Sunday Go Lessons Video Series

Go is a 4,000 year old Chinese strategy game played by millions of people in China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.  Go is a two player game.  One player takes Black, the other White, and you try to construct walls surrounding the intersections of the board to create territory.  Go is a rich and complex game and is quite competitive.  Go professionals go head to head on TV to play for big cash prizes. Go is exciting, fun, and inexpensive to play.  All you need is a Go board, some stones, and a partner!  The game is taking off in the U.S. and Europe, but many people still have never heard of the game or seen it played.  It's a shame, because Go is a great way to meet new people and is one of the most satisfying hobbies out there.  That's why I want to create an online video series to teach people how to play, with inexpensive lessons available to everyone!

About Me

My name is Jonathan Hop and I have been playing Go for seven years.  A friend of mine from Taiwan introduced  the game to me and I've been hooked ever since.  I actually studied at a professional school in South Korea alongside children who were one day going to play the game for a living!  If you're up on your Go terms, I am around 4 dan in strength (meaning I'm in the expert ranks).  I'm also the author of a book series designed to teach the game, called "So You Want to Play Go?"  I felt that Go had to be fun and exciting, so I took what I learned in Asia and translated it for an American audience, so that Americans could get as hyped about the game as I am. I teach  the game for free online, and give group and individual lessons.  I've taught people of varying skill levels, from absolute beginners who think the game is Othello, to veteran tournament players.  It's practically my mission in life.  So far, it's been a blast, but I want to take spreading the game to the next level. 

Why is Go Great?

Go is a great game because it's simple, yet complex.  The equipment to play is not expensive, and most universities have a Go club where you can play all you want for free.  Even if there isn't a nearby Go club, you can play online, absolutely free, as often as your heart desires!  Go helps you concentrate and keeps your mind sharp.  The part I like most about the game though, is that it's endlessly satisfying.  There's always more to learn, more to master, and when you do, you gain a real sense of accomplishment, building your self confidence.  A lot of children in Asia play Go starting at a young age, because it teaches discipline, concentration, and strengthens math and visual reasoning skills.  For adults, it's a social game, where you can meet all sorts of people! 

What I need to get started

What I need is help in funding the website and getting the videos professionaly edited and produced.  The idea is to translate the irreverent, entertaining lessons from the "So You Want to Play Go?" series and adapt them to the big screen.  I started this project off completely on my own, but my web skills and video skills were just not up to snuff, so I figured I would need to seek professional help.  The website would be a repository for all of the videos, and there will be plenty, as Go is a complicated subject!  A user will log in, put money into their account, select a video, and for $1, be able to watch that video for the next 30 days, day or night, 24/7. After that period of time their ability to watch the video expires.  They can purchase any amount of videos according to the amount of money they've put in their account.  If they would like to watch more, then they can put more in.  I'd like to eventually have hundreds of videos on different aspects of the game, and I will focus on beginners and intermediate players, as I want to get as many people as I can excited to play. I have a great student website designer who has already designed the overal layout for the site which you can view here:

http://javanetsolutions.com/SundayGoLessons/

This will run $3,000.

The next piece of funding is for the videos.  I found some top knotch student videographers who can make sure the videos will grip new players and make Go fun and exciting.  We've got a lot of great ideas on how to attract new players, and make the videos family friendly.  They will be doing the filming, editing, creating video shorts and intros, as well as handling puting it on the internet. I'd like to start off with a compliment of fifty or so videos, each at 15-20 minutes in length.  I will not be able to do all fifty videos at first, but this will make for a good start.

This will run $2,500

What do I get for participating?

For $10 you get ten lectures.  It's basically signing up for membership before the site opens!  For those of you who are feeling more generous, I'll throw in some lectures, as well as signed copies of "So You Want to Play Go?"