UPDATE: The 10 Pioneer spots for the March 2026 cohort have been filled! Due to overwhelming demand, we have opened enrollment for the July 2026 cohort. The special launch price of $2,989 is still available until the timer on this page runs out.
You chose a system over the chaos of trial-and-error. Now you’re ready to go beyond that foundation and architect the kind of deep gameplay that builds a permanent firewall between your process and the chaos of shallow, guess-and-check design.
Here is the only professional design system engineered to unlock your “Gameplay X-Ray vision” to turn any ambitious ideas into deeply-structured gameplay that delivers a meaningful player experience.
I want more information about how to join CoralCore, the 4-week super-intensive cohort online course about professional Deep Gameplay Design.
You got the foundations with The Deep Dive: Gameplay Design. From today, you can take it to the next level by rewiring your brain to think with the clarity and depth of a master system thinker and say goodbye to shallow design forever—even if the industry has led you to believe that you can’t teach talent.
A message for the ambitious aspiring game designer staring at a graveyard of half-finished projects, wondering why another Unity tutorial hasn’t unlocked the secrets to finishing a game you’re actually proud of.
Rewire Your Brain with the first professional design system for Deep Gameplay Design. Finally, unlock your “Gameplay X-Ray vision” and turn your ambitious ideas into deeply-structured gameplay that feels engineered, not just assembled.
I want more information about how to join CoralCore, the 4-week super-intensive cohort online course about professional Deep Gameplay Design.
The result? You stop guessing and start architecting. This is the complete blueprint to think with the clarity of a master system thinker and escape the ‘trial-and-error trap’ for good—even if the industry has led you to believe that you can’t teach talent.
Dear friend,
Let’s talk about what you’ve already accomplished, because it’s important.
You made a decision that set you apart from 99% of aspiring designers. You saw through the noise and chose a better path.
That single decision to invest in The Deep Dive: Gameplay Design proved you were serious. It was your first real move against the current.
Dear friend,
Let’s be honest with each other for a minute.
You have that fire in your gut.
An ambition to not only build the kinds of games you’ve always dreamed of, but to build a real career doing it—to land a job at a studio you respect and do work you’re proud of. It’s the reason you got into this in the first place. And you deserve to see that ambition turned into a finished game and a real career, don’t you?
But if you’re reading this, you’re also intimately familiar with a very specific kind of quiet, soul-crushing frustration. It’s a vicious cycle. Trust me, I know this cycle all too well. It looks something like this:
This is the trial-and-error hell that turns your hard drive into a graveyard of brilliant, unfinished ideas.
It’s a cycle that drains your passion and, worse, it tells every hiring manager who sees your portfolio that you can’t be trusted to finish what you start.
But you and I both know you didn’t start this journey to just build a solid foundation. You started it to build meaningful experiences. You have a hunger to operate on a completely different level, and you’ve tasted what’s possible.
And that’s why you’re starting to feel that quiet frustration again. It’s the unique pain of the unfinished journey.
You’re standing halfway up the mountain. You’ve escaped the trial-and-error hell below, but the true summit—where the master system thinkers operate—still feels impossibly far away. You have the tools to start the climb, but you sense they aren’t enough to finish it.
This isn’t just a feeling.
It’s showing up in your work. Your portfolio is haunted by the ghosts of unfinished projects—ambitious ideas that started strong but collapsed under their own complexity.
Each one is a painful monument to a vision you couldn’t fully execute. Professionally, this is devastating. It brands you as a starter, not a finisher. It tells the world you can’t be trusted with the hard problems.
You have the fundamentals down, but how do you make them breathe?
How do you take those solid mechanics and inject a living, dynamic soul into your gameplay?
Look, following a recipe is easy. That’s execution. But you want to be the chef who invents the recipe in the first place—the one who creates something that feels truly alive. Right now, you haven’t fully made that leap. You can execute a plan, but you haven’t yet made deep, systemic thinking a subconscious habit.
You haven’t made it part of your DNA!
The professional consequence? Hiring managers see a portfolio of projects with “good execution,” but they lack that X-factor. They don’t show that you can architect a gameplay structure that generates a powerful, intentional experience inside the player’s mind. It shows competence, but it doesn’t show mastery.
And the personal consequence is a constant, nagging crisis of confidence. You’re so close, yet so far.
