Chantilly, VA - Reviews

# 1:

“When I first signed my son up for Game Camp Nation, I wasn’t entirely sure what we were getting into and it felt a little bit like I was losing a battle—sending him off to hide indoors and play video games nearly all day was not my definition of a summer well spent. As it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. There is so much more to what happens at this camp, and everything about it is a winner.

My son learned about sound mixing, sprite making, and animating. He was allowed to go at his own pace, make mistakes and learn from them, and develop useful working knowledge related to an area he’s genuinely interested in. He especially appreciated that the counselors had several different teaching approaches and didn’t just focus on one way of doing things. As for me, I appreciated the “low-tech rec,” which got him outside and moving around—willingly!

The social aspect was another pleasant surprise. My son can have a hard time making and keeping friends, but he fit right in at the camp, and the counselors were all extremely friendly and supportive.

Game Camp Nation led to the first summer in years that there were no fights in our house about getting up in the morning, because he was excited to see what the next session would bring, and no fights about going to bed at night, because his days had been full and active enough to make him good and tired. It was an amazing experience, and we are all excited to sign him up again for next summer.”

-Arwen B.

# 2:

“Our son was very reticent and actually angry when we signed him up for Game Camp Nation. He has always enjoyed playing video games but thought a camp that taught video game programming sounded cheesy. The second day at Game Camp Nation, I received a call from him asking me to sign him up for the following two-week session! He loved it and has gone the past two summers. Next summer he will be a counselor. This camp has been a great opportunity for personal growth, confidence, and independence for Jake. He has met some great kids from all over the country and made lasting friendships. He is also currently writing his own video game and has taught himself C++ from his experience at camp! I highly recommend the camp!”

-Karen J.

# 3:

“My wife found Game Camp Nation online and we did not know anyone else that had ever even heard of it. I was uncomfortable with a camp for playing and learning how to create video games. It sounded a bit unconventional and I thought my son played enough video games. Phil, the director, was very reassuring that there was balance to the day and a valuable skillset to be learned. The camp was a huge success for my son. The counselors were great, he met some great kids, learned a ton, and the whole experience was a huge boost to my son’s self-confidence and self-esteem!! I highly recommend the camp – great experience for our son!”

–Jeff E.

# 4:

“I had searched for a couple of years to find a game design camp for my son that was affordable, yet substantial and a good value for the cost. Many of the camps I was researching and looking at were very expensive and the closest one was a three hour drive. I kept searching and found Game Camp Nation with a location 20 minutes from my home. After speaking with the camp directors and leaders on many occasions and having my questions answered I felt that this was a good value and with a team that cared. After two summers of sending my son to Game Camp Nation I would recommend it to everyone. They run a great program, it is safe and the students get a lot out of it. My son has been inspired and as a result he has been accepted to George Mason University in the game design program. Thank You Game Camp Nation for inspiring my son.”

-Tim P.

# 5:

"My son attended Game Camp Nation last summer and had such an incredible experience. He has been playing video games for years, but learning how the games are designed at Game Camp Nation added a whole new dimension to his experience. He got hands on experience with writing code, developing game levels and creating graphic art for his game designs. Following attending Game Camp Nation he went to another camp at a local university and it didn't even compare to Game Camp Nation. In fact, the instructors of this other camp said that my son was too far advanced (from just his two weeks at Game Camp Nation) to be attending this camp at the university and this was the advanced session. My son was so bored that he didn't even finish out the week at this other camp. The counselors were great with the kids and all had an exceptional knowledge of game design. My son is looking forward to another session this summer."

-Valerie

# 6:

“Both of my sons have attended Game Camp Nation for the past 7 years. It began as something they would try when they were young in order to have something to do during the summer. It became a part of their summer that they looked forward to every year. They willingly got up early in order to go to the extended day sessions, and they requested to be picked up as late as possible. They expressed interest in the programing sessions and would eagerly explain the details of the games they were helping to design. However, their real love was participating in the various games run by the camp and the competitions with the counselors and the other campers. They found the personal interactions between the players much more exciting than playing on-line games on the home computer. They totally enjoyed each summer and I would recommend the camp to any child that has an interest in computers and likes gaming.”

-Randy H.

# 7:

“My son has attended the Game Camp Nation day camp in Fairfax, VA for the past two years. While he attends with a friend, he enjoys meeting others and being with them for the week. The camp is convenient and I have not had any concerns with safety. My son has enjoyed the gaming activities as well as the non-gaming activities. He looks forward to it every year.”

Leslie C.

# 8:

“I was forced to go to Game Camp Nation and wasn’t excited in the slightest. I was in a rough period of my life and couldn’t imagine going to some camp would make things anything but worse, but I’m glad I went. I had for the first time in 6 months forgotten about my problems and just had fun. The kids there were awesome and the counselors were fun and responsible. My first week there had made me feel like I was part of a community and that was something I hadn’t felt in a long time. That’s why I came back over and over, Game Camp Nation was / is a place that I felt welcome at and a place that I could find mature yet fun people with similar interest. All while learning about something I enjoyed.”

-Jake E.

# 9:

“I enjoy Game Camp Nation because the counselors are very relaxed and everyone is nice and enjoys themselves. There is a wide variety of games to play. I also like learning about creating elements of games in different groups throughout the day. It's good because you can build on what you learned the prior day. There is an activity break in the middle of the day to go swimming or play basketball. I look forward to going to Game Camp Nation every year.”

-Spencer C.