By Harold Goldberg

It’s time. For years now, we’ve wanted to expand the New York Videogame Critics Circle’s educational outreach program about Journalism in Games into Brooklyn. While much of our mentoring work is done in the Bronx, some has been done in Lower Manhattan. But we want to expand in Brooklyn with the right school because there’s a need. Plus, many of our mentoring Circle members live in Brooklyn. We’re happy to announce that Laptop Magazine editor in chief Sherri L. Smith is our lead mentor at the Hudde School in East Midwood, somewhat near Brooklyn College.

Hudde is a middle school that’s part of the CAMBA network, which does good work throughout the borough. I’d encourage everyone to take the walk from the Brooklyn College subway stop down Nostrand Avenue to Hudde. The stores, restaurants and people you pass show the wondrous variety of life and style that is Brooklyn. You’ll be inspired.

Sherri is joined by associate mentors Isaac Espinosa, who’ve done extraordinary work for the Circle for many years now. Today marks are third class at Hudde, and we continue to be excited about it. Last week, for instance, students created narrative about the game they’d always wanted to see. One of the students mashed up parkour with horror. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a game in which parkour meets horror before. Some students even added artwork to their creations.

Each class is 90-minutes long, and we teach weekly in Brooklyn after school. There’s an hour of mentoring and writing, and then there’s the Playing with Purpose portion. That half hour involves rousing game play. At the same time, we have students comment on everything from artwork to animation to story to sound.

We want to thank Circle Board chair Ted Houghton and the good people CAMBA for their help in getting this program started. We hope to do them proud.