This all comes to a head when your process hits a wall. Let’s be real, the games we have to design today aren’t simple anymore. A decade ago, you could get by with intuition and guesswork. But today’s games are a hurricane of complexity. That old trial-and-error approach is a relic, an outdated tool from a world that no longer exists.
When you’re facing that storm—when you’re off the map trying to solve a truly novel problem—you realize you’ve become a master map-follower. But you haven’t yet become the cartographer.
Now, becoming a reliable junior designer is a great starting point. But it’s a terrible destination. Without taking your design thinking to the next level,
you risk getting stuck there FOREVER!
A cog in a machine, doing the same thing over and over, until the very passion that brought you here has been systematically drained from your soul.
For years, the industry has sold a simple, brutal lie to explain this gap. It’s the invisible ceiling they call “talent.”
They want you to believe that some people just “have it” and others don’t. That you either possess some magical, innate ability to leap to the top, or you’re doomed to stay on the plateau forever.
But what if they’re all looking in the wrong direction?
What if the secret to greatness isn’t about how high you can jump?
What if it’s about how deep you can go?
Leaping is for the lucky. It’s fragile. It’s a gift you can’t control. But digging? Digging is a skill. It’s a choice. It’s a system. Anyone with the will to pick up a shovel can go deeper. They can unearth the first principles, the hidden structures, the universal laws of gameplay that lie far beneath the surface.
This is your real path forward. It’s time to stop trying to break through a fake ceiling and instead start excavating a foundation of mastery so deep that no problem can shake it.
IT’S TIME to finish the journey you started.
IT’S TIME to rewire your brain.
IT’S TIME to transform deep design from something you do into the very way you think.
So, what do you do when you get stuck in that hell?
You do what everyone tells you to do. You turn to the internet for answers.
You open 15 tabs of YouTube videos, each one promising a quick fix for a specific mechanic.
You spend hours watching someone else build their game, feeling a temporary high of “learning.” But when you go back to your own project, nothing connects.
The information is shallow, fragmented, and often contradictory. You’re left with a brain full of random trivia about how to code a grapple hook, but no actual understanding of how to design a compelling traversal system.
You’re paralyzed by information, more confused than when you started.
But isn’t the whole point to spend your time creating, not just consuming? To build your own unique gameplay, not just copy someone else’s?
I’ve been trapped in that content loop myself. It feels like you’re learning, but you’re just running in circles, collecting puzzle pieces from a thousand different boxes with no picture to guide you.
When a friend asks what you’ve been working on, you feel a vague sense of shame because you have nothing real to show for all the hours you’ve poured in.
When that path fails you, you do the next logical thing. You retreat to what feels solid and real:
The tool itself
You decide the problem isn’t your design thinking; it’s that you don’t know Unity or Unreal well enough. You spend months mastering the software. You can build a character controller from a tutorial flawlessly. And for a moment, it feels like progress.
But the second you’re in a job interview and they ask you to design a gameplay system from scratch on a whiteboard, that cold panic rushes back in.
You realize you’ve learned how to be a fantastic technician, but you have no idea how to be a gameplay designer.
You can assemble the pieces, but you can’t architect the experience.
And that leads to the most painful realization of all. The final, soul-crushing consequence.
In your mind, you see the Great Barrier Reef—a vast, interconnected, living gameplay ecosystem. A world that feels dynamic and alive.
But because of the chaotic process and fragmented knowledge, the only thing you can manage to build is a small, clunky aquarium. It might “work,” but it’s emotionally hollow—a pale, lifeless shadow of the grand vision in your head.
And that lack of soul is precisely what a professional’s eye sees.
It sends a clear and devastating signal: you lack the deep, analytical thinking skills that studios actually hire for. Your application gets deleted before you even have a chance.
This entire struggle is the direct result of the single most damaging piece of advice in the game industry. You’ve heard it a million times, maybe even from veteran developers you admire.
“Just make games.”
It sounds so pragmatic, so logical. But “just making games” without a system is just a prettier name for banging your head against the wall and hoping the wall breaks first.
It’s a direct recipe for burnout, a guaranteed way to fill your hard drive with half-finished projects, and the fastest way to hardwire your own worst habits.
And the most insidious part?
When this advice inevitably fails, you’re left thinking the problem isn’t the advice. It’s you. The doubt starts to creep in, making you question the entire path you’ve chosen, and the sacrifices you have made for it.
