ACEd Tech

The actual practice of a fully funded esports program will include a curriculum for different classes, not just CTE courses. This episode will cover getting started for those with many limitations.

Funding will be an essential aspect as your esports program grows. This is how we started the program in a limited environment. First, without administrative support, there is no esports program district-wide. However, any program that benefits students will ultimately benefit the school district. Thanks to one school principal who submitted a proposal for an esports budget, we have accomplished one year of competitions. District funding will be necessary for the following. Teachers are already passionate about gaming; there has to be a stipend for them. Currently, we have a yearly stipend of $1,000 at our district for Esports Coaches who do not get paid through other after-school programs. Next is the staff that will manage the program. In our case, I am the district’s Esports Coordinator. We are lucky enough to receive a stipend for a Shoutcaster or commentator for live streaming. Security will be necessary, as well as custodial staff. This is very important. Although this is a low-impact program, consider a nurse. Finally, equipment that will be used is needed for the tournaments to be successful.

At the school level, consider having fundraising available for the esports club. They will need to eat at the tournaments, after all. More than that, they need equipment, club shirts, etc. In the U.S., two websites to promote at your school districts are mrg.fyi/PledgeCents and mrg.fyi/DonorsChoose. This will help individual teachers or esports coaches to have more funding sources.

Next is the hardware and software. The school district should purchase enough equipment to hold a tournament in the school district. To support diversity and inclusion, a great starting game that will support elementary to high school is the main Esports game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Therefore, the hardware proposed in this case will be the Nintendo Switch. Approximately 5 Nintendos with five games and ten pro controllers should allow for a good tournament. Game setup and rules need to be considered and set up. In many cases, network security prevents video game access for online play. This setup allows for in-person matches, which do not require online gaming.

Another is the bracket management system. There are many, but the two I will recommend because they are free are Start.GG and Challonge. Challonge is spelled like challenge, but with an o instead of the first e.

Finally, purchasing access to streaming services on twitch and youtube will not be necessary, but a service like streamyard can help.

One final thought. Most tests are computer-based. Typing skills are necessary. The game I will recommend for Esports Tournaments is NitroType. It is a racing game that requires typing. It is web-based, but most school district networks allow this online gaming.

One common misconception is that video games are for boys. My daughters participated in a previous district tournament at 6 and 8 in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Squad Strike 3v3. My eight-year-old daughter took third place in the Elementary Tier. My students took first place in the Secondary Tier, led by a female team captain who is also the club president.

In that competition, we had students who were labeled 504 and SpEd. One of those students was playing with his feet. I will not explain why but look up a popular gamer known as brolly legs. Esports is the same as any other school sport, with the added benefit of being more inclusive, not just for those who play but also for those who do not.

Targeting the whole population rather than some is a crucial benefit for schools for student retention. Since it is a no-pass-no-play rule, the students retained are some of the best.

Recruitment needs to be done with purpose. Allow teachers to have game day and see which students, especially the quiet ones, do well in the game associated with the district. In order to have a variety of students, some may need to be recruited more than others. For example, if the population is 50-50 male females, and your esports team is more males than females, there must be a recruitment change. The goal of Esports recruitment in Education should be diversity and inclusivity.

Before examining some studies, we need to dispel some misconceptions about esports. Moral Panic is a fear of a new cultural change that exceeds the threat posed to people—the 19th century vilified reading, specifically novels, that were once thought to corrupt the reader. Similarly, other media went through moral panic during its respective timeline, from comic books to movies and, not so recently, video games. Video Games tend to get vilified for inciting violence, corrupting the players, and causing lethargy and addiction. The reality is that video games are an easy target, just like the previous media were, because it is much more challenging to solve the root cause of the problems associated with novels, movies, or video games: trauma and mental health.

Speaking with a middle school principal, he wanted a program that would include all students. This strategy would improve student achievement and retention, which has been crucial since the pandemic. His idea of Esports became a bi-monthly tournament in our school district, with more students joining each time.

Unlike traditional sports, Esports is more than games. According to the National Institute of Health, "Video gaming may be associated with better cognitive performance in children." In a study by James Rosser Jr et al. on surgeons who played video games, they found that "Past video game play in excess of 3 h/wk correlated with 37% fewer errors." An example is NASCAR's Ross Chastain was told on October 30th, 2022, that he needed to pass two more to advance or he would lose the race. Using his GameCube skills in the video game NASCAR 2005, he hit the wall hard instead of hugging the curve and continued to speed up, passing five and moving on to championship 4.

However, for students, "video games have many benefits, including developing complex problem-solving skills and promoting social interaction through online gaming," according to WebMD. Esports is more than sports. Esports supports many career paths, from writing for social media, management, speaking in a live stream, and much more. For example, one of my students wanted to avoid competing. She was a referee. 

For students, this will improve attendance and grades, but more importantly, mental health and multiple skill types, which are highly transferable to careers.