ArcadeMe: breaking the barriers to entry for learning and working in the gaming industry!
David Chang, a previous guest and awesome friend of ours here at Startup Basecamp, is as passionate about game development education as we are at making the lives of entrepreneurs easier.
From Ecuador to Startup Chile…
David has vast experience in the game development startup space, with previous endeavors including developing and launching Inventio ESPOL, Ecuador’s first Technology Transfer and New Ventures Office, where they helped incubate Freaky Creations, a game development studio, now one of Sony Playstation’s Partner Developers.
After David graduated from Computer Engineering in 2007, he was accepted to DigiPen, one of the most prestigious institutions for Game Development. Unfortunately, it was ridiculously expensive and David couldn’t afford it.
“Not Being able to afford DigiPen was hard to accept back in 2008… But it led me to my business career which eventually led me to start my own venture..” – David
This led him through another path, eventually into startups and tech transfer where he met his co-founders and ArcadeMe was born in 2014 right there, around a napkin and a few cups of coffee. David and his team set out to fix Game Development education, changing the way online education is laid out along the way. ArcadeMe is also one of the winners for the highly sought after Startup Chile grant totaling $40,000.
New Challenges and Next steps for 2016….
ArcadeMe is looking for game industry professionals willing to help make game industry education easy and affordable for everyone. ArcadeMe will be collaborating with the education sector in 2016 to launch a side product for younger audiences, and are looking for collaborators.
My advice for future entrepreneurs
“I used to believe passionate ideas and diligent execution were enough. Nowadays, I realize it’s about stretching yourself into believing your doing can change others. Once you start doing and keep at it, things click in your path and a story starts to make sense in retrospective.” -David
Read smart, think smarter
1. Worthless, Impossible and Stupid: How Contrarian Entrepreneurs Create and Capture Extraordinary Value by Daniel Isenberg
2. Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant
3. Creative Confidence: Unleashing The Creative Potential Within Us All by David Kelley
Favorite motto…
David Kelley from IDEO said in his Creative Confidence book that:
“While the path of least resistance is usually to coast along in neutral, people with creative confidence have a “do something” mindset. They believe their actions can make a positive difference, so they act. So the next time you start to say “Wouldn’t it be great if…?” just tell yourself, “Maybe I can prototype something by the end of the day.”
