Gameheads Oakland

Game Designer

June 2014 • Oakland, CA

What I liked

I liked everything about Gameheads. The program they run is extremely educational and helps students learn more about tech and video game development. They provide a dedicated yet comfortable work experience. They are great at teaching and providing information and tools for the students to learn. I loved the work culture and they have a great work ethic there.

What I wish was different

The only thing is minor work channel clarity stuff making sure that everyone is on the same channels, but that seems like minor workplace stuff that occurs in almost every workplace.

Advice

Work hard! You'll gain the most from the program by being dedicated and really applying yourself. The teachers also notice this and push you to try even harder. Your skills really compound on this and it ends up helping you later down the line with other opportunities.

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Mentee

January 2019 • Oakland, CA

What I liked

You want to love this program because it is a modern way to engage students in technology.

What I wish was different

The founders of Gameheads subject students to a berating and toxic culture when mentors and press are not present. They yell at students regularly and have called them stupid on numerous occasions. They also pit students against each other in a way that is toxic and not educational. As soon as students pursue success outside of Gameheads, the program detracts support of their creative endeavors and has acted against some of them by threatening to sue them for working on projects outside of the classroom. The point of a non-profit organization is to SUPPORT students, and Gameheads does not own the intellectual property of any of their students. The founders behavior seems to be motivated by their own PR and not as much the success or support of the students.

Advice

The concept of the program is great but unfortunately, the students aren't really in good hands. Their success is in spite of the poor treatment they receive.

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Game Designer

June 2019 • Oakland, CA

What I liked

Honestly, I love everything about Gameheads. It probably helps that I’ve always known I wanted to make video games, but the way the program is structured, their mission, and the hands on, collaborative community engaged learning style they adopt to guide our projects all helped shape this experience and make it one of my most memorable summers to date. Gameheads is a very inclusive, diverse, and somewhat unconventional organization that I am proud to be a part of.

What I wish was different

Maybe some improvement on minor organizational/communication issues, but I feel like those exist in all companies.

Advice

Don’t slack and treat this as some fun after school program—it can be very enjoyable, but you also have to put the work in to get the most out of it. Also, network! The folks at Gameheads are very well connected, so especially if you’re trying to work in the games industry, talk to the people who show up to speak, mentor, or come to our events.

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