A school in Bergen, Norway, plans to include eSports in the curriculum. Starting in August, 30 students will receive 5 hours of eSports lessons per week for three years. And this will be under conditions that can only be described as luxurious.
But those who think: 5 hours a week of gaming – Great, that makes the transition from school to my everyday life easier! It’s not quite like that. It will not be “normal gaming”, but eSports, and that comes with more commitments.
The curriculum for 30 participants also includes physical training sessions to train reflexes, strength, and endurance. While 15 players are gaming, the other 15 work on their physical fitness. It is also planned to provide the students with nutrition tips and advise them on the lifestyle of eSports athletes. The goal is for them to be able to play at a high level for longer and with more concentration. Other schools have included yoga as a balance in their programs.
They actually also have a trailer:
There will also be evaluations: The students will be assessed based on their performance, skills, game knowledge, communication and teamwork abilities, and tactical skills. It is seen as an educational task to teach players not only mechanics but also to work as a team and achieve success.
There will be a special room for the gamers with 15 gaming chairs from the brand AKRacing and high-performance PCs with G-Sync monitors and an i7 980 setup. That’s the really good stuff.
The students are encouraged to bring their own mice, keyboards, and headsets – everyone has their own taste – and you definitely don’t want to have someone else’s saliva on your headset.
The school administration is not quite sure what games the students will play in the first year of the three-year program. Early favorites are Dota 2, LoL; CS:GO, or Starcraft 2. The students will be able to help decide which games will actually be offered through a survey.
It is also not yet clear who will be the coaches for the program. But the selection process looks “very good” at the moment. The teachers chosen will have a “deep knowledge” of the games. Currently, the plan is: To have one “fixed” teacher per class and then connect Norwegian eSports professionals via Skype to benefit from their experience.
By the way, it was not a big deal for the school to offer eSports. They already had programs for handball and football – and the regulations for this were formulated in such a way that they could also accommodate eSports without needing to get a special “okay” from the government.
The school’s plan is to form teams with the students that will succeed in the Norwegian eSports scene and participate in local tournaments.
