In April 2008—just about a year ago—I co-founded Playpower with my frequent collaborators Derek and Jeremy. Derek had spent the year in India and during his travels, he was doing what we always do: looking for the next project. It came in the form of a $12 computer that his friends insisted he not purchase. Thankfully, he ignored their pleas and brought one back to California. Soon after, we busted out with a mission to support affordable, effective, fun learning games.
by Enso
So, here it is, May 2009. We have international collaborators in Brazil, China, India, and everywhere really. There’s an incredibly impressive group of volunteers signing up to help make this all happen. The project has been awarded the HASTAC/MacArthur Foundation Digital Media and Learning award. We’re collaborating with the 8-bit art community, especially the 8bitpeoples, in an effort to prove that learning games can both sound and look great. And there’s our recent performance at ETech 2009 along with the resulting press helping to get the word out about the project. Furthermore, the computer is for sale in the MakerShed and we’ll be at the MakerFaire to demonstrate the computer’s use as a hackable art device.
I am looking forward as we elevate from concept to implementation. Bridging the gap between educators creating culturally-relevant learning games and stellar artists wanting to make a difference. This is going to be great! (Interested in joining the project? We need you—sign up today!)