Esports: Is It the STEM Trojan Horse ?

NASEF Esports: Is It The STEM Trojan Horse ?

©© Samueli Samueli Foundation Foundation / /North North America America Scholastic Scholastic Esports Esports Federation Federation Esports: Online competitive video games

Who plays esports?

Source: PEW 2011, 2015 © Samueli Foundation / North America Scholastic Esports Federation

Esports Prize Pools

Tournament Prize Pool Game Teams Players

The International 2017 $24,687,919 Dota 2 18 Teams 90 Players

LoL 2017 World Championship $4,946,969 League of Legends 24 Teams 128 Players

Smite World Championship 2015 $2,612,259 SMITE 8 Teams 40 Players

Halo World Championship 2016 $2,500,000 Halo 5: Guardians 16 Teams 64 Players

Call of Duty XP Championship 2016 $2,000,000 Call of Duty: Black Ops III 32 Teams 127 Players

- US News and World Report, June 12, 2018

A Community Working Together

Community Board © Samueli Foundation / North America Scholastic Esports Federation Value Propositions

Engage students where they are

Increase school affiliation, attendance, and retention

Demonstrate how learning and play connect to their interests and the real world

Equip students with the STEM, NGSS, SEL and related skills for all aspects of the games industry, and beyond

Improve visual acuity & attention Increase problem solving skills (Green & Bevelier). (Adachi & Willoughby).

Foster scientific reasoning (Clark; Associated with higher math Steinkuehler & Duncan; NRC). achievement (Bowers & Berland).

Accelerate language learning Strongly associated with technology (Young et. al.). fluency (Hayes).

Improve digital and print literacy (Gee; Leander; Steinkuehler).

Associated with higher GPA for HS students (Fox et. al.).

Fosters personal growth (Richard & Ares).

Increases satisfaction with school (Astin).

Associated with higher degree completion (Ryan).

Cultivates persistence - specifically, gains in “internal locus of attribution” (Pascarella et. al.).

PHASE 1: START A LEAGUE

General Managers + Coaches + Workshops/Clubs = Building Better Gamers

SUPPORTS PERSONAL CULTIVATES POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT OF TEAM SETTING PLAYERS AND TEAM

TRAINS AND DEVELOPS ORGANIZES COMPETITIVE TEAM OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMPETITIVE PLAY

PHASE 2: BUILD A CURRICULUM

© Samueli Foundation / North America Scholastic Esports Federation STEM is a process-oriented approach, grounded in content knowledge, skills, and dispositions, whose purpose is to empower all learners to lead in a democratic society. Esports Ecosystem

©© Samueli Samueli Foundation Foundation / /North North America America Scholastic Scholastic Esports Esports Federation Federation A-G University of California Approved Four Year Curriculum

English 9 + Games & Simulations

English 10 + Entrepreneurship

English 11 + Marketing

English 12 + Hospitality/Tourism

©© Samueli Samueli Foundation Foundation / /North North America America Scholastic Scholastic Esports Esports Federation Federation Class Year Sample Unit Learning Outcomes

My Esports Experience - The Rules of the Game Short story creation; articulation of self-reflection; editing & revision skills Freshman Gaming and the Character Character synopsis; interaction with the world; character dialogue in proper voice

Frankenstein: Entrepreneur or Monster? Literary analysis; topical research; synthesis of findings and teach-back to the class Sophomore ShowingEnglish the Future 9You + - Games1st Person & SimulationsNarrative piece about student future goals, Protagonist necessary skills to achieve them, obstacles, etc.