Let me tell you one thing:
That feeling is a lie. And it is NOT your fault!
You’ve been set up to fail by a culture that romanticizes the struggle instead of teaching the system.
But knowing that doesn’t get your game finished, does it? It doesn’t add that killer project to your portfolio.
So, what’s the alternative? If the entire industry is telling you to run headfirst into a wall, how do you find the door?
You do it by rejecting their system and forging a better one.
Not a better system for building, but a better system for thinking.
So, how do you do it?
How do you rewire your brain and make this deeper way of thinking a permanent part of your design DNA?
First, you arrive at a fork in the road. And you have to make a choice about who you’re going to be: a Gameplay Assembler or a Gameplay Architect.
The Assembler is a master of execution. They take a box of pre-made parts—mechanics, loops, systems—and follow a blueprint to piece them together. They build solid, functional structures. They are the map-followers. Most of the industry is filled with Assemblers.
The Architect, however, doesn’t just follow the blueprint. They invent the blueprint. They understand the deep, universal principles that make a structure stand, and they use that knowledge to design something entirely new. They think in first principles. They are the cartographers.
The Assembler thinks in mechanics. The Architect thinks in ecosystems.
But what do I mean by “ecosystem”? It’s a single, intertwined gameplay structure where every part works together to deliver a specific player experience and bring your vision to life.
Let me be clear: This is the single biggest mental leap a designer can make. Stop seeing your game as a static machine you are building, and start seeing it as a living, breathing ecosystem you are cultivating.
A Coral Reef.
Think about it. A reef isn’t a collection of separate, disconnected parts. It’s a single, unified system where every element influences every other element. The currents of player motivation, the chemistry of player emotions, the very structure of the terrain—it all works together to create a world that feels dynamic, emergent, and alive.
This is the essence of Deep Gameplay Design. It’s a complete shift in perspective. You stop asking, “What mechanic should I add here?” and you start asking, “What is the natural law of this ecosystem, and how can I shape it to guide the player’s experience?”
When you make this shift, EVERYTHING changes.
Imagine yourself facing that complex design problem that used to paralyze you.
Instead of feeling that old panic, you feel a quiet confidence. You don’t need to guess, because you have a mental model that allows you to see the hidden connections. You can map the problem, diagnose its root cause within the system, and architect an elegant solution that feels inevitable.
Imagine your design documents.
They are no longer just lists of features. They are clear, powerful blueprints that articulate not just what the gameplay is, but why it will generate a specific cognitive and emotional journey for the player.
Imagine your portfolio.
The ghosts of half-finished projects are gone. In their place is a collection of completed, ambitious works that are undeniable proof of your mastery. Each one is a testament to your ability to handle complexity and deliver a meaningful, cohesive experience from concept to completion.
You no longer fear that design meeting. You walk in as a peer, ready to deconstruct any system and defend your choices with a clarity that earns immediate respect. The imposter syndrome is gone, replaced by the quiet certainty of a true professional.
You aren’t a cog in the machine; you are the one designing the machine.
This is the world that opens up when you learn to think like an Architect—like a Deep Gameplay Designer.
But at the end of the day, let’s talk straight. What you truly want is actually very simple
Am I wrong? This isn’t some outrageous fantasy, is it? It’s the bare minimum for a professional who takes their craft seriously.
If that’s what you’re fighting for, then we are on the same side. And if that’s the case, I have something I need to show you…
The world’s first super-intensive online course entirely focused on the craft of Deep Gameplay Design.
The world’s first super-intensive online course entirely focused on the craft of Deep Gameplay Design.
This is the first and only course of its kind in the world.
And there’s a very simple reason why: schools, universities, and the gurus on YouTube wouldn’t even know what to put in the curriculum.
They are stuck on the surface, teaching you a little bit of everything—art, programming, project management—and a whole lot of nothing. They give you a generic, shallow overview because they lack the deep, unified framework required to teach gameplay design as the rigorous craft it truly is.
Let’s be crystal clear about what this is, and what it is not.
This is NOT a programming course.
This is NOT an art course.
This is NOT another damn engine tutorial.
With CoralCore, you get a 4-week, intense, transformational experience designed for one purpose:
To give you the complete creative process to turn your vision into a fully playable, deeply meaningful gameplay structure.
