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Riding the Tidal Wave of Esports in Schools How to launch a successful Esports program

If you haven’t started an Esports program at your school or college, it’s time to step up to the plate. Esports, or competitive online video gaming, is experiencing rapid growth in awareness, participation, and revenue. In 2016, seven colleges had Esports teams; today, more than 130 colleges have Esports programs. Nine states recognize video gaming as a varsity : Alabama, Connecticut, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia. And that number is expected to increase. Higher-ed leaders are discovering that Esports programs positively impact everything from student engagement to academic achievement to alumni contributions, and early adopters in K-12 have found that Esports programs build a strong sense of community and create new pathways for college and career success. Generation Z (kids born in the mid-1990s to the early 2000s) are the true generation. Engaging in online activities and games is as natural to them as tossing a baseball in the backyard. 73 percent of these Generation Z kids have consoles, according to Nielsen. They spend hours honing their skills as they play and —games with a rich social component that are leagues beyond the likes of Frogger and Pac-Man. Just as viewers of traditional are dedicated to their favorite players and teams, the fan base for Esports is large and highly engaged. When kids aren’t playing games themselves, they are spectators, gleaning new

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 1 skills and thrilling in the excitement as they watch elite global players such as Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Kuro Takhasomi, and Sumail Hassan compete in high-stakes tournaments. All of this has contributed to the huge popularity of Esports. And there is money in this game. According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, 130 colleges now offer Esports scholarships, to the tune of $16 million being given away annually. Not only can students who excel on a high school Esports team gain a competitive advantage when applying to college, but they are also poised to enter an exploding industry. Investors and entrepreneurs such as Mark Ein are betting big on Esports; in 2018, Ein sank between $35 and $60 million into The , an Esports franchise. The highest-earning professional Esports team, , has brought in more than $24 million in prize money. The industry provides careers beyond those just for , too. Marketers, broadcasters, and account managers who all help fuel the Esports sector will continue to be in high demand as today’s students graduate. Defining Esports Esports are similar to traditional sports, but with one major difference: the games are video games. Just as with the football or volleyball team, Esports programs require tryouts, daily practice sessions, team captains, and solid academic standing. Teamwork and strategy are essential to success. Students must learn all the same skills as they would on the athletic field: time management, how to balance academics and gaming, good sportsmanship, and how to cooperate to advance the team’s goals. And the games do require a of physical prowess, albeit not the same type as would be needed by a basketball or hockey player: Students’ eyes and hands are engaged constantly in a high-speed, precise dance of coordination that might rival the skills of the best airline pilot. During competitions, six- to eight-player teams face off in the same game. Fans can watch the gamers live or via streaming services. The leading streaming service is , a social video service and community in which tens of millions of viewers interact around live and on-demand gaming content. An Esports match can last about two hours, although this may vary depending on the game. The most popular games in 2019 Esports include Overwatch, 2, and FIFA. These games range from the more traditional—a virtual soccer match—to multiplayer online battle arenas with fantasy elements such as ’s “Ancient,” a fortified structure in territory that teams seek to destroy. At the high school level, you do need to ensure that any game you choose has an age-appropriate rating: E, E10+, and Teen (13+) are all fair game. Many high schools choose to avoid the so-called FPS (first-person shooter) games or anything with realistic violence. You don’t typically see those games played at the collegiate level, and a large part of Esports is about helping students develop collaboration and communication skills.

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 2 Just as in athletics, student teams often have many components. “I have online streamers, game analysts, a student who handles tech support, and students who handle marketing, graphics, and promotion,” says Kyle Berger, chief technology officer (CTO) of Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District in Grapevine, Texas. “The athletes are only one part of the program.” The Benefits of Esports

What are the Greatest Benefits of Your Esports Program?

