Gaming as a gateway to community

For many, gaming is the most natural way to connect. In Feriegaming+, gameplay is organized, social, and guided by supportive adults. This provides a wide range of benefits that are rarely highlighted when gaming is simply labeled as screen time.

First, gaming is a language many already speak. Anyone new to the environment can find a shared activity within minutes. A team match, a round of a familiar title, or a friendly tournament sparks conversation, laughter, and a sense of belonging without the need to explain who you are first.

Second, gaming builds teamwork. In team games, players must communicate, distribute roles, read their teammates, and handle both victory and defeat gracefully. These are the exact same skills practiced in traditional team sports, just in a different arena.

Third, gaming offers a sense of mastery at a pace each individual can comfortably handle. Some want to compete. Others want to explore, build, or play alongside a friend. There is plenty of room for both. When gaming happens in a shared community, it also acts as a shield against isolation. You are not alone in front of a screen at home. You are in a room with peers, with supportive adults present, and with the freedom to put down the controller and step onto the pitch whenever you like.

Coding that turns technology into something you can create

Coding is our second pillar. While gaming is often about using something already built, coding is about understanding and creating. In Feriegaming+, children and youth get to explore technology in an accessible, low-threshold environment. No prior programming experience is needed. Activities can start simply: moving a character, designing a mini-game, changing game rules, or discovering what happens when a command is tweaked.

The benefits are tangible. Coding nurtures logical thinking, patience, and problem-solving skills. You try, it doesn't work, you adjust, and suddenly it clicks. That empowering experience – that challenges can be solved step by step – is valuable far beyond the screen. Coding also provides a language for the digital world children already live in. Algorithms, game mechanics, and digital tools feel far less intimidating once you have created something yourself.

For some, this becomes their very first taste of an interest they can pursue further in school, youth clubs, or future studies. For others, it is simply pure fun seeing their own work turn into a playable game. Either way, it lowers the barrier to technology, ensuring more young people realize that digital skills are for everyone.

Football for movement, team spirit, and a screen-free break

Football is our third element, and it is every bit as essential as the other two. After a session in front of a screen, getting active feels wonderful. Small-sided matches, passing exercises, penalty shootouts, and casual mini-tournaments get the heart pumping, provide fresh air, and nurture a different kind of togetherness. Football requires little explanation: the ball is shared, the pitch is shared, and the rules are familiar to most. This makes football a powerful arena for inclusion.

Someone who is quiet in the computer room might truly blossom on the pitch – and vice versa. Physical activity during the holidays boosts mood, sleep, and overall energy, breaking up long days that might otherwise turn sedentary. Football also fosters classic teamwork skills: waiting your turn, lifting your teammates up, handling moments when things don't go your way, and celebrating a friend's goal. When gaming and football sit side by side, it becomes clear that both are active, both are playful, and both can be a great gateway into being part of a team.

Why the combination works so well

It is in this unique combination that Feriegaming+ truly shines. Many programs choose either the screen or the ball. We embrace both, weaving coding right in between. This brings several wonderful advantages.

First, we reach more young people. A child who might not feel at home in traditional sports can still find their place through gaming or coding – and feel inspired to step onto the pitch from there. A child who mainly wants to kick a ball gets a natural indoor break and meets others who share that passion.

Second, the day is full of variety. Alternating between concentration, creativity, and physical movement keeps energy levels high and helps everyone stay engaged.

Third, the blend builds bridges between communities that rarely cross paths otherwise. Gaming enthusiasts, tech lovers, and football players share breaks, cheer each other on, and discover they have far more in common than they ever imagined.

A welcoming meeting place, not just a schedule of activities

Community is the very heart of what we do. Feriegaming+ is designed to be a social, empowering, and active holiday experience. New friendships often spark over a game, a coding challenge, or a goal scored together. Youth who already feel confident in the environment can take on roles as hosts, helping newcomers feel warmly welcomed. Adults are always there to provide a safe structure, ease conflicts, and support anyone standing on the sidelines. In this way, the arena becomes far more than just a place to consume activities. It becomes a place to practice being together: including others, inviting someone to join, losing with grace, and winning without leaving anyone out.

For the local communities in Lisleby, Sellebakk, and the City Centre, having a regular holiday program means there is always a positive, uplifting alternative when school is closed. Parents and guardians gain peace of mind knowing their children are active alongside others in a safe, familiar environment. Children who aren't part of an organized team during the rest of the year get an easy way in. Children who already play football or game get to meet new teammates. Over time, these meeting places build trust and belonging. Families know that Feriegaming+ will be back next break, hosted right in their neighbourhood, with that same engaging mix of gaming, coding, and football.

E4A – Esport for Alle – is founded on the belief that gaming and esports should be open and accessible, not reserved only for those already on the inside. Feriegaming+ is the living, breathing expression of that vision. Here, it is not about rankings or elite performance. It is all about inclusion, low barriers, and the pure joy of doing things together. Welcoming thousands of visits over the past three years proves that this model works. Children and youth keep coming back, bringing friends along, and turning their holidays into something truly fun and meaningful.

Feriegaming+ is therefore much more than just a holiday camp. It is a community space where screens and sports share the same week, where coding makes technology something you can shape with your own hands, and where belonging is just as important as the activity itself. During the winter, summer, and autumn holidays – and in the years we also host during Easter and Christmas – our doors are wide open in Lisleby, Sellebakk, and the City Centre. Welcome to a holiday full of gaming, coding, football, and room for everyone!