By DAVID CAMPHOUSE
There will be an eSports parent meeting on Wednesday, August 27th at 5:30 p.m. in the Bluffs MPR.
The meeting is appropriate for the parent or guardian of any high school student interested in participating in eSports this season.
Esports refers to competitive multiplayer video game play for spectators.
The West Central Esports team was established in 2022 when Bluffs junior and high schools received a grant from the Tracy Family Foundation grant that allowed for the purchase of 22 new laptops. The grant also helped expand the schools’ computer science curriculum.
Esports students compete in games, including League of Legends, FortNite, MineCraft, etc. Games will be team based, with five students per team.
Esports is a growing activity in the state, and other high schools in the region, including Western High School in Pike County, have added Esports as an extracurricular available to students.
According to Western High School Principal Ryan Sharkey, Esports is especially valuable to students who may not have other extracurricular outlets, such as athletics or music. Sharkey has indicated previously that Esports present opportunities for students to engage in gaming, make connections and to be more social than they would be otherwise.
In addition, John Wood Community College (JWCC) established an Esports team in 2020. The JWCC Esports team competes against colleges from across the country in National Junior Community College Esports (NJCAAE) sanctioned games.