Esports programs provide a myriad of benefits for schools, including improving student engagement and retention, developing new courses and career opportunities, preparing students for future careers, and helping students develop soft skills. In addition, colleges with robust Esports programs are finding it easier to entice students who are Esports enthusiasts. Randy Sieminski, director of athletics, recreation, and intramurals for SUNY Canton—home to the first varsity Esports squad in New York—says that his college’s Esports students have a greater affinity toward the college. “Similar to student-athletes or students in any group or club, our Esports students have higher GPAs and retention rates.” Colleges can strengthen the connection and improve relationships with online students by including them in Esports programs, which also boosts retention. On the academic side, Esports can lead to new programs and majors, along with helping students improve their soft skills. SUNY Canton now offers degrees in game design and development, technological communication, cybersecurity, and graphics and multimedia. For colleges that broadcast and record Esports matches, students can do commentating and prepare for a future in broadcasting. Being on an Esports teams improves communication, teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, and conflict-resolution skills. “We have employers who are seeking students who can strategize and are resilient,” says Molly Mott, dean of academic support services and instructional technologies at SUNY Canton. “Esports helps a lot with these skills.”

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 3 Esports has an added benefit of drawing out kids who might be inclined toward social isolation. Instead of gaming away in solitary confinement in their basements, these students can be welcomed into a community and become part of a team. Students who may not have felt comfortable joining the glee club or team now have a place to go, which boosts their confidence and builds friendships. “Students game in isolation in residence halls. Esports brings them out of isolation and into a community with a coach and peers,” says SUNY Canton’s Mott. Perhaps most important, Esports are inclusive. Unlike with traditional sports, Esports students are not defined by their physical attributes or appearance. Males and females can effectively compete on the same virtual playing fields, and students with disabilities that might prevent them from engaging in traditional sports can be superstars at their game. How to Kick Off an Esports Program Launching an Esports program requires a few key elements: • A teacher/faculty member or administrator who is willing to be a champion and/or coach for the program • Recruitment of students • A space for the gamers to practice and play • Potential infrastructure enhancements, including network upgrades, gaming PCs, and additional bandwidth • Choosing a game The easiest part of starting an Esports program is recruiting students. Colleges say that as soon as they announce a program, students come running. The biggest challenges tend to be meeting the demand and finding enough staffers to serve as coaches. The same is true of high schools. Two years ago, when an assistant principal at a high school in Arlington, Virginia set up an organizational meeting for an Esports club, he figured he’d see a dozen kids or so. Imagine his surprise when more than 60 students turned up.1 [1: “Coming to a high school near you: The brave new world of Esports,” Washington Post, July 2019] Equally important is providing a place to practice and compete. Many schools are creating dedicated gaming areas outfitted with advanced gaming tools and the latest technology, but the investment doesn’t have to be huge. You’ll want the gamers to be comfortable, especially when they are sitting in front of a computer for hours on end. Optimize their experience with proper lighting (indirect reduces eye strain) and ergonomic chairs. Schools can often use their existing hardware for an Esports program, although laptops or notebooks may need extra memory. Licenses for a game such as will cost about $20 per student. According to Grapevine Colleyville’s Berger, your school’s existing computer lab might be enough—at least at first. “Our game play is after school, when the Internet connection is pretty much empty. We use our and AutoCAD labs.”

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 4 Berger’s students sign a separate code of conduct or player agreement, too, since they represent the district and are given more access to resources than the rest of the student body. Experts suggest starting out with just one game, allowing your team to focus and build mastery. It’s best to go with a game that everyone has played, since you’ll need to know that game’s rules, mechanics, characters, and idiosyncrasies. At this point, in-depth knowledge of the game is even more important than skill. That will come. How Your Network Can Give You a Competitive Edge Once you’ve determined interest, the next step is making sure your technology can support the initiative. To that end, it’s essential to invest in a resilient, secure, and low-latency network that ensures high-performance connectivity.

