"I wanted to thank you for a very special week of story weaving, world and culture building (and reflecting on those concepts), inspiring one another and lifting up the spirits of [our kids] day by day.

I kept saying that I believe I should taken this camp, but it was the right decision to let the kids have their own space with you guiding them."

Margrit Wong

"Want to see a group of teenagers forget about their phones for two hours?  Send them on a D&D adventure!

We’ve had a game of D&D that meets weekly at our house for years now. Every Friday the house echoes with shrieks of laughter and enthusiastic discussion as the kids exchange ideas about what to do next on their adventure.  It’s great to see the teenagers having so much fun together in such an animated manner!

D&D is a great game for kids who might be a little shy.  Kids play in groups of 4-7 players each.  Everyone’s character takes turns making decisions or taking actions so no one gets excluded and everyone is equally important. Relationships develop organically. Often kids develop friendships or at least acquaintances with kids in their school that they might never have interacted with otherwise. Alt Games’ expert game leaders are extremely skilled at diffusing any tensions that arise, making sure the dynamic kids don’t dominate the game, and everyone behaves decently.

Each kid plays a character that they develop over years if they play that long.  The character has their own strengths and weaknesses, contributes their special abilities to a group endeavor, but also has to depend on their team members’ abilities to do things their character can’t do as well.

One cool aspect of D&D is that the grown up who invents the adventure can put in elements that are of particular interest to the kids.  I’ve seen the game leader throw in math puzzles, riddles, and even thought provoking philosophical issues for the kids to discuss together. "

Jane Hsiao

"It is no exaggeration to say that Alternative Games saved our kids this spring and summer. With everyone in pandemic lockdown, my son and six friends were able to do something they love, use their imaginations, and be together (albeit virtually). They looked forward to every meeting. The game--and their Dungeon Master-- gave them an anchor when they really needed one."

Jodi Kanter

"Alternative Games provides a rich source of fun and fellowship to my 5th grader. Both in-person from the before times and especially virtually now, Shammo and the other DMs create a supportive environment for role playing. Gaming with Alternative Games fosters creativity, collaboration and community. This has been a hugely positive experience for our family."

Colin Sellar

"Dungeons and Dragons with Alternative Games has been such a gift for my 10 year old son, especially during the pandemic when he was craving social connection. D&D was a safe space for him to hang out with his friends and play a game he has learned to love. On top of the social connection, the format allowed for collaborative story telling, problem solving and weaved in social skills.

The dungeon master, Shammo, is a natural with the kids and continuously provided feedback and coaching around important social skills such as how to be heard in a group, how to include everyone, how to take turns, how to stay focused and engaged, and the nuances of communicating over zoom. Shammo provided this coaching seamlessly within the game and in ways that encouraged all the kids to be their best selves. All the while, the kids really had fun. As an added bonus--Shammo even got the kids writing and provided constructive feedback to improve their story telling."

Jennifer Oliva