Nintendo announced today that they will launch a program called “Labo Workshops”. These events are geared towards children between the ages of 9 and 12, and are held after-school in several major cities across the United States. Labo Workshops are advertised as a free, hour-long event, allowing attendees to build and familiarize themselves with Nintendo Labo.
“Nintendo Labo” launched in April of this year. At the moment, there are three kits: Robot, Vehicle, and Variety. The sets come as stacks of cardboard, which can be punched out and assembled into tools, add-ons and accessories to the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Labo also allows players to create their own labo devices from other cardboard, and program their own games and tools, should they choose to do so.
At the moment, Labo Workshops around the country seem to be focused on the Toy-Con RC Car, one of the creations from the Variety Kit. The Variety Kit costs about $69.99 when purchased online, and includes several other devices to build. Interestingly, however, the whole Labo Workshop event is free. At the end of the workshop, attendees are allowed to take home their Toy-Con RC Cars for use with their own Nintendo Switch. “Tickets” seem to be used as a way to control the amount of people at the event. According to the website, they will still be free of charge.
These events seem like an immersive way to introduce younger kids to gaming. They’ll get hands-on experience with the Nintendo Switch and with Labo. “Lab assistants” will be present on-site to answer questions and assist attendees. It’s also an extremely effective method of getting the word out about Nintendo Labo, especially for families that can’t attend large, chaotic conventions to try the hardware.
Labo Workshops currently has a website at Eventbrite, but so far, no official dates have been released. According to the FAQ, tickets should be available starting today, August 29th. However, the site navigation is unclear about where and when. Over the course of the day, more information has been steadily added to the FAQ, so this information may be revised after this time of writing.
Labo Workshops will be held this fall in ten cities around the United States. For more information, and to find an event near you, visit their event website, here. To find out more about Labo in general, visit Nintendo’s website.
