9 Year Old Boy’s Arcade Creation: An Example of Passion-Based Learning

When I teach my class on Pedagogy and Learning, one of the first questions I ask my learners (both pre-service and in-service teachers) is, What do you consider your most significant and powerful learning experience?  None of them ever mention one that occurred within an institutional school setting. Caine’s most powerful learning experience, like my students, did not occur within the walls of a school building.

“Caine’s Arcade” — a short film about a 9-year-old boy who built an elaborate cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store in East L.A. — has gone viral with over 2 million views in less than a week.  It is being talked about by many news outlets and social media networks, and his Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/cainesarcade, has close the 100,000 likes.

Why is Caine’s story touching so many?  I believe it touches people’s hearts due to the authentic passion Caine shows for his craft.  Some the characteristics of Caine’s passion include:

• Tinkering: His dad, “He takes apart all of his toys to see how they work.”
• Foresight, planning, and attention to details: Caine, “I have fun passes, office speakers, business cards, tokens, and prizes.  The winning tickets come through the box arcade like they would in a real arcade.”
• Open to feedback: Caine, “People told me that my soccer game was too easy so I added goalies.”
• Encouraged to problem-solve:  Caine, “Dad, I want a claw machine for my arcade.” Dad, “Caine, then build one.”
• Patience and tenacity: “Caine never gets discouraged waiting for customers.”
• At least one caring adult:  His father and film maker, Nirvan Mullick, believed in and supported his efforts. Nirvan, “This kid is a genius.”
• Joy:  Caine found joy in all parts of his business venture.
• Game-based learning.  Caine created his own form of game-based learning and it was NOT technology-based.

Forbes magazine has even recognized and analyzed Caine’s success in their article 9 Hidden Factors of Caine’s Arcade Success:

1. He asked permission: He asked permission to use some unused space and recyclable materials.
2. He sought to serve others: Caine’s passion is focused on what others will experience.
3. He had a benefactor: With indie filmmaker, Nirvan Mullick, a chain of wonderful events is set in motion.
4. The visual is clutch: Caine certainly understood the importance of making something visually appealing and having a story.
5. More than x-box:  There is excitement when adults see children and young people striving to do something other than electronic games.
6. Familiar with yes: Caine appears to have heard the answer, yes, often in his life.
7. He made use of remnants:  There is a certain allure in American entrepreneur circles for turning waste in wonder, of finding a diamond in the rough, so to speak.
8. Preparation meets work:  His chance to meet Nirvan Mullick came because he was waiting and looking for a customer.
9. Tears of joy: The hidden lesson is that Caine maintained an air of thankfulness and gratitude through his long summer and that rubbed off on others.

. . . and Seth Godin, the famous blogger, had this to say:

The first thing that made me smile was how willing Caine was to do his art regardless of how the world responded (it didn’t). Caine didn’t care. The goal wasn’t to be accepted, the goal was to do it right.

The second extraordinary thing is easy to miss. Around 3:30, you learn Caine’s folk-arithmetic trick of using square roots to validate the PIN numbers on each fun pass. Extraordinary.

And the third? Starting around the nine-minute mark, any entrepreneur with a heart is going to shed a few tears. In the immortal words of Caine Monroy, “and I thought they were here for me, and they were.” (http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/04/lessons-from-caines-arcade.html)

Why is this type of ingenuity, innovation, and entrepreneurship not being nourish within the school walls?  How can we include passion-based learning as part of the curriculum?  For more information about passion-based learning, see:

• Nine Tenets of Passion-Based Learning
• PBL is Passion-Based Learning: Show Me Your Passion
• Passion-based learning in the 21st century: An interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach
• Guidelines of Passion-Based Learning

Passion is not tangible but it can definitely be seen and felt as the following photos demonstrate.  Caine sees, for the first time, the crowd of people wanting to play his arcade games, the crowd he so patiently wished and waited for.

Caine told his dad that this was the best day of his whole life!

I wish for all children to have an arcade moment like Caine at least one time during their lives.