A new initiative taking place in UK schools will teach pupils how to set up their own esports tournaments with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe being used as one of the templates for doing so.
Odds are almost everyone reading this right now would have been told that playing video games was a waste of their time at some point in their lives. Probably by a parent or family member as a child. If only they knew that a few years into the future, playing games professionally would become an industry worth millions, if not billions of dollars.
The esports scene has become so big that elements of it will now be taught in UK primary schools. Nintendo UK and Outright Games have teamed up with Digital Schoolhouse to create and provide teachers, schools, and pupils with a careers experience. The aim of the experience will be to teach children how to start up and run their very own esports events.
After introducing students to esports, other key lessons include organizing fixture lists, setting up the hardware, marketing tournaments, and perhaps most important of all, playing the games themselves. The lesson plan included in the pack has resources for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Crayola Scoot, and Race With Ryan. However, teachers are welcome to switch those games out for others prividing they have an appropriate age rating.
A pilot scheme made up of 700 pupils took place last year with 100% of teachers reporting back that their students were either extremely or very engaged in the materials. 91% of teachers also said they would be willing to take their pupils to physical esports events to further help them learn and perhaps start them on a path to become professional gamers or esports event organizers themselves.
If you're a teacher or an educator and you would be interested in using the lesson pack for yourself, details can be found through Digital Schoolhouse's Eventbrite page. Gone are the days of video games merely being a pastime for kids. Playing them can genuinely lead to a successful career, so it only makes sense that the tools to help build that career can be found at school as well as at home.