BPC Kids Participate in Live Video Chat with Dan Norton, Video Game Designer

On Thursday, Feb 13th, BPC students had an opportunity to join a videochat with Dan Norton, Founding Partner and Chief Creative Officer of Filament Games.  The event was part Jason Learning's focus on STEM careers.

Students from all three grade levels joined an 8th grade science class already watching the broadcast.  

It was interesting to hear more about the day to day work of a video game designer, and we were particularly thrilled to hear Dan Norton suggest that getting involved in creative extracurricular activities, like improv (?!), is a good way to find inspiration for future ideas.  Of course, we couldn't resist asking our own question. The kids were SO excited when our question was picked to be answered (at 39:50).

In case you can't read the blurry screenshot, it reads. 

(Christine Mytko, middle school teacher from Berkeley, CA): I am here with my class and we were THRILLED to hear you suggest improv as a creative outlet (we have an active improv after school club here).  Do you have a favorite improv game? :)

Dan Norton's answer? 

There is a game I used to play where you had to set a scene and not be funny.  You had to be a unfunny as possible….  What would often happen is that the scene would become really, really, really, really funny 'cuz everyone is working super hard at the opposite.  I always thought that was really great because the outcome was unexpected.

Other good advice comes from answering a question at 37:50: 

A lot of the best opportunities to be creative and to come up with great ideas is by collaborating with other people [be]cause other people know lots of things you don't.   And learning from them and working with them and getting their opinion back and forth is a really critical part of a great creative process.  … [W]orking on your own project… to get better at your skills, but if you want to make something great, you should work with other people to make it happen.

After the presentation, we took a few minutes and discussed how technology is changing opportunities for learning. Students noted that interactive webcasts like these allow for interaction with experts, or tours of places, that we might otherwise would not have the time, money, or resources to experience.  We all are looking forward to our next virtual experience (TBD.)


You can watch the entire interview on the Jason website, or embedded below.