Introduction
Esports in schools is at the confluence of some of the most important drivers in education. Student engagement, recruiting, and retention; blending online and offline campus experiences, and preparing students for future careers can all be advanced through a well-implemented esports program. Because of these important benefits, esports now have a rapidly-growing presence in education and should be integrated into the planning of every school, whether higher education or primary/secondary. Our Extreme-eCampus News Worldwide Esports Survey found that 21% of schools already have an esports program and only 29% of schools are not considering adding one. The competitive games include League of Legends, Overwatch, Fortnight, Super Smash Brothers, and FIFA 19.
Required Capabilities
According to the Extreme-eCampus News Esports Survey 38% of schools have an esports competition facility and 24% are planning to implement one. These facilities often include a several thousand square foot room with high ceiling and space for up to 24 high performance gaming stations as well as a shout caster streaming station.
The room may have indirect, programmable LED lighting. Large 55” 4K monitors are often mounted on the walls. Space for lockers for the team members may be in the room or separate room. There is often also space for team meetings and game reviews. All of this requires adequate electrical power, HVAC, and most importantly a low-latency, higher performance, secure cloud-driven network. The general computing and networking required capabilities for esports include:
