I've been working on creating a video series to teach beginners how to play Go. I started a project on kickstarter here: http://kck.st/rSqTeg. The idea of the project is to help make Go more popular in the West. So far, Go players are mostly computer programmers, mathematicians, college kids, and the elderly who switched over from chess in the park to a Go board. There are people outside of these lines, like children, but for the most part Go has only made fleeting appearances in the main culture. It's getting better. There are Go classes in schools and we see glimpses of the game in popular media. My series, the "So You Want to Play Go?" books, seem to be making a dent, and Janice Kim already led the charge with her books. Yet, getting Americans to play Go has been an uphill process. The vast majority of the population has never seen it before. It's sometimes hard to explain it in a way you think will capture their attention. Heck, even the name confuses some people because it's too simple :P
I thought since my books did a good job of bridging the fun gap and were well received, a DVD would do just as well. Here's the thing though: I'll need some assistance. I have a friend who is a professional film maker and video editor. For $1,000 he'll videotape and produce the DVD, as well as help me get it ready for the internet. I tried doing it myself, but I don't really have the equipment or the technical skill to make it look professional. Here's what I've come up with on my own: http://youtu.be/EP7fCbivQjY. It's not bad, in fact I thought it was snazzy, but it could be better, and look a lot more professional. After all, we're trying to get people who've never played Go to be interested. If you're interested, please think about making a donation to help make this dream into a reality.