What Does That Mean? Latency is the time between a request and the response, and in a gaming situation, it has to be the shortest and most consistent time possible. For most gamers, low latency matters more than anything. It will cause problems if it isn’t ideal and consistent, and gamers will be hyper-aware of even 5 to 10 milliseconds of difference. “Latency is the #1 thing to be concerned about when designing your network,” says Rob Kwiatkowski, senior systems engineer for Extreme Networks. “The goal is to alleviate game , which will seriously hamper the players’ competitive edge.” Outside of the actual player’s speed and capabilities, latency and network resiliency will make or break the game experience, says Kwiatkowski. “If the network is not stable, nothing else matters.” Other important factors are visibility and security. Look for a system that has proactive monitoring and alerting about potential quality-of-experience issues from the wired and wireless edge to the data center and multi-cloud, so you can quickly understand whether the application or the network is at the root of the performance issue. Make sure to invest in tools that ensure a high-quality user experience, such as Extreme Management Center and ExtremeAnalytics. Be cautious when evaluating your security firewall settings; they may need tweaking. Gamers are using tools to test and troubleshoot network performance that you may not want to allow on the network due to security concerns. These tools consist of free that allows you to trace the route between your location and a specific IP address, locating and pinning all the hops in between. Also known as an IP scanner, the software scans your IP address and delivers complete information about your networks. Unfortunately, these tools are also used by hackers to dig around and launch larger attacks on your network. You’ll also need to take a close look at the path to the cloud or ISP to be sure there are no latency issues or network concerns. It’s smart to consider content delivery networks that provide high-capacity connections. To enhance performance and improve the Esports experience, you’ll want a distributed model.

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 5 Look for a technology partner that gives you resilient connectivity and failovers as well as top-notch service and support. Focus on what the ecosystem looks like to the gamers. Then give them what they need to win. The Hidden Benefits of Esports Esports starts with video games, but that’s just the beginning. It is inspiring students to explore new careers in game design and development, professional gaming, and Esports management. A blog post by Indeed reported that Esports job postings have increased by 57 percent since 2015. By deploying a strong infrastructure and weaving in student and academics, your Esports program will gain momentum. “Esports lends itself to curricular enhancements,” says SUNY Canton’s Mott. “We know that higher-ed enrollment is challenging. If we can get interest in our campus by having Esports, it will help us meet enrollment challenges.” Gaming has a positive impact on students and turns the momentum toward the school’s favor. Both Mott and Sieminski say that Esports has helped to transform students into more confident people with stronger interaction skills, social skills, and academic skills. When thinking about video games, the social-emotional benefits may not be the first thing that springs to mind. However, they are a key feature of Esports that lend to its validity. In 2017, SUNY Canton launched a new major: Game Design and Development. The new major, which focuses on video game design, storytelling, and production, had 250 applicants, which has spurred the college into developing other gaming-related majors including broadcast and commentary and Esports management degree. Grapevine Colleyville’s Berger says they aligned their Esports program with video game design courses in the CTE department, which also helped them tap into additional funding channels. “Look at your program holistically,” Berger says. “If you’re just playing games, what’s the real value?” Last year, he received a call from a college recruiter, asking about one of his Esports athletes. It was the first time in his 20+ years as a CTO that he received such a call. The Ball Is in Your Court It’s a given: Today’s digital students are going to game. Rather than having them sit by themselves, unengaged, why not turn that experience into something positive? Esports is only going to get bigger. Some experts predict that Esports will eventually outstrip the NFL in terms of revenue and popularity. From high school to colleges, young Esports competitors are recognizing the benefits of Esports—on and off the chair. Isn’t it time your school got in the game?

WWW.EXTREMENETWORKS.COM 6 Further Resources Esports on the Rise • High School Esports League (HSEL): With a mission is to “make Esports available to every student as a legitimate varsity level sport in high schools across the nation,” HSEL has 1,700 schools and 45,000 students in its community 21% higher-ed institutions 18% K-12 have an 59% of schools with and offers everything from grants have an Esports program Esports program an Esports program have to an Esports starter packet. a designated Esports • The North America Scholastic facility or are planning Esports Federation (NASEF): on building one NASEF offers an SEL/STEM From the Extreme Networks’ Esports Survey, Spring 2019 curriculum, mentorship for Why Esports? school coaches, and toolkits to 88%: it diversifies extracurricular activities create Esports clubs, streaming workshops, and more—all at no cost for those who join. • PlayVS: This platform helps schools form teams, schedule 56%: it improves overall campus experience games, and track game 47%: it fosters interest in STEM stats. PlayVS has an exclusive 41%: it helps with student recruitment partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the entity that manages traditional school sports, which is expanding to include Esports. From the Extreme Networks’ Esports Survey, Spring 2019 • For more information visit our Colleges award more than $15 million in Esports scholarships, esports resource center. according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports.

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