Competitive gaming is making it to the mainstream! Competitions are selling out venues like Madison Square Garden and online streaming of Esports is as popular as viewing of professional athletic events. Colleges are starting to provide scholarships for competitive gaming. It is time to build the pipeline to prepare students for these opportunities while honoring their interests and valuing their skills. This chat is aimed at building a community around the growth of Esports in grades 6 though 12 which will naturally feed into the college programs. Join us for the weekly #EsportsEDU chat at 7:30 pm ET. It is a 30 minute chat that will have one question / topic each week to guide the discussion. Use the hashtag #Esportsedu or join us via participate.com at participate.com/chats/EsportsEDU
Mark Grundel, South Jersey, currently playing Assassin's Creed II on my PS3, Enzio Trilogy. Up Next is going to be Shadow of the Colossus, also on PS3. #EsportsEDU
Hey Carrie, I have been wanting to play Oblivion but have not gotten around to it. Finally getting some time to myself again after 5 years of raising kids. Want system are you playing Skyrim on? #EsportsEDU
Hey #EsportsEDU! I'm James, building @playvscom from the sunny Santa Monica beach. We've partnered with the @NFHS_Org to sanction esports as a sport in high schools nation-wide and are excited for our Inaugural Season this Fall 2018. Played a ton of semipro @Dota2/@Starcraft :)
In reply to
@MrMillerReads, @playvscom, @NFHS_Org, @DOTA2, @StarCraft
So my thought is that it should still tie into education in some way. Just because it is popular does not mean it should qualify, should still be school and age appropriate. And at younger levels have educational value. #EsportsEDU
A1: I read an article this week about Wisconsin gaining leverage by starting with afterschool programs. If a school has a basic computer lab, it can easily start here--just need a sponsor. Sounds like an easy place to get a foothold #EsportsEdu
And there is so much more than just the sports and players themselves. What about Announcers and even a Tech Team to ensure EQ is working correctly and network is running properly. How do we support those members of the #EsportsEDU Community?
A1: Getting started with esports shouldn't be a crazy process. Simply identifying that esports can be a positive experience for students, helping them organize into teams, and having fun/competing! #EsportsEDU
A1 A question, since I am in the phases of trying to start an #esportsEDU team at my school: What is the best selling point to administration? Heard great ideas from @jimohagan at #WEMTA18 this year.
I think it’s a great addition to MS and HS sport offerings and if the game has curricular crossover it could be good for general class use. #EsportsEDU
So I think here we are all in agreement about the benefits of #EsportsEDU, but how do we convey that to the broader community? What I like about #Esports is that you do not need to travel to compete with other schools, and can compete across states, etc.
Excellent point. I have a hard time lobbying for #esportsedu just because video games are popular. I'm all for supporting 20th century skills, though, and #esports can tie in well with that #esportsEDU
That's quite literally the joke I've been making the last few weeks. @LeagueOfLegends can be run on a toaster-- although it'd have to be one with a nice little display at least. ;) #EsportsEDU
In reply to
@MrMillerReads, @mpilakow, @LeagueOfLegends
I am going with the "start as a club" approach so I have an easier sell to administration once I can show there is legitimate interest. I'm sure one could go straight to #esportsedu but I think I'm going to start small and be good at that first.
Honestly I feel like we're making strides on this over at @playvscom. I hate to self-promote, but we're working directly with the State Associations to get that information out to admins, educators, and parents. #EsportsEDU
Isn't science all about testing hypotheses? I feel like all games are hypothesis testing at their heart.
Kind of a stretch, I know, but strategizing and planning in matches is a series of informed hypotheses. #EsportsEdu
Starting as a club is a great first step, especially if admin might question whether to support it. I don't see it being financially backed (or very limited) in my school until it's sanctioned by the state.
#EsportsEDU
In reply to
@Mr_JSpike, @MrMillerReads, @InternallyValid
Okay, we put out the call, assemble the students, look for resources... and push the games that we will be competing in... but what games are those? #EsportsEdu
They're down in the bottom of the post. Esports easily aligns with... #EsportsEDU
The Empowered Learner
Digital Citizen
Knowledge Constructor
Innovative Designer
Computational Thinker
Creative Communicator
Another thing that is brilliant about #esportsedu is that it can be accessible to many more students. Has anyone been following Xbox's new Adaptive Controller? I read an article today that was brilliant, can't find it now, but here is another one: https://t.co/joaFnlWsuq
I think the game needs to align to the age level. I don't think games like COunterStrike or FOrtNite are school appropriate. I say we tweak tradional EDU games for Esports. Maybe Minecraft for Elementary, Civilization for MS, just a few examples. #EsportsEdu
Hey all. Bouncing around on a few projects but wanted to jump in: I built a site that will catalog what schools are playing what esports and let you, scrim, compete, & create tournaments with them. Super early alpha but let me know if you want to see it or help #EsportsEDU
I run a full year-long #gamification High School English classroom. Borrow mechanics from popular board & video games (leaderboards, power-ups, team challenges, etc.) to make pedagogy more #studentcentered & maximize engagement. Plays like a giant game of Mario Kart! #EsportsEdu
There's definitely room for things like Fortnite (becoming crazy popular), the Fighting Games Community, and those interested in sports titles. Every game attracts a different audience of student! #EsportsEDU
Agreed. I would lean toward League of Legends or Hearthstone and away from the more realistic shooter games. Parent/Admin buy-in will be important, and more "fantasy" games would likely be easier for some of them to support #EsportsEdu
Yes, that is a brilliant example! And there are other Space Genre games that are great for kids. @SirJoe2 recently told me about a great one, I bookmarked it on my other computer, I will get it to you later. #EsportsEdu
Great, thanks! And do the standardized tests in the US measure those? In Israel they don't. And all principles care about is their rank on those tests. It's sad... #EsportsEDU
