The Digital Schoolhouse eSports Tournament Grand Final, powered by PlayStation
Taking place on Tuesday 4th April, the Gfinity Arena will welcome twelve of the United Kingdom’s most talented schoolchildren, as they travel to London for the Digital Schoolhouse eSports Tournament Grand Final, powered by PlayStation.
As part of the London Games Festival (30th March – 9th April), a new programme that has been designed to support, grow and promote the video games and interactive sector, 400 schoolchildren participated in the tournament, engaging with computing and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) subjects through Rocket League.
Using the medium of video games, participating students have been introduced to a new world of career opportunities – specifically those emerging within the UK’s vibrant eSports sector. Competing for a place at the eSports Tournament Grand Final, schools from Dewsbury, Swindon, Walsall and Eastbourne have all taken part in the regional heats by playing Rocket League with their peers on the PlayStation 4.
The winning teams from each school will head to the Digital Schoolhouse’ eSports Tournament Grand Final for an immersive experience in the world of eSports and video games, where the victor will be crowned and all students will come away with a greater understanding of the exciting opportunities that this rapidly-evolving sector presents.
This tournament has been designed not only to engage children with computing and STEAM subjects in a fun and interactive way, but also to tackle misconceptions surrounding these industries. By encouraging more girls to take up computing and STEAM subjects, and by raising children’s awareness of the growing variety of careers that are available in the creative digital sector, the Grand Final is sure to inspire all participants to see video games as more than ‘just a bit of fun’. With 99% of 8-15-year-olds regularly playing computer games, it’s important to capture their enthusiasm for them and demonstrate how this can be used to develop valuable 21st Century skills and, potentially, fuel careers in the creative digital sector.
Shahneila Saeed, programme director for Digital Schoolhouse, said: “The eSports Tournament Grand Final will expose students to the increasing breadth of new careers available within the video games industry by immersing them in the exciting world of eSports. It is a careers event with a difference! By raising awareness of these sectors and their associated careers, we hope to inspire the next generation to consider creative digital and STEAM careers and to help them develop their digital literacy. We want to confront misconceptions about computing and technology, such as that it’s ‘too techy’ to understand or that it’s not appealing to girls, by giving students a range of unique experiences, both inside and outside the classroom. By bringing innovation from industry into the classroom, we can help students to understand the digital world around them in ways they’ve not experienced before.”
If you’re interested in attending Digital Schoolhouse’ eSports Tournament Grand Final, contact Shahneila Saeed on shahneila@ukie.org.uk. You can also keep up-to-date with the tournament and Grand Final on Twitter @ #DSHesports.
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