Press Start Hong Kong

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Fun project coming up with HKU Common Core! 🤓

We're excited to work with the Common Core Office at The University of Hong Kong - HKU - 香港大學 to put on a Learning Game Design program, to guide students through a new way of experiencing and interpreting their courses - by designing a game to teach it!

We'll be providing coaching and mentorship for up to 20 students at HKU on this special project, and at the end of the two-month period they will have created their own unique, hands-on and super-fun experience 🤩

Learn more about the project here: https://commoncore.hku.hk/cc-ug-research/project-pressstartacademy/ (unfortunately only limited to HKU students this time! 😅)

Looking forward to working with a group of talented, enterprising students to reimagine learning through play! 🎲

Schools might be forced back online, but fun and learning shouldn't have to suffer as a result! 🧐

Press Start Academy is back in full force with a series of super-fun and super-productive online creative writing programs for children aged 6-8 over the next few weeks, to accompany at-home learners and parents during this lockdown period.

So proud of our team for moving so quickly to get these set up and launched within two days. Don't miss out on this special discounted deal! More information on http://www.pressstartacademy.com ➡️

Today we're going to celebrate Gigi and Bernic, two of our staunchest supporters since almost Day One at our first venue.

Legend has it that they met each other through a Board Game Social held for the Canadians in Hong Kong Meetup group in 2015, one of our first ever events at Press Start 1.0, and they've been inseparable - both from each other and, luckily for us, from the Press Start community too - since then.

They've brought games back as souvenirs for us from their travels, taken part in all sorts of other events beyond our Board Game Socials, and unboxed so many of our new games with us too. In fact - and here's a little known secret - we've often scheduled our monthly Board Game Socials around their calendars 🤓

For a while we'd known that they were planning to move back to Canada, but we didn't know it would come so soon and so sudden. Due to the impending 5th wave and renewed lockdown restrictions, they had to reschedule their flights to this morning 😭 But even amid their super tight schedule, they made time for an impromptu send-off lunch yesterday 🥰

Thank you, Gigi and Bernic, for your friendship, support and love over the years. We'll continue our unboxings in Toronto and look forward to Press Start Canada in the not-too-distant future 😉

Best of luck! ✌️

Happy New Year everyone! Let's hope 2022 brings us more luck, happiness and fun 🙂

(And that reminds me... time to take a new shelfie 😅)

Game of the Week: Hanabi 🎆

It's that time of year again! 🙌

In keeping with our annual tradition, our last Game of the Week feature is Hanabi, our favorite co-op game with a fireworks theme.

We're super grateful for all your support over the past year. There will be some changes in how we operate next year - in large part due to our focus on Press Start Academy - so stay tuned for announcements on new directions and initiatives very soon.

In the meantime, we hope you're enjoying the end-of-year holiday season with your loved ones. See you all again soon! 🤩

Hot on the heels of the exciting Westventure experiences is another super cool initiative, this time from TEFO 香港教育劇場論壇!

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀: 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 & 𝗝𝗮𝗺 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🎮

This workshop series explores exactly how video game design and interactivity can help enhance digital applied theatre and drama education program designs.

Workshop participants will:

• Understand the history and impact of video games as an art form
• Break down what a game design process looks like
• Understand the tension between gameplay and storytelling
• Investigate how to incorporate interactivity and audience engagement into live theater
• Explore what it means to create meaningful and impactful choices in storytelling
• Prototype and design digital interactive experiences, focused on social issues in Hong Kong

Exactly what we're passionate about - and from a different angle too! So we're excited that two of our team members from Press Start Academy will be attending this workshop to learn from other experts. (And yes this workshop is accessible to English-only participants too!)

𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: http://www.tefo.hk/load.php?id=500145&plid=535671 🙌

The Hong Kong Drama/Theater and Education Forum promotes the development of applied theater and drama education and explores the intersection of education and the arts.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Press Start Hong Kong! ☃️

Hope your Boxing Day tomorrow is followed by many Unboxing Days for your new favorite games! 🤓

𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗼𝗻! ⛄

At Gaming for Change 2021 earlier this month, we heard from Ivan Yik, one of our guest speakers, speak about his inspiring project Westventure 西城計—謎玩實境遊戲 at Oxfam Hong Kong 樂施會 - and we also saw his innovative game experience at the Marketplace.

We're excited to share that the Oxfam Westventure team will be organizing two exclusive "Gamecation" experiences for educators, social workers and the public over the upcoming winter holidays that will take you around the Sai Ying Pun district!

𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮:

1️⃣: Let's Play: A facilitated Westventure session that takes you through SYP and allows you to learn about the hidden poverty in our communities while experiencing a unique game with AR and scavenger hunt mechanics

2️⃣: Let's Learn: An intimate sharing and discussion session with Ivan himself to learn about his design inspirations and Easter eggs within the game experience

𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀:

💥 December 27: For educators and social workers (including a bonus session on how to use Westventure in a school or training environment)
🌈 January 1: For the public

𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 (𝗖𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆): https://bit.ly/XmasWestventure

I've come to realize that Paste Magazine puts out some of the best board game-related content around...

Their "best of" lists (from major conventions, annual lists etc.) are generally super aligned with our interests. Here's another great one (because we can't get enough "best of 2021" lists) ⬇️

https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/best-of-2021/best-board-games-of-2021/

The 15 Best Board Games of 2021 Your tabletop's about to get a lot of action.

Game of the Week: Ice Cool 🐧

Because it's getting chilly ever so slightly ❄️ and it's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas 🎄

Stay warm over the long weekend ahead!

(Image credit: GoBananasToys.com)

Here's another "best of 2021" compilation, this time from Polygon 🤓

We still have space underneath our Christmas tree if anyone is in a gifting mood... 😀

https://www.polygon.com/tabletop-games/22791281/best-board-games-rpgs-tabletop-2021

The best tabletop games that we played in 2021 Our favorite board games, role-playing games, and more