Today, we at PODS Game Design spoke at 1 Million Cups in Fargo! It was quite an experience to be in front of that many people who care so much about helping small businesses and startups succeed in the Fargo Moorhead area. There were so many people with so many good ideas and advice that it’s hard to keep it all straight!

Dave of PODS Game Design. (Photo Courtesy of Emerging Prairie)

One of the most popular questions was expansion. Once we are established in the Fargo Moorhead area, we plan on offering classes to smaller towns and cities in the area, such as Grand Forks, Wahpeton, Detroit Lakes, and so on. From there, the sky is the limit. Bismarck? Minneapolis? Who knows?

We were then asked the quintessential 1 Million Cups question, “What can we as a community do to help you?”

Our answer?

Spread the word.

Share the word with your friends.

Post it on your Facebook.

Tweet us on Twitter.

Any platform you can tell people about us, go for it. We want to reach as many people as we can because PODS Game Design is a unique opportunity for children in our area. So many kids these days LOVE video games, but for many of them, being able to MAKE video games is something that is an enormous undertaking. We at PODS Game Design want to provide that mentorship, that encouragement to really show just how it’s done.

Our Kickstarter is moving forward! We added some AWESOME rewards that YOU should know about. Right now, if you make a $90 pledge on our Kickstarter, you can get an enrollment code for a PODS class for FREE. That’s 25% off a class for your child. We have all of our 2015 dates available on our Upcoming Events and Sections page. Once you know what session you want to sign up for, find the corresponding pledge on Kickstarter and make your donation. That’s it. We’ll send you the registration code once the Kickstarter is successfully funded.

Thank you again, 1 Million Cups. You have inspired us to go even further! Find us on Facebook and Twitter!

KVRR in Fargo did a FANTASTIC news story on PODS Game Design! They excellently captured how we’ve grown and developed and they interviewed two of our enthusiastic developers in training, who were both very well spoken! AWESOME!

You can find the article and the video here.

We will wrap up our last College for Kids and Teens class this summer tomorrow. It will be sad, but it has been such a positive experience watching these kids start with little to no experience and leave the class having created such complex and compelling games. For me, it’s a dream come true. I’m doing something I love and sharing it with people who love it as well. What could be better?

Our next big appearance will be at 1 Million Cups in Fargo on Wednesday the 29th at 9:00. 1 Million Cups will take place at the Fargo Moorhead Community Theater in Island Park, across from Dike West. PODS will be one of the featured speakers. We look forward to seeing you there!

First and foremost, we finished up day two of MSUM’s College for Kids and Teens Creating Video Games class today. This class is amazing. The students understand what they need to do and how to do it. It’s so inspiring to see how these students can work through problems and difficulties they encounter as they learn the software. And what they’re producing? It’s exciting and inspiring! This experience only reaffirms that we’re doing the right thing by giving children the opportunity to design their own games. While this is the last week of College for Kids and Teens this year, we are excited to offer students and families the opportunity to continue learning how to make video games.

We recently acquired the programs we will need to teach the classes, as well as the location we will use to host the classes! All we need now are laptops and YOUR support. Every little bit helps and you can help us out by checking out our Kickstarter!

• For a $10 Kickstarter donation, you will receive a magnet bearing the PODS logo!
• For a $50 Kickstarter donation, you will receive a PODS T-shirt!
• For a $100 Kickstarter donation, you will receive a PODS hoodie!
• For a $150 Kickstarter donation, you will receive all three!
• Good while supplies last!

PODS Game Design also spoke a the Fargo Game Makers meeting at the Prairie Den today. Everyone there was excited about the prospect of teaching children how to make their own video games. Thank you guys for your support!

And mark your calendars! PODS Game Design will present at 1 Million Cups in Fargo at the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theater at 9:00 AM on July 29th. We look forward to seeing you there!

If you aren’t already, you should follow us on Facebook and Twitter!

We have completed another week of Creating Video Games at Minnesota State University Moorhead’s College for Kids and Teens program. It was amazing to see what the kids came up with! By the end of the class, they were coming up with some ideas that were really creative and complicated. I absolutely love being able to share the love that I have for creating video games with these kids. It is incredibly inspiring! Next week is our last week until PODS Game Design launches its first class on September 12th.

In other news, we have a Kickstarter in the works to help us raise enough to purchase our own laptops for our students to use, as well as programs they can use to make games. This should launch next week.

Our first two t-shirts will also arrive any day now! We will have photos of us modeling them when they arrive for your enjoyment.

We also have a few events that you can find PODS Game Design at. Starting today at around 1:00 or 2:00 is the 24 hour Game Jam in the Prairie Den (Formerly COCO) space above King House in Downtown Fargo. This coincides with the Fargo Street Fair. This 24 Game Jam is where developers in the Fargo Moorhead area get together and create games from scratch in 24 hours. At around 1:00 or 2:00 on Saturday the 18th, they will be open for the public to see and enjoy. We won’t be able to be there for the whole thing, but we will be there for a while for the open house!

Also coming up is the Fargo Game Maker’s meeting on the 21st at 6:00 in the Prairie Den. Come join us in discussing the games we are developing!

Finally, we are excited to announce that PODS Game Design will speak at Fargo’s 1 Million Cups on Wednesday, July 29th at 9:00. Come support us!

Also, be sure to subscribe to this page for future updates. You can do so by checking the right column of the main page.

It’s been busy with the development of PODS Game Design. On Monday, June 29th, 2015, I met with the Small Business Development Center at Concordia College. That meeting was particularly inspiring. And now today, I went to 1 Million Cups for the first time, met some amazing people, and will hopefully present PODS Game Design at that event on July 29th. Things are looking up!