn more about Calvin on LinkedIn

Info: Every great game starts with a great story. Campers kick off the week by imagining bold worlds, memorable characters, and the big idea behind their game.

Info: Now it’s time to make it playable. Campers learn the building blocks of game design (rules, challenges, choices) and start shaping how their game actually works.

Info: Ideas come to life! Campers use simple materials to build their first game prototype. Then, they can test it, make changes, and bring it to life.

Info: Play is how we learn. Campers test each other’s games, share feedback, and discover how small changes can make a good game even better.

Info: Game day! It all leads to this. Families and friends are invited to celebrate as campers show off their finished physical games to see the proof of their playmaking skills. It’s a celebration of creativity, courage, and play.

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