Will I be able to get a tax refund on my payments?
Yes, our training programme is licensed by the Riga City Council as an interest education programme “Virtual Reality Game Development for Children” with licence number RIMCK-24-464-ail, and our invoices can be attached to the annual income tax return and receive a 20% personal income tax rebate.
My child already spends so much time on the phone. Won’t these lessons breed technology addiction?
Modern technology – phones, tablets, gaming PCs and VR devices – has come to stay in our lives. Children often find using these devices more interesting than reading books or communicating with their peers. Our school aims to use this passion to give children the opportunity to be creative and learn new and useful skills, rather than spending countless hours on social networks or playing games. In our school, much of the game development is done on paper or at the blackboard, planning group work, communicating with the teacher and group members face-to-face. Through the interesting and exciting process of making games, we help children learn skills that will definitely be useful in their future education and work, especially if they involve the use of the latest technologies.
But we also believe that children, at least up to the age of 16, should have time limits on their use of the phone or computer, and that parents should definitely consider access to social networks that are deliberately designed to keep users on them for as long as possible – essentially creating an addiction. Instead, we propose to spend this limited time creatively and productively, learning to create content rather than consume it.
Why game development instead of programming?
Although the programming profession is in high demand today, we believe that children should develop in the most rounded way. Game development also contains elements of art, design, sound processing, video processing, as well as programming in more complex projects. We believe that a narrow specialisation in one of these areas is useful once a child has tried many different things and realised what they find more interesting.
The second factor is the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). The programming profession, as currently understood, is likely to change a lot, and rather than knowing a particular programming language or environment, it will be more important to understand the processes and business needs around us and to be able to formulate programming tasks that AI tools can handle perfectly.
Are virtual reality glasses harmful to my child’s vision?
No, VR glasses have not been found to be more harmful to vision than other types of smart device screens. Of course, looking at any screen is tiring for the eyes and both the total time spent with screens should be limited and resting the eyes at least once an hour is necessary. Our recommendation would be to limit playing time on any screen to one hour per day.
We use the latest generation of Meta Quest 3 glasses in our classes – they have a higher resolution and are lighter than other models on the market – so there is less strain on the neck muscles and spine. The Quest 3 weighs 515 grams – about the same weight as a ski helmet with goggles, so the child can safely run for longer periods without overloading.
What are the advantages of playing games with VR glasses compared to other devices, phones, computers, etc.?
The main advantage is that instead of sitting still with a bruised head, the child plays standing up and also moves intensively. This is a great opportunity to combine the exciting (play) with the healthy (movement). Many VR games have multi-player modes that allow you to spend time on the move with friends, even if you are not in the same room.
Will the summer week curriculum be too difficult for my child?
Our groups are small and we will follow each child individually. There will be opportunities to relax, have lunch and play some VR games.
Our focus is:
1.) Safe time – we’ll make sure children learn how to work safely with VR glasses and technology in general;
2.) Fun and interesting time – doing projects, relaxing and making new friends;
3.) Time spent productively – so that your child has learned new skills and put his or her ideas into practice.