The Video Game Learning Foundation is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation. Our application for federal tax-exempt status under IRC § 501(c)(3) is pending — the IRS determination letter has not yet been issued.
Programs

Three tracks. One method. Every generation.

Our program roadmap covers the full lifespan on purpose — youth, working-age adults, and older adults are equally central to what this Foundation is for, and all three tracks are designed together rather than bolted on later.

Every track follows the same structure: a commercially available game chosen for what it actually teaches, a facilitated session with an explicit objective, a debrief that names the skill in real-world terms, and a partner site that already has the community's trust.

Youth & teens · 7–18 Adults & career switchers · 18–60 Seniors & older adults · 60+
Status: all three tracks are in design, none are enrolling yet. Following our formation plan, we will design and pilot one track with one San Francisco partner site — a public school, library branch, or senior center — and measure it properly before scaling. Everything below describes what we are building, not a program you can sign up for today. To be told when enrollment opens, or to host a pilot, contact us.
Track one · ages 7–18

Play Tank — STEM & collaboration

Turning passive entertainment into active scientific and creative inquiry, in after-school clubs run with schools and libraries.

What participants do

Students take on engineering and design challenges inside sandbox and physics games — build a machine that works, get a craft to orbit, solve a puzzle chamber — then explain how and why it worked.

What they build

Engineering intuition from game physics, introductory coding and logic from sandbox scripting, and the communication and teamwork habits that co-operative levels demand rather than merely encourage.

Where it runs

As an after-school club hosted by a partner school or public library branch, on a weekly cadence, with a Foundation-trained facilitator and site staff present.

Candidate titles under consideration for this track

Minecraft Education, Kerbal Space Program, and Portal 2 are the leading candidates: each has an established educational track record, runs on modest hardware, and supports co-operative play.

Titles are candidates for curriculum design, not endorsements or partnerships. All trademarks belong to their respective owners; no publisher relationship is implied.

Track two · ages 18–60

Systems & Strategy — for adults and career switchers

Translating high-level gaming competence into resume-legible professional skills, in weekend bootcamps run with workforce development centers.

What participants do

Adults run and analyze complex simulations — a factory, a city, a civilization — then document the decisions they made and the constraints they were optimizing against.

What they build

Logistics and supply-chain reasoning, project management, resource allocation, and systems thinking — plus the vocabulary to describe all of it in an interview without mentioning a game unless they want to.

Where it runs

As virtual or in-person weekend bootcamps delivered with workforce centers and adult education partners, scheduled around working hours.

Candidate titles under consideration for this track

Factorio, the Civilization series, and Cities: Skylines — each exposes a genuinely complex system whose management maps cleanly onto professional competencies, and each produces artifacts a participant can talk through.

Titles are candidates for curriculum design, not endorsements or partnerships. All trademarks belong to their respective owners; no publisher relationship is implied.

Track three · ages 60+

Silver Gamers — cognitive health & connection

Combating social isolation and supporting mental acuity, in structured morning sessions at community senior centers.

What participants do

Older adults meet regularly for guided sessions combining motion-controlled play and spatial puzzle games, in a group setting built around conversation as much as scores.

What they build

Hand-eye coordination and balance practice, exercised memory and spatial reasoning, comfort with unfamiliar technology, and a standing social appointment — which is often the outcome that matters most.

Where it runs

As recurring mornings at partner senior centers and residential communities, with equipment set up and supported by the Foundation so staff aren't left troubleshooting.

Candidate titles under consideration for this track

Nintendo Switch Sports, Tetris Effect, and the Brain Age series — chosen for accessible controls, low reading load, short sessions, and a social format that works in a room full of people.

Titles are candidates for curriculum design, not endorsements or partnerships. All trademarks belong to their respective owners; no publisher relationship is implied.

How we'll know it worked

Measurement is part of the pilot, not a phase-two problem

Funders expect an outcomes plan within the first year. So do we — a program we can't evaluate is a program we can't improve or honestly ask anyone to fund.

1

Pre/post instruments

Each track gets a short pre- and post-program assessment appropriate to its goal — skill self-efficacy, task performance, or validated wellbeing and isolation measures.

2

Site partner feedback

The teacher, librarian, or center director sees things a survey doesn't. Structured partner debriefs are built into every pilot cycle.

3

Published honestly

We will publish what we find, including null and negative results. A field this young is not helped by another organization reporting only its wins.

No impact figures appear anywhere on this site, because we have not yet run a program. Any statistic here would be fabricated. When we have real data, it will be here with its methodology attached.

Want to host the first pilot?

We are looking for one San Francisco school, library branch, or senior center willing to be first. We bring the curriculum, the facilitation, and the equipment.