Touch Me, I’m Contagious! Expository essay analyzing/reflecting on what English 10 + Entrepreneurshipdrives a successful marketing plan Junior More Than Skin-Deep: Branding as a Statement Group read/teach-back of The Illustrated Man; of DefinitionEnglish and Commitment 11 + Marketing argument extrapolation; creating an esports brand

Welcome Aboard, Noob! Review equity / equality in the workplace; develop English 12 + Hospitality/Tourisma new hire manual for an event mgmt. company

Senior “Shall I Compare Thee to A Video Game?” The Forms of poetry; current usage in event Art of Poetry in the Battle for Market Share marketing; delivery of a poem-based commercial (video or live)

Unit 1: On Your Mark, Get Set, Play Unit 5: There Be Dragons Here! 1: Reflective Essay: Gamelife, A Memoir 1: Reorganization into Divisions 2: Argument: Tournament Game Selection 2: Choice Writing: Exploring Grit through the Hero’s Journey 3: Research: Esports Ecosystem 3: Contingency Planning 4: Developing a Resume & Cover Letter Unit 2: No “I” in Team English 9 + GamesUnit &6: SimulationsTransformers 1: Debate: No One is an Island, SWOT Analysis 1: Writing for an Audience: Gladwell’s Recipe for Success 2: Book Study: Dystopian Novels & Modern Society 2: Discussion: Defining & Working within a Budget 3: Developing a Team Mission & CultureEnglish 10 + Entrepreneurship3: Persuasive Speaking: The Elevator Pitch Unit 3: Lore Building Unit 7: “Do, or do not. There is no try.” 1: Mythological Influences on Esports 1: Stakeholder Communication: Finalizing Event Website 2: Narrative Writing: Creating a Backstory English 11 + Marketing2: Script Writing: Final Event Preparation 3: Marketing as a Means for Building Lore 3: Mock Tournament Run Through and Reflection Unit 4: What IS the Quest? 1: Analysis: Live Tournament BreakdownEnglish 12 + Hospitality/TourismUnit 8: The Dragon’s Lair 2: Developing a Business Plan 1: Event After-Action Review and Reflection 3: Formal Presentation: Tournament Proposal

PHASE 3: EVALUATE & ASSESS

• Increase in student attendance • Student: ‘I’m going to compete today after school and I heard my name on the announcements and I’m tied into the school now.’ That gets them to show up. I think their attendance is going to go up. I think, you know, their investment in the entire school curriculum is going to go up.”

• Increase in English speaking fluency

• Increase in student GPA • 2.0 minimum to participate

• Strong evidence of STEM Problem-Solving, Argument, Synthesizing Information • “Comparatively to, like, other games that I’ve played, I’ve never really analyzed a game more closely than I have with League. Mostly because of my coach” (League Student, School 2). • Organic, unprompted creation of STEM subject area learning activities • Students produced their own websites, made mini movies for their school’s TV station, homework assignments on learning various champions’ strengths and weaknesses and and analyzing the pros and cons of team composition.

• Strong evidence for self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, & responsible decision-making (CASEL)

• “I feel like me personally, like, I’ve become a lot more calm as a person. I’ve learned to, like, not get angry when you’re doing something, or [when] you or your team messes up” (League Student, School 3).

• “I think [our coach] helped us to, like, be more, like, introspective; to, like, look at ourselves and try to see what we were doing incorrectly. He also, like, helped us kind of control our own toxicity” (League Student, School 4).

PHASE 4: CLUBS & LEARNING

ESPORTS 101 DEVELOPING A USING DATA TO HOW TO SHOUTCASTING TEAM WEBSITE IMPROVE YOUR STREAM GAME

RESOLVING RESPONDING TO HOW TO SETTING UP TEAM CONFLICT SKEPTICISM ON MANAGE A YOUR I.T. ESPORTS CLUB

HEALTHY TOURNAMENT BUILDING A TROLL SHOUTCASTING ANALYZING YOUR GAMING ORGANIZATION PC MANAGEMENT GAME

ESTABLISH A POSITIVE DEVELOP ACTIVITIES AND AND INCLUSIVE GAMING TEAM-BUILDING ENVIRONMENT EXERCISES

MODEL APPROPRIATE ENGAGE WITH HIGH BEHAVIORS SCHOOL STUDENTS

For more information, contact us at [email protected].

Tom Turner, Orange County Department of Education Kevin Brown, Orange County Department of Education Dr. Constance Steinkuehler, UCI