Academics
HelmDojo
Take the helm of a hot moment. Freeze it, choose from the whole space of ways to steady a feeling, and watch a model play the consequence out - with each move's cost, its situation-fit, and an honest grade for how well the research actually backs it. No move is scored right; the trade-off and the evidence are the science. A science of steadying feelings, not therapy - nothing you feel is ever saved. Ages 15-18.
▶ Play it nowBuilt for sittings of about 25 minutes on the screen. That is our design budget, not a measurement.
#4b6b8a Characters who teach
Meet the cast
HelmDojo is for ages 15-18 - no illustrated cast; the 'crew' are the parts of taking the helm of a hot moment, and each part IS one thing a regulation move earns. Halyard is the navigator who holds the whole space and asks of every move, 'does this fit THIS moment, and can you pay its cost?' - the skilled move is never the 'right' one, it is the one that fits and whose price you can afford. Pennant reads whether the situation can be changed or left, and whether reaching a person you trust is the move - the earliest, best-supported levers. Windlass names the cost every move carries to raise it: distraction's short reach, suppression's social and memory price. Leeward reads the wind - the situation-fit that makes reappraisal strong when a thing is fixed and risky when you could just act. Bosun gives the honest evidence grade: well-supported, mixed, or emerging - the part most apps leave out.
Halyard
the navigator who holds the whole space of moves. Halyard asks of every choice, 'does this fit THIS moment, and can you pay its cost?' - taking the helm is choosing the move that fits, never the one that is 'right'.
Pennant
Reads the situation - can you change it, leave it, or is reaching a person you trust the move? Pennant's act IS the earliest, best-supported family of levers, and the truth that asking for help is never a loss.
Windlass
Names the COST every move carries to raise it - distraction's short reach, suppression's social and memory price. Windlass's act IS refusing to sell a move as free; every one has a bill.
Leeward
Reads the wind - the situation-FIT. Reappraisal is strong when a thing is fixed and can talk you out of a fair action when you could act; Leeward's act IS matching the move to the moment, not the menu.
Bosun
Gives the honest EVIDENCE grade - well-supported, mixed, or emerging. Bosun's act IS telling you which moves have decades of studies and which have a handful, so you know what you are trusting.
What's inside
Learning goal
Take the helm of a hot moment. Freeze it, choose from the whole space of ways to steady a feeling, and watch a model play the consequence out - with each move's cost, its situation-fit, and an honest grade for how well the research actually backs it. No move is scored right; the trade-off and the evidence are the science. A science of steadying feelings, not therapy - nothing you feel is ever saved. Ages 15-18.
Mentored by Halyard — no data leaves the device.
How HelmDojo handles your kid's data
- ✅ All progress, settings, and AI-generated content stays on the device
- ✅ No analytics, no tracking, no third-party SDKs
- ✅ Free — no ads, no in-app purchases
- ✅ No personal information collected from children — in line with COPPA (updated by the 2026 FTC amendments)
- ✅ No chat with strangers — play-together rooms use a short code and preset emotes, never typed messages
