At a time when some traditional sports aren91Ƶt being played due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is coming to B.C. secondary schools.
says it will begin the rollout of e-sports, or electronic sports, in high schools this fall, in partnership with Vancouver-based company .
Trial play launches with the team-based strategy game at BCSS member schools.
An initial 91Ƶexploratory trial competition91Ƶ among schools will take place on the GameSeta online platform. The games will be streamed live on Twitch for an online audience , according to a news release sent Monday (Oct. 23) by GameSeta.
91ƵWith this partnership and our unique technology, Canada will have its first scalable high school esports solution that priorities Canadian student data and privacy protections,91Ƶ stated Rana Taj, GameSeta president and co-founder.
(Story continues below League of Legends video)
E-sports is a 91Ƶgreat option91Ƶ for schools as they look to provide participation opportunites for high school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Tawanda Masawi, GameSeta91Ƶs CEO and co-founder.
91ƵOur value proposition continues to strengthen during COVID-19, which explains our oversubscribed waitlist from schools across provinces in Canada,91Ƶ he said in the news release.
, said the organization is 91Ƶthrilled91Ƶ to partner with a B.C.-based company in GameSeta, founded in 2019.
91ƵEsports is a new frontier for BCSS but credit to our Board of Directors who felt it was important to explore every option on how to engage students with their school,91Ƶ Abney said in the GameSeta news release. 91ƵThere is a mountain of evidence to suggest good things happen to youth when there is a sense of belonging, responsibility and community in their school. If we can bring that to students who wouldn91Ƶt normally participate in school sport, then that is a great thing for our member schools.91Ƶ
League of Legends, among the world91Ƶs most popular video games, was 91Ƶthe preferred choice91Ƶ among BCSS membership, Abney said.
91ƵWe appreciate it91Ƶs a 5v5 team-based strategy game (that) will offer many of the same teaching and growth opportunities that any traditional team sport would.91Ƶ
Yearly, BC School Sports offers interscholastic competition in 19 different activities to more than 70,000 students in Grades 8 to 12.
Nearly 200 colleges in the U.S. and Canada are actively recruiting and offer scholarships for e-sports, the news release says. Also, 91Ƶcompanies within the esports industry are looking to hire those with experience across multiple aspects of gaming.91Ƶ
In a biography, GameSeta said it partners with school bodies and associations 91Ƶto deliver safe and inclusive esports competitions while also developing problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills in students.91Ƶ
For the e-sports trial, interested schools are asked to fill out and email it to bwhyte@bcschoolsports.ca by no later than noon on Nov. 4. The cost to participate in the trial invitational will be $29.99 per student.