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When we launched our varsity esports program at Guilford High School in Rockford, Illinois, in 2015, we believed we had thought through everything. At that time, there was no blueprint for creating a school-based esports team from scratch. Working with our administrative stakeholders, we built out a plan we assumed would provide the greatest experience for our students. We purchased the best equipment we could afford. We had a coach who thoroughly understood our first game, League of Legends. We had a brand-new space seemingly— almost serendipitously— designed by the gaming gods for esports: t ..read more

While attending the Texas Computer Educators Association Conference, I posted this. The Hogwarts of Esports really is not that far fetched an idea, and the premise is quite simple. In the Harry Potter series, Harry attends the Hogwarts School of Magic. It is the school children learn to be wizards. For those not familiar with the school in the story, the children take all sorts of courses related to the world of wizardry and all its various roles and forms. These courses go beyond learning to cast spells. There are courses in botany, biology, animal husbandry, defense against the dark a ..read more

High schools, middle schools and even elementary schools are jumping into esports. Largely this is due to the revolutionary action taken by Robert Morris University in Chicago to begin offering esports scholarships. Being close to Chicago, in late 2014 we in Rockford Public Schools 205 took notice and allocated funds and equipment specifically towards a varsity level esports experience in the hopes this trend would continue. It has! In 2018, there were approximately $15 million in esports scholarships available. By 2023, those available scholarship funds are expected to skyrocket to $100 mi ..read more

The Global Collaborator standard is the seventh of the 2016 ISTE Standards for Students. The Global Collaborator standard states: Students use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally. One of the beautiful aspects of esports is it is not tied to a single location where play needs to occur. In my professional role with my school district, I oversee the virtual learning program. We have students working remotely all over the state. Many are working from home (for a variety of rea ..read more

I was prompted to write this post from two recent interactions: Gary Stager’s recent Medium post titled, “When Books Kill a Love of Reading.” Reading about an impending launch of an “esports curriculum” at the upcoming ISTE Conference in Philadelphia. What Gary so carefully points out is how a love for reading can be so easily hijacked with something as simple as the best of intentions. In this case, the book he bought for his grandchild includes a comprehension quiz. I am sure that if you asked the publisher why they felt compelled to ruin a book with assessment schlock, I bet they w ..read more

Funding is a struggle for many who are looking to start an esports program in their schools. Funding issues will compound when someone with the best of intentions focuses so much on the game play in esports they then lose perspective on how esports can have a much broader impact in their schools beyond the games. And while grants may be a source of immediate funds, they are not always sustainable. Using local school funds may also provide inconsistency as budgets fluctuate and needs change. However, when one looks at esports through the lens of a Scholar Gamer, there is the start of a much ..read more

I read Tyler Erzberger’s piece “Mental health issues remain pervasive problem in esports scene,” and I applaud him for bringing attention to this issue. He has also been candid about his own issues dealing with social anxiety and depression. Bringing esports to the forefront of the emerging mental health crisis in professional sports is welcome (And I recommend after reading his story, you read “Let’s talk about mental health in esports: 10 individuals share their story.”) As an educator who wants to show people the benefits of esports in education, it is important that we consider not all esp ..read more

We are coming up on the start of the 2018–2019 school year, and my Google news alert for “esports” has been flooded with stories about “cutting edge” schools, both high schools and universities, who have launched esports teams. And while I do applaud their efforts to bring a positive esports experience to their students, it is no longer “cutting edge” to have an esports team at your school. What is cutting edge is what you propose to do with this opportunity throughesports. Many new schools trumpet their excursion into esports announcements like “the world’s largest amount of student esports s ..read more

Scholar schol·ar | \ ˈskä-lər \ noun a specialist in a particular branch of study Gamer gam·er | \ ˈɡā-mər \ noun a person who plays video games or participates in role-playing games. It is important to define the term “Scholar Gamer” because it is necessary to separate students who participate in esports as members of their schools from the professional esports athlete. Esports in schools, if implemented to the fullest potential, is a vehicle to something more than the games. Esports open college and career pathways unlike traditional sports. The term “Scholar Gamer” encompasses the hope ..read more