You will unlock the analytical horsepower to handle immense complexity with ease, and the clarity to make every mechanic you design serve your game’s core message. We are going to systematically rewire the way you think about gameplay, games, and the very act of design itself.
A fair warning: what you’re about to install in your brain will permanently change the way you see games.
Here is just a glimpse of the new mental toolkit you’re about to acquire:
But what does all that really mean for you, day-to-day?
It means that in just 4 super-intensive weeks, you’re going to permanently upgrade the way your brain processes design problems. What would it feel like to look at any game and instantly see its hidden structural anatomy, like reading the Matrix? Imagine having the power to not just list features, but to think in living, breathing ecosystems. This isn’t just a new set of skills; it’s a new operating system for your mind.
After CoralCore, reinventing the damn wheel every single time you start a new project will be just a bad dream!
I know I’m giving you a lot. So at this point you might legitimately ask…
Who the hell is Kaptain Haven and why should I trust him?
Let me be brutally clear from the start: I am not some famous game director from a massive AAA studio. You won’t find my name in the credits of a dozen blockbuster titles.
My name is Kaptain Haven. And not too long ago, I WAS YOU!
My background is in software engineering, and driven by that same fire that’s in you, I enrolled in the best game design school in my country, believing it was the one true path to mastery.
And that’s where I ran headfirst into the same wall you’re hitting right now.
I saw the abstract theories. I saw the vague advice. And I saw the frustrating, unbridgeable gap between what was taught and what it actually takes to build a game from scratch.
All around me, I saw brilliant, passionate students get lost in a fog of trial-and-error, their confidence slowly being ground to dust.
It was a feeling I knew all too well from my entire academic life: a system that seemed more interested in protecting its own traditions than in forging real-world competence in its students.
I refused to accept this was the only way. This refusal sparked a five-year obsession: to deconstruct the “magic” of game design and rebuild it as a real, teachable engineering discipline. Through a sea of my own failures and relentless deconstruction, I began to forge a new, analytical system.
Armed with an early version of it, I brought it back to my own university, convinced I had found something revolutionary.
The response? A dismissive wave.
I was told I didn’t have the “credentials” or the “academic standing” to challenge their methods. They didn’t critique the system on its merits. In that moment, I felt a cold, quiet clarity: the “system” wasn’t just broken, it was actively hostile to real innovation. They preferred the safety of their ivory tower.
And right when I was at that professional low, the world itself seemed to conspire to isolate me further. The COVID pandemic hit, and I was trapped in another city, cut off from my family by months of brutal lockdown, right when I needed them most.
But that combination of professional rejection and forced physical isolation left me with nothing but my own resolve. It didn’t break me. It forged me. It became fuel.
Because when you have nothing left to lose, you have everything to gain. And you are finally free to build something true.
Freed from the need for their approval, freed from their broken system, I spent the rest of those five years forging and battle-testing my own. And slowly, through thousands of hours of obsessive work, the truth began to emerge.
It wasn’t a single flash of insight. It was a dawning realization that beneath the surface of every game—no matter how simple or complex—lies a universal architecture.
A deep, logical framework that, once understood, doesn’t just give you control over your creative process—it rewires your mind to reason at a completely new level of analytical depth.
It wasn’t magic. It was a repeatable process. A System.
And now, I’m sharing that system with you.
I built WhaleBrain for the determined, the ambitious—the designers who refuse to accept guesswork as the price of admission to this industry. I’m giving you the map I wish I’d had when I started.
Now, I want to make this really simple for you. Let’s cut through all the noise.
Do you want to finally have a reliable, step-by-step system to turn your ambitious ideas into reality?
Do you want to walk into any room and command respect because you can think about gameplay with a depth and clarity that few possess?
Do you want to finish the journey you started and become the master system thinker you know you can be?
If the answer is yes, then here is the vehicle that will take you there.
The world’s first super-intensive online course entirely focused on the craft of Deep Gameplay Design.
The world’s first super-intensive online course entirely focused on the craft of Deep Gameplay Design.
So, here’s how this works. It’s simple.
At the bottom of this page, you’ll find a short form to fill out to show your interest.
Once you do, my team and I will personally reach out to you as soon as we possibly can. We’ll have a quick, informal chat to give you all the info you need and, more importantly, to figure out together if CoralCore is the right fit for your specific goals right now.
