350: Learning Real-World Skills Through Game Creation with Matt Dalio of Endless Studios
In this episode, Meryl van der Merwe talks with Matt Dalio, founder of Endless Studios, about why game creation—not just game playing—can equip teens with powerful, real-world skills for future careers.
Matt shares:
His Backstory and Mission
How early experiences living in China and working with orphans shaped his desire to create worldwide access to digital skills.
Why technological literacy today is lower than literacy in the Dark Ages, and why that must change.
His belief that millions of young people can gain job-ready technical skills through creating games.
Why Game Creation Matters
Uses real professional tools such as Unity, Unreal, Godot, Blender, and GitHub.
Teaches computational thinking, teamwork, project management, design, and coding.
Mirrors real-world workflows used in startups and tech companies.
Allows kids to shift from consumers to creators.
Tools Matt Recommends for Students
All of these are free to download:
EndStarEndless Studios’ tool built on Unity, designed to take students from Minecraft-level skills to professional-level game engine skills. It includes wiring systems, logic blocks, and gradual scaffolding into real scripting.
GodotAn open-source engine that runs well on low-end computers. Endless Studios is building scaffolding tools on top of it, including block coding and collaborative editing features.
Roblox StudioIdeal for kids already using Roblox. Uses Lua scripting and has a large online community.
ScratchA simple entry-level environment that helps absolute beginners understand basic logic and design principles.
Matt also recommends courses on Udemy, Coursera, and similar platforms for structured learning. Many students, like past podcast guest Matthew, have taught themselves professional-level skills using these resources.
The Power of Community Learning
Matt emphasizes that students learn best through collaboration. Platforms like GitHub allow students to contribute to real-world projects, receive mentorship, and learn modern software development workflows. This form of apprenticeship is one of the most effective and scalable ways to build proficiency.
Key Takeaways for Homeschool Parents
You do not need to know anything about game design to support your child.
Game creation teaches real workforce skills, even for students who never plan to work in gaming.
Encourage your students to shift from playing games to building them.
The motivation and joy that come from creating something they love are powerful teaching tools.
Interested in Endless Studios Creating a Homeschool-Friendly Product?
Matt welcomes interest from parents. Email:
[email protected]Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattdalio/
Links Mentioned
Endless Studios: https://endlessstudios.com
EndStar: Free download from Endless Studios
Godot Game Engine: https://godotengine.org
Roblox Studio: https://create.roblox.com
Scratch: https://scratch.mit.edu
Udemy: https://udemy.com
Coursera: https://coursera.org
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