The Playroom Experiment is entirely a community-based initiative without direct affiliation with schools, service clubs, administrations, or other organizations. In addition, we are registered under a not-for-profit status in Canada, a classification prohibiting issuing receipts for tax purposes.

Pictured below is a room known as Smitty's Lounge. It sits perched on the second level of the Flight Exec Centre, a local recreation complex in Dorchester, Ontario.

It is one of two rooms used by The Playroom Experiment - a social impact initiative that strengthens community ties through gaming. The foundation of our work is built on the belief that anyone can play a game with anyone. What arises from that is the potential for individuals to find a place of belonging, particularly for young people.

For our dedicated team of inspired volunteers in Dorchester, it is more than just a lunchtime arcade. We serve the community by facilitation, much like how a hockey rink or baseball field is nurtured and managed. The Playroom Experiment offers an array of all-ages community functions and needs-based philanthropy.

...Mike Primeau to fully disclose, and I will be your "tour guide." Thank you for taking the time to visit.

I voluntarily serve as the lead project director and spokesperson for The Playroom Experiment. I am not alone, however, in my passion to see it make a meaningful impact. Before telling you about our plans for the 2023/24 season, I would like to take a moment to express to all of those who are helping The Playroom Experiment thrive in Dorchester. This community leads by example when it comes to moving something forward.

OVER $30,000 IN GAMING MATERIALS

PLACED WITHIN DORCHESTER TO DATE

OVER 60 WELL-ATTENDED COMMUNITY EVENTS HOSTED

STUDENT VOLUNTEERING AND MENTORSHIP

CROSS-GENERATIONAL GAMING

NEEDS-BASED PLAY PROGRAMS

OVER 4,500 GAMES OF PINBALL PLAYED
DURING THE PLAYGROUND CAMPS

The Playroom Experiment is the only of its kind because we go beyond the placement of gaming materials, and we are driven to cultivate opportunities with an infinite mindset. It means always looking to invest in scalable opportunities for inclusive community gaming.

Our first season of The Playroom Experiment will bring a sizeable expansion of our pinball, board game, and video game libraries. This will grow collections at The Flight Exec Centre, Dorchester Public Library, LDSS, ST. David Catholic Elementary School and River Heights Public School.

This is the newest addition to our gaming services and will initially operate Wednesday to Friday from 2:30 to 5:00. Over time, our volunteer team will grow, allowing us to expand this outlet from Monday to Friday. Everyone is welcome.

A team of ten aspiring game leaders from St. David Catholic Elementary School will host a monthly gathering for seniors in the community. Last June, these fine young people brought a genuine interest in making it a special day for everyone. We are delighted to see this cross-generational outlet for gaming continue.

This has been the heart and soul of The Playroom Experience from day one. Our friends at The Senior Art Centre lend us their larger room for community gaming so we can deliver this gaming experience sufficiently. Our game space breeds curiosity and is facilitated by our well-prepared volunteer game leaders.

This component of our work reaches out to families living with special needs, and it is how The Playroom Experiment came to exist. When patrons visit us for these events, the exploration of our gaming space is widely varied and is guided by certified alternative learning professionals. Some will play the same game for an hour, while others move to something new every couple of minutes - but for that time, it is their space and theirs to enjoy with peace of mind.

As an extension of our needs-based activities, games like Super Mario Maker 2 and Baba allow for custom-created content. It gives student mentors tools to orchestrate levels for individuals who require an added degree of rudimentary support. 

An extraordinary leadership and civic engagement opportunity sits before the young people of our community. They can take what many love doing and turn it into something spectacular. Many of our team members attend secondary school and participate to fulfill their required 40 hours of community service. What's so empowering is that many of them stay with us to help when that requirement is fulfilled, and it says a great deal about what this game space means to them.

The Playroom Experiment will invest in technology for broadcasting live special events. This could range from friendly community gaming competitions at The Flight Exec Centre to games where people at home can connect with us during a winter storm using their smart devices. We will also package tutorial content for our pinball machines so that people can learn the art of playing pinball and take their engagement to an entirely new level.

The Lost Sockets is a FIRST Robotics team at Lord Dorchester Secondary School and a superb playing partner. Led by Mark Janes, the team competes within a global robotics community, but the foundation FIRST Robotics calls on teams to better serve communities through science and technology. We are grateful to The Lost Sockets for dedicating themselves to our project despite a busy schedule, and we are delighted to reciprocate some funding to their aspirations.

The smallest gift of time or financial investment will help us to secure long-term stability, and there are two ways you can help with the smallest of these contributions.

A time investment means watching over our pinball room after school ONE DAY each month from 2:00 - 5:00 p.m. 

We would like to expand the size of this group from 23 to 50 people.

THE ROLE IS SIMPLE - turn on the pinball machines and ensure guests are enjoying the room with courtesy in mind. Volunteer members will work in pairs to ensure safety and are encouraged to enjoy the space while they are also on location.

IF YOU HAVE THE TIME TO HELP WITH THIS TASK, PLEASE EMAIL US AT:

INFO@PLAYROOMEXPERIMENT.ORG 

A monthly sponsorship for as little as $5 will allow us to conduct our efforts having a bright future in mind. That is why we would like to operate this project under a monthly community funding model of $2500. With that kind of support, we can sustain what has been built and expand on new opportunities for the community.