Let me be clear: this is not some aggressive sales pitch. No one is going to twist your arm. We’re here to answer your questions and see if we can help. If it’s not for you, that’s perfectly fine. No hard feelings, no drama. We’ll part as friends.
There’s no reason in this world to lose this opportunity.
But wait, it doesn’t end here!
Because this is the one-time-only “Pioneer Launch” of CoralCore, the investment you make today will be the absolute lowest it will ever be.
And for the first 10 pioneers who join this cohort, I’m including two massive bonuses that will be gone FOREVER once these spots are filled.
Because this is the one-time-only “Pioneer Launch” of CoralCore, the investment you make today is the absolute lowest it will ever be.
The first 10 pioneers who joined this cohort received two massive bonuses that are now gone FOREVER!
A few months after the main cohort ends (you’ll be notified immediately with the exact date and time), once you’ve had time to apply the CoralCore system in the wild, we’re going to get back together for a live, 3-hour advanced workshop.
This isn’t just another Q&A. This is a deep-dive session designed to solve the most complex, real-world problems you’re facing on your own projects. This is your chance to get direct, unfiltered feedback from me, Kaptain Haven himself.
Inside the Reef-Builder’s Workshop, you will:
This is a live, raw, unrecorded workshop. It is a one-time gift exclusively for the pioneers who are most dedicated to their long-term success, and it will never be made publicly available.
A few months after the main cohort ends (you’ll be notified immediately with the exact date and time), once you’ve had time to apply the CoralCore system in the wild, we’re going to get back together for a live, 3-hour advanced workshop.
This isn’t just another Q&A. This is a deep-dive session designed to solve the most complex, real-world problems you’re facing on your own projects. This is your chance to get direct, unfiltered feedback from me, Kaptain Haven himself.
Inside the Reef-Builder’s Workshop, you will:
This is a live, raw, unrecorded workshop. It is a one-time gift exclusively for the pioneers who are most dedicated to their long-term success, and it will never be made publicly available.
I’ve seen it time and time again: the single biggest accelerator for learning is having a trusted ally in the trenches with you.
That’s why, for these first 10 pioneers only, I’m offering the “Coop-Mode” Deal. If you bring a friend who is new to the WhaleBrain community, you BOTH get an additional $1,000 sliced right off the already discounted launch price. And to welcome your friend into the WhaleBrain community, they’ll also receive a special (and very powerful) mystery gift from me. This is a one-time-only offer that will not exist after these first 10 pioneer spots are gone.
I’ve seen it time and time again: the single biggest accelerator for learning is having a trusted ally in the trenches with you.
That’s why, for these first 10 pioneers only, I’m offering the “Coop-Mode” Deal. If you bring a friend who is new to the WhaleBrain community, you BOTH get an additional $1,000 sliced right off the already discounted launch price. And to welcome your friend into the WhaleBrain community, they’ll also receive a special (and very powerful) mystery gift from me. This is a one-time-only offer that will not exist after these first 10 pioneer spots are gone.
So, let’s break down the numbers for this one-time-only Pioneer Launch.
Here is everything you are getting in the CoralCore Pioneer’s Package:
Total Value: $5,500
For this one-time-only Pioneer launch, you won’t pay the full value of $5,500.
You won’t even pay the official list price of $4,000.
The standard investment for the CoralCore Pioneer’s Package is just
$2,989
BUT, if you are one of the first 10 pioneers to enroll and you take advantage of the “Coop-Mode” Deal, you both receive an additional, instant $1,000 discount.
That means your final investment is just
$1,989
So, let’s be transparent about how the offer has changed now that the 10 Pioneer spots are gone.
The first 10 Pioneers secured the exclusive CoralCore Pioneer’s Package. That included the complete course AND the Live Workshop, a total package valued at $5,500. They got the absolute best deal, and it will not be repeated.
While those exclusive bonuses are gone forever, you can still take advantage of the special launch pricing for the remaining duration of this Pioneer Launch.
The offer on the table for you today is for the heart of it all: The Complete CoralCore System, which carries an official list price of
$4,000
During this launch window, you won’t pay that full list price.
Your investment is just
$2,989
You’re probably looking at the numbers and thinking you can legally rob me of $3,511. And honestly? You’re not wrong.
