ICT GISP ‘Why Esports in Schools? Webinar’ – Stories From the Hearts of Dedicated Educators

Esports is an exciting new area for many schools, though the first reaction of many people is to wonder how gaming and screentime fit with student wellbeing, the curriculum and career pathways. To help explore such questions, the Information and Communication Technology Gateway to Industry Schools project recently invited three educators to share their stories on why and how they have built Esports programs for their students.

Estimated worldwide revenue for Esports is expected to grow by ten times between 2022 and the 2032 Olympic Games*, and with a wide variety of tech-related career paths emerging in this field, many schools are establishing clubs, classes and competitions. Each school program has a local focus that best suits their students, but there are also common factors that other Educators can benefit from learning about.

To share these success factors, three passionate #Esports advocates from the #ICTGISP community joined to share stories of how they are succeeding with setting up Esports programs in their schools. MJ Raatz of Forest Lake State High School, Will Duffield from Nudgee College and Stephen Reid of Meridan State College all spoke about how their programs are not about gaming or screentime - but about creating places for belonging and for students to develop confidence and key skills in collaboration and team work.

Stephen shared that “We got into eSports because it's a growing industry that helps students build a range of cross-disciplinary skills. We also see it as a great way to foster an inclusive culture and create engaging, future-focused learning experiences”.

For Will, “Esports at Nudgee is about creating a space where students feel seen, valued, and connected. I was keen to share in the webinar because I believe Esports, when designed with intention, has incredible potential to support student wellbeing, engagement, and inclusion”.

These kinds of programs, which can lead to ICT careers, are being developed by passionate teachers all over Queensland - and at the ICT Gateway to Industry Schools Program and ACS (Australian Computer Society), we are proud to be able to support and highlight them. Keep up the great work MJ, Will and Stephen, and look out for more webinars in this space!