Most funding will be used to invest in gaming materials, but it will also allow us to manage our operational commitments. Liability insurance, pinball maintenance, and a handful of software subscriptions used for meaningful communication are minimal but essential to keeping our game space healthy.

This is our way of planting seeds for long-term gain, and, in turn, every sponsor knows what their support is doing, making every gift of time or financial investment more than average. 

Being a part of The Playroom Experiment has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have always loved gaming for team and communication growth. Still, this project has helped me understand other unspoken dynamics of gaming - the most important being how it brings people from vastly different lifestyles and experiences together. I feel empowered knowing gaming can be a common ground to unite people, and for that, I am grateful.

I am thrilled the municipality and Flight Exec Centre has partnered with The Playroom Experiment Modern. This project has provided positive opportunities for youth, adults, and seniors in a very short period. The energy, devotion, and vision that Mike commits to provide an inviting and inclusive space for people to come together and have fun is fantastic. Seeing other community groups support this initiative has been equally remarkable.

Modern technology, while enabling constant communication, has left many individuals isolated and disconnected. In a world where screens serve as barriers, The Playroom Experiment emerges as a beacon of hope, offering a safe and enjoyable space for genuine human interaction. In-person gaming breaks down the walls of social isolation, fostering meaningful connections among people of diverse ages and backgrounds. It reminds us that amidst the digital age, there's still a profound need for authentic, real-world connections.

 St. David School is so grateful to participate in this fantastic community initiative. Having a board game library and a pinball machine (this fall) will enable our students to build upon their social and turn-taking skills, work as a team for a common goal, and, above all else, communicate with courtesy. Many of the games introduced to us align exceptionally well with the core curriculum. By joining this community project, we can further support our students academically, socially, and emotionally. Barriers will be eliminated, and our students can discover new ways to connect. 

We look forward to what The Playroom Experiment will bring.

The purpose of the Make Children Better Now Association is simple - help children to be children. For us as a nonprofit, The Playroom Experiment's work and motivation show that thinking outside the paradigms and simplifying some of the issues and solutions makes a difference. We are grateful for the time, commitment, and wherewithal of The Playroom Experiment to help make a change in society.

The Playroom Experiment's potential to impact the community quickly got my attention. After attending a Pop-up Games Night at River Heights Public School, the positive effect of the games on attendees was quite noticeable. It encourages youth to engage with each other and their community. It does it well, and I became a donor to support the project's growth and impact on our youth.

The Playroom Experiment is a fantastic addition to Dorchester. It creates a space for everyone to come together and enjoy themselves. It provides seniors a place to stay active and socialize while giving our youth a haven to visit after school. Moreover, it offers students a wonderful community service opportunity that is tied to something many love doing. The Playroom Experiment is bringing our community closer together, making it an initiative that I fully support. 

In 2021, my husband Wayne and I worked with The Playroom Experiment during a pinball event. I admire the Playroom Experiment's philosophy - a place for all young people to play together and be empowered through pinball and other gaming experiences. We are happy to support this organization as an investment in the community. We relieve in The Playroom Experiment odes regularly.

I am happy to do anything we can to help support The Playroom Experiment. This organization is essential, serving the community and the school system. I did poorly in school, and it wasn't until a few years back that I was diagnosed with ADHD. School for me (especially grade 7 through high school) involved me "acting out" or ditching class altogether. The Playroom Experiment gives kids a new opportunity for connection and promotes a social interaction I was missing. Better late than never.

Upon meeting Mike, he shared his vision for what would eventually become "The Playroom Experiment." Listening to his evident passion for connecting the community through gaming, no matter their age, was something I could get behind. Becoming a monthly donor and watching this dream become a reality has been a pleasure. 

Last spring, I attended a few Playroom Experiment evenings in Dorchester to learn what it was all about. I was delighted with the board games that were new to me, pinball machine tutorials, and watching the teens share their knowledge of these gaming platforms. Overall, I appreciated how it was organized from start to finish, and I came away knowing that this was a great project to be involved with. I hope it will move from an "experiment" to a reality in our community.

The Playroom Experiment has been an unqualified success, in my opinion. I've been a journalist for decades, so I'm occasionally jaded, especially when someone appears too good to be true. Mike Primeau and the opportunity he has brought to Dorchester is genuine. I've seen what The Playroom Experiment does for people of all ages, but most importantly, for kids.

I want to close with a personal family chapter. The Playroom Experiment began over six years ago in our basement.

The idea was entirely inspired by my son Luke. Very unexpectedly, his life journey showed that the most significant impact on people's lives can be made when we go beyond ourselves.

This is what The Playroom Experiment stands for - the idea that all of us can enjoy a game space in its purest form but also help others profoundly when the opportunity presents itself. Sometimes, visiting our room is as simple as a day of gaming with friends. Sometimes it is more than that.

For every person who joins our gaming community, The Playroom Experiment becomes a better version of itself. So, let's have fun and lift the lives of others through play. It is and always will be a game worth winning.

LEGAL COMPLIANCE AND DISCLAIMER

Path of Play is a Canadian-registered non-profit organization.

All donations are in Canadian currency and are non-refundable.

If you have any further questions, please email us at info@playroomexperiment.org.