As collegiate esports becomes more and more established, it’s also important for esports to have a presence on high school campuses. The skills and communities that esports programs build is just as relevant at the high school level, and students who are involved in esports as high schoolers are much more likely to continue participating in esports during college.
If you’re thinking about bringing esports to your high school, here are 3 ways to start.
Start a club
You don’t need an expensive gaming facility to have esports at your high school.
If you’re able to meet in a classroom regularly and discuss gaming interests or find a group to stack with, you’re already establishing a welcoming esports community on your campus.
A club is also a great way to find out who would be interested in an esports program at your school and demonstrate your student body’s support for esports.
Get to know your student body
After you’ve started a club, it’s important to find out what your members are interested in.
There are many different genres of games, and gamers have all sorts of different hobbies and preferences. Understanding the most popular games or types of activities at your school can help you bring your high school gaming community together.
Try starting with surveys or icebreaker games at your club meetings.
Host community events
Once you know what your school’s gamers like to do for fun, you can use your platform to host events and competitions for your community.
Depending on your resources and budget, these events can range from game nights on Discord to LAN tournaments.
Regardless of what events you choose to do, having a good balance of casual and competitive events will help you ensure that everyone can engage with esports on your campus.
