If I started a dojo...
This is what I would teach
If I started a dojo, this is what I would teach…
The joy of programming by way of making simple video games.
The core philosophy being - programming is a joyful, creative act.
Programming is a serious, yet fun game. All of the magic comes from the joy of programming cool software.
Video games are meant to be fun. Programming is meant to be fun. Having fun while making something fun reinforces the philosophy.
Where everyone gets messed up is chasing tools and technology and their own tails. I would rather share the joy of programming.
I put a great deal of thought into how I would do this in real life. I could open up a school, rent a space, and invite people to come and learn. We would make simple little games. Demo crazy ideas. And play!
And at first, this would be good. Students would learn. They would grow. It would be fun.
Then someone would ask about college credit. Or parents might demand we follow a more appropriate and rigorous curriculum. You know, like they do in college or vocational code schools.
The complaints would get louder until it stopped being fun. And when the fun stops, the joy stops. The entire purpose of starting the school would stop.
That is how my dojo would end. It would not be from the students. It would be from the people who need an authority figure to certify their behavior.
I have the skills and experience to be an authority figure, but I have no desire to certify your behavior.
That is not how great programmers are made and that is not how the joy of programming is passed forward to the next generation.
So in the end, I realize that the joy of programming is not what people want in a dojo or programming class. At least, that is not what most are looking for.
For that reason, it would be better for me to never start the school in the first place.
Meanwhile, me and a few close friends still enjoy programming, making games, and doing other random stuff just for the fun of it.
Perhaps that’s all it should ever be.
-Brian