But I have a damn good reason for doing this—just once.
My goal for this first cohort isn’t just to teach; it’s to forge the most powerful case studies and success stories possible. I want the most dedicated, ambitious designers in this first group—the pioneers. This massive discount is my way of making it a complete no-brainer for you to be one of them.
This offer will not be repeated.
You’re still getting an instant discount of over $1,000, and you might be asking why. It’s a fair question.
The reason is simple: my goal for this entire Pioneer Launch isn’t just to fill a course; it’s to start a revolution in how gameplay design is taught.
I want to pack these first few cohorts with the most dedicated, ambitious designers I can find to forge an avalanche of powerful success stories. This launch price is my way of making it a complete no-brainer for you to be on the ground floor of that movement.
But once this launch window closes and the timer hits zero, this price is gone for good.
Now, it’s your turn. It’s time for you to make a choice.
As I see it, you have three paths in front of you.
ATTENTION!
Investing in your Game Design Skills with WhaleBrain is 100% risk-free for you!
Look, I know this is a serious investment in your professional future, and you deserve to feel 100% secure in that decision. I am so supremely confident in the transformative power of the CoralCore system that I am willing to put all the risk on my shoulders.
Here’s my simple promise to you:
Join CoralCore.
Go through the entire 4-week program.
Watch every module, do every exercise, and participate in every live session.
Put in the work.
If, at the end of those four weeks, you are not completely convinced that you have the most powerful, game-changing system for Deep Gameplay Design in the world—if you don’t feel with every fiber of your being that you have finally broken through the plateau— you have a couple of days to schedule a call with me.
We’ll talk, and if you’re not satisfied, I will refund EVERY SINGLE PENNY of your investment.
No hoops to jump through, no hassle.
I can make a promise this strong because my own skin is in the game. This system isn’t something I invented last week; it’s the direct result of the five years of obsessive work I told you about.
Every video lesson has been crafted for maximum clarity.
Every exercise has been purpose-built to forge a new way of thinking.
And every live session is designed to be an intense, transformational experience. I’ve poured everything I have into making this the best learning experience of your life.
Look, I know this is a serious investment in your professional future, and you deserve to feel 100% secure in that decision. I am so supremely confident in the transformative power of the CoralCore system that I am willing to put all the risk on my shoulders.
Here’s my simple promise to you:
Join CoralCore.
Go through the entire 4-week program.
Watch every module, do every exercise, and participate in every live session.
Put in the work.
If, at the end of those four weeks, you are not completely convinced that you have the most powerful, game-changing system for Deep Gameplay Design in the world—if you don’t feel with every fiber of your being that you now have a real, professional system to escape trial-and-error for good— you have a couple of days to schedule a call with me.
We’ll talk, and if you’re not satisfied, I will refund EVERY SINGLE PENNY of your investment.
No hoops to jump through, no hassle.
I can make a promise this strong because my own skin is in the game. This system isn’t something I invented last week; it’s the direct result of the five years of obsessive work I told you about.
Every video lesson has been crafted for maximum clarity.
Every exercise has been purpose-built to forge a new way of thinking.
And every live session is designed to be an intense, transformational experience. I’ve poured everything I have into making this the best learning experience of your life.
The risk is entirely on me.
Stop thinking. The only thing you need to do now is…
…leave your details in the form below, so my team can contact you to explain more details about the course and the offer tailored to you
The world’s first super-intensive online course entirely focused on the craft of Deep Gameplay Design.
First-Ever Pioneer Cohort: March 2026
The world’s first super-intensive online course entirely focused on the craft of Deep Gameplay Design.
First-Ever Pioneer Cohort: March 2026
Next Available Cohort: July 2026
Claim your spot in the Pioneer’s Package to get the complete $5,500 system that will rewire your brain into a master system thinker—all for the one-time pioneer investment of just $2,989
(and as low as $1,989 with the Coop-Mode Deal)
The special launch price of $2,989 disappears forever when the timer on this page hits zero.
Fill out the form below to secure your spot before the price goes up.
Spots for this cohort are strictly limited.
We do this to guarantee the quality of the experience and manage the cohort effectively, ensuring the intense, focused transformation this system demands.
To be considered for one of these spots, fill out the application form below.
Deeper Mind, Deepest Design!
Your Kaptain.