Esports is taking middle and high schools by storm in recent years. According to the National Education Association (NEA), about 9,000 high schools have instituted Esports curriculum. This curriculum targets several focus areas, including:

• Teamwork and collaboration
• Strategy
• Planning
• Time management
• Statistics
• Creativity and design (games and graphics)
• STEM and technology management
• Communications and coaching
• Health and fitness

It's easy to engage students with gaming, so Esports can be an effective vehicle for many subjects.

What Are the Benefits of Adopting an Esports Curriculum?

Esports can support an impressive range of curriculum initiatives, but why use Esports to support your curriculum in the first place? There are several reasons, including:

• Engage difficult-to-engage students - Surveys show that about 80 percent of Esports participants are not part of any other school activities or extracurricular activities. Traditional programs do not reach everyone, and this group has been largely left out. With Esports, some of your most difficult to reach students can be brought into the larger student body with an activity that they can excel in.

If your Esports club achieves success, the added prestige can be a bonus for your school and for the students participating in your Esports program.

• Introduce novel learning experiences - Esports gives students and instructors a new way to learn. Educators can use games to teach a variety of skills, including social, emotional, spatial, problem solving and technology skills. For some students, there are few opportunities to pick those skills up outside of video games.
• Offer some additional career readiness channels - Esports is thriving and the market for it is growing. Along with that growth in popularity is a growth in job opportunities. Those opportunities go well beyond the game, as the typical Esports production requires expertise in audio and video technology, marketing, business services, graphic and visual design, coaching, and much more. Esports programs can prepare students for those career options.

Four AV Technologies That Can Be Used to Improve a School’s Esports Program

If your school has an Esports program in place or is considering one, then AV solutions can support it. It is often recommended to dedicate a specific space for Esports, but any computer lab can do the job just fine. Once an area has been set aside for Esports, its performance can be improved with the following technologies:

• Interactive displays
• Shoutcaster stations
• Mobile gaming carts
• Esports desks and chairs

How can each of these fit into a school’s Esports efforts? We'll address each option in greater depth below.

Interactive Displays Encourage Teamwork and Strategy

Interactive displays like the Clevertouch are ideal for improving strategic thinking and analysis. With a Clevertouch, students can use the screen to map out strategies by annotating over images or video stills. Teams can even diagram plays and tactics like with other athletics. The Clevertouch comes with an onboard PC, which makes it easy to store media for future strategy sessions. An interactive display can also lead curriculum delivery, just like it can in the traditional classroom. Strategy, statistics, art, design, production, marketing, nutrition - the Clevertouch can make the educational part of Esports as engaging as the gaming part.

Shoutcaster Stations Add Excitement and Give Students Broadcasting Experience

Shoutcasters are the play-by-play announcers of the Esports world. During a match, the shoutcasters follow the action on their own screens and provide real-time commentary as the game develops. A shoutcaster station is where the game callers sit and watch everything. Spectrum produces a line of shoutcaster stations that can accommodate any monitor mounting layout. This could be a pair of recessed monitors, arm-mounted displays or displays that face the audience. In addition to monitor space, Spectrum's shoutcaster stations are large enough to accommodate keyboards, headsets, mixers, and stream decks. Spectrum's stations are also built with premium casters, so they can be easily wheeled to your next competition. They're available in an array of colors and trim designs, too, so they can be color coded to match your team colors.

Mobile Gaming Carts Provide Storage and Charging for Esports Equipment

Esports teams require significant technology resources to function, and those resources need proper storage and organization. A mobile gaming cart can provide both, and Spectrum also manufactures a popular line of mobile carts. Mobile gaming carts can store gaming laptops and headsets when they're not in use. Spectrum's carts can hold up to 24 laptops and headsets at once, and while stored, the cart also provides charging so they're ready to go when your team is. Spectrum has also integrated several usability and durability features into its carts. Some of those features include:

• Premium casters for mobility and transport
• Two access points so students can quickly retrieve their equipment
• Cable capture for faster cable organization following a gaming session
• Internal shelves for additional accessories and peripherals
• Double bolted locks and high-gauge steel doors for added security
• Ventilated doors and walls to protect from overheating
• Removable dividers to keep laptops from contacting each other inside the cabinet

And all of this is available in an impact and scratch-resistant package, for long-term durability.

Esports Desks and Chairs Facilitate Focus, Good Posture and Engagement

Players spend a lot of their time sitting at a desk. To ensure they maintain good posture and focus, many schools provide their players with specialized chairs and desks. Spectrum, again, is a leading manufacturer of both. Its gaming chairs are flexible and made from carbon PVC, so they hold up well after long periods of use. They can be reclined up to 180 degrees, come with an adjustable seat, and have an adjustable neck and back cushion for optimal comfort. Spectrum's desks are also adjustable, and some of them are motorized for easy lifting and dropping. All of the brand's desks are made with scratch and impact resistant materials, as well as low-glare materials to minimize player distraction. Spectrum's Esports desks are also built with extended depths (up to 30 inches) and expanded widths (up to 47 inches) to provide maximum room for monitors, keywords, and gaming accessories.

A Certified AV Partner Can Match the Perfect AV Solutions for any Esports Curriculum

If your school is just getting started with Esports, or if it already has a world class program in place, a certified AV integrator can take it to the next level. Certified AV integrators can help your school select the right technologies for where it is with its Esports program, and ensure those technologies are properly set up. Your certified AV partner can also support your Esports technology, so it can continue supporting your Esports curriculum for years to come.