Cary, NC - Reviews

# 1:

“Game Camp Nation is fun, educational, and a nice alternative to traditional summer camp experiences. I like the fact that the organizer and counselors encourage independence, creativity, and do this in a friendly manner with all campers. My son has attended both formats, the one week and the two week camps. It is the only time I have ever seen him get out of bed on his own without an alarm! That is a big testament to how much he liked the experience. Thank you!!”

-Terri H.

# 2:

"We are enthusiastic supporters of Game Camp Nation and the opportunities it has provided our son the last 4 summers. He enjoys access to the latest technology and the opportunities to learn from knowledgeable and talented instructors.

Our son first attended Game Camp Nation as a day camper. He was so impressed with what he was learning and the great time he was having with new friends that he begged to go back for an additional week….which he did.

The following summer he switched to the overnight program, and I was concerned because he took several prescription medications. I need not have worried because the counselors took charge of the medications.

The administrators have gone out of their way to accommodate special circumstances that our family presents. For example, last summer when basketball camp conflicted with the Columbus location dates, they took on added responsibility for our son to attend camp at the Philadelphia location.

Each summer our son has looked forward to making new friends and reconnecting with old ones as well as learning programming skills and participating in the gaming tournaments. He speaks highly of the teachers and counselors, and I have found them to be professional; they meet our son at his level of technical understanding and challenge him with new, fun material each summer."

-Mary Beth M.

# 3:

“Our kids, Jacob (16) and Erin (14), have been coming to the overnight program at Game Camp Nation for the past three years and cannot wait to come back for a fourth year as well! With having a girl, I was initially unsure if she would enjoy the camp or not, knowing that it would be a majority of boys. She was the only girl in the camp that year, but completely LOVED it. Both kids were sad when it ended. They loved the counselors (both male and female) and made friends from the camp that they’ve stayed in touch with throughout the years. I have found the director to be incredibly accommodating and friendly. He was able to answer all of my questions and made me feel safe having my kids there for the week. My son has gone into software engineering and web design in high school directly because of this camp. I can’t speak highly enough of this camp and their staff! Your kids will talk about it all of the time afterwards and beg you to go again!”

-Debbie W.

# 4:

“Game Camp Nation is a great experience for all ages. I have had so much fun there and can't wait to go back for my fourth year. The counselors are all wonderful and fun to be around. Everyone there is super nice. I love the camp and everyone there, I can't wait to go back this summer.”

-Erin W.

# 5:

“Game Camp Nation is fun! The counselors are nice, the games are interesting, and I learn a lot during class. I plan on attending again.

-Jason H.

# 6:

“Prior to the summer of 2012, I had no idea what I was going to do with my time. Searching the web for options relating to video games, as most young boys would, I came across two options for video game camps in the Dublin, Ohio area: the first was Game Camp Nation, a camp dedicated to teaching kids from ages 9-17 how to design and code video games, and the Ohio State University game development camp, where campers would spend two weeks creating downloadable content for a pre-existing game. With these options in mind, I had to weigh the pros and the cons, and came to the conclusion that Game Camp Nation would be a more rewarding and educational experience than the latter. After all, creating something from scratch is far more interesting than making something for a preexisting product.

The decision to pick Game Camp Nation was the correct decision, without a doubt. From the moment I showed up to the hotel, I felt that I was going to have a fantastic time. Entering the computer lounge only confirmed this feeling. With a plethora of games available for play and a cast of intriguing characters in the counselors, the camp made me feel like I was about to have the greatest sleepover of my life.

Coding and design were the backbone of my time at the camp. I spent incredible amounts of time creating sprites and programming their functions, such that I could hardly distinguish the design from programming due to the interlocking nature of the activities. I jumped headfirst into unexplored territory and succeeded with little fallout.

Of course, not all was business and work. Throughout the day, fellow campers and I engaged in console warfare, battling it out head-to-head in gaming tournaments to prove who truly reigned as the king of the hill. Though there were some prizes at stake, we disregarded the prizes in place of enjoying some intense racing action and melees of epic proportions. Accompanying music filling us with adrenaline, we would lose ourselves for minutes at a time, feeling as though we were the characters doing battle on the screens before us.

Though we were there to play and create games, we also spent time in the low-tech rec: a period of the day where screens are nowhere to be found, board games rule the tables, and campers get to mellow out by the pool. These periods were some of the most entertaining times of the camp, despite what some may believe. Getting away from the screen, our eyes enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the mystique of the Werewolf card game (along with other options, of course).

Though my first experience that summer came to an unfortunate conclusion due to medical concerns, I was determined to return to the camp the next year with a drive to create and play my heart out. Indeed, I returned every summer for the next four years, even traveling from Ohio to Boston to keep up with the camp. If anyone would even remotely consider this camp, they should consider how fun it must be for someone to fly out from Dayton at six in the morning and land in Boston hours later just to experience it one more time. If someone is willing to travel across the country for this camp, you know it must be grand.”

-Nicolas D.

# 7:

“I believe that Game Camp Nation is quite an amazing camp because they realize that computers are the future and so they are teaching kids skills that will help them further themselves in the future. Game Camp also has a wonderful, loving, friendly, and joyful environment that all kids need. When it comes to Game Camp’s teaching they are very good at what they do not only teaching kids the main subjects the camp is based on like Programing, Art, Sound, and Animation, but through those things they also teach the kids very important life skills like teamwork and time management. Game Camp has taught me so many things and I truly look forward to going each and every summer. It’s something I love doing and ever since my first time I went I felt like I belonged and I had a sense that I had to keep coming back. So all and all I think Game Camp Nation is truly an amazing place with so many amazing people, and I would recommend it to anyone.”

-David S.

# 8:

“I remember going here for summer of 2017 & it basically changed my life. I do have previous experience with computer science, so I was right at home. Everyone there was very nice, it's a gamer bond. I can't wait to go again and again.”

-James M.

# 9:

“My son loved this camp! Very professional, organized and well-structured camp. My son came away with a deeper passion for new aspects of design and programming. Well done!”

-Cara M.

# 10:

“I absolutely loved Game Camp Nation, there was nothing to dislike. When I went to other summer camps, I always felt anxious and scared of other people, i didn't felt like i belonged. When I went here, everyone there was like a family, and it was so much fun. When I left, i was homesick of camp and i literally asked dad to turn back. Not only that, but I was inspired so much. I would definitely recommend this summer camp to others.”

-Vexaphilia

# 11:

“I enjoyed Game Camp Nation so much! Phil and everyone was really nice. I was nervous at first but as soon as I walked in I felt comfortable. The camp is so much fun. I only went for a week but plan to come back this year for TWO weeks! I love this camp!”

-Irwin V.