With the rise in popularity of esports in school throughout the world, it was only a matter of time until its power was harnessed in a learning-centered way. Enter High School Esports League, a video-game centric curriculum that has been created in partnership with Microsoft. To date, HSEL is touting a rise in participants’ GPAs by an average of 1.4 points. In addition, developers say that classroom attendance is 95% for students taking part in HSEL.
The Gaming Concepts courses were developed to provide students with “college-and-career-ready skills and social-emotional learning through the lens of video games and esports”. Educators worked with game developers and Microsoft personnel to create the curriculum that “covers a variety of relevant topics and skills including self-advocacy, personal and social behaviors, interpersonal communication, fluency in technology, and strategy development”. It goes without saying that all of these are crucial to success in adult life.
“Esports has tremendous potential, both to inspire students to learn 21st-century skills and also to include many students who have previously been marginalized with respect to competitive activities,” said Donald Brinkman, a senior program manager in charge of the Bing Esports team. “The HSEL Gaming Concepts curriculum is designed to teach pro-social and pro-academic behaviors that are positively correlated to better academic performance—all through the lens of esports. We are thrilled to support it.”
Teachers and interested parents or fans can check out the High School Esports League official site to learn more.
About High School Esports League
High School Esports League was founded in 2013 and remains the largest and longest-running competitive gaming organization for high school students, with over 1,500 partnered schools and 30,000 participating students — and it is growing. The organization harnesses students’ passion for video games through organized competition and academics, resulting in better engagement, better GPAs, and better career prospects. HSEL is a pioneer in high school esports thanks to its STEM.org certified programs, scholarships, and tournament platform which arm high schools with the knowledge and resources required to positively impact students through competitive gaming.
