diff --git a/app/views/HomeView.coffee b/app/views/HomeView.coffee
index 2fd1f1af5..377202c93 100644
--- a/app/views/HomeView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/HomeView.coffee
@@ -13,7 +13,15 @@ module.exports = class HomeView extends RootView
     window.tracker?.trackEvent 'Homepage Loaded', category: 'Homepage'
     if @getQueryVariable 'hour_of_code'
       application.router.navigate "/hoc", trigger: true
-    if @justPlaysCourses()
+
+    isHourOfCodeWeek = true  # Temporary: default to /hoc flow during the main event week
+    if isHourOfCodeWeek and (@isNewPlayer() or (@justPlaysCourses() and me.isAnonymous()))
+      # Go/return straight to playing single-player HoC course on Play click
+      @playURL = '/hoc?go=true'
+      @alternatePlayURL = '/play'
+      @alternatePlayText = 'home.play_campaign_version'
+    else if @justPlaysCourses()
+      # Save players who might be in a classroom from getting into the campaign
       @playURL = '/courses'
       @alternatePlayURL = '/play'
       @alternatePlayText = 'home.play_campaign_version'
@@ -44,3 +52,6 @@ module.exports = class HomeView extends RootView
   justPlaysCourses: ->
     # This heuristic could be better, but currently we don't add to me.get('courseInstances') for single-player anonymous intro courses, so they have to beat a level without choosing a hero.
     return me.get('stats')?.gamesCompleted and not me.get('heroConfig')
+
+  isNewPlayer: ->
+    not me.get('stats')?.gamesCompleted and not me.get('heroConfig')
diff --git a/app/views/courses/HourOfCodeView.coffee b/app/views/courses/HourOfCodeView.coffee
index e40daf131..cbff1a060 100644
--- a/app/views/courses/HourOfCodeView.coffee
+++ b/app/views/courses/HourOfCodeView.coffee
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ module.exports = class HourOfCodeView extends RootView
           project: 'name,slug'
         }
       })
-    
+
   setUpHourOfCode: ->
     # If we haven't tracked this player as an hourOfCode player yet, and it's a new account, we do that now.
     elapsed = new Date() - new Date(me.get('dateCreated'))
@@ -62,6 +62,10 @@ module.exports = class HourOfCodeView extends RootView
       $('body').append($('<img src="https://code.org/api/hour/begin_codecombat.png" style="visibility: hidden;">'))
       application.tracker?.trackEvent 'Hour of Code Begin'
 
+  afterRender: ->
+    super()
+    @onClickStartNewGameButton() if @getQueryVariable('go') and not @lastLevel
+
   onClickStartNewGameButton: ->
     # user without hour of code course instance, creates one, starts playing
     modal = new ChooseLanguageModal({
@@ -69,7 +73,7 @@ module.exports = class HourOfCodeView extends RootView
     })
     @openModalView(modal)
     @listenToOnce modal, 'set-language', @startHourOfCodePlay
-    
+
   continuePlayingLink: ->
     ci = @hourOfCodeCourseInstance
     "/play/level/#{@lastLevel.get('slug')}?course=#{ci.get('courseID')}&course-instance=#{ci.id}"
@@ -93,5 +97,4 @@ module.exports = class HourOfCodeView extends RootView
     @openModalView(modal)
 
   onClickLogOutLink: ->
-    auth.logoutUser() 
-   
+    auth.logoutUser()