It is in particular thanks to three distinct actors, namely the Digital Schoolhouse of UK Interactive Entertainment, the UK branch of Nintendo and Outright Games, that all of this could be tested and could be made possible on a larger scale within the country. The idea was to set up a sort of “professional experience”, reserved for pupils aged 8 to 11, with the aim of teaching them to organize and manage their own event.
You will understand, this is not just any event, in view of the actors present around this project, since it is a video game and more precisely, esports tournaments. Thus, teachers are provided with a course plan spread over six weeks, in line with the British curriculum for many subjects (computer science, English, mathematics, technology, personal / social / economic and health education, etc.) , which begins with a first introductory part to the world of eSports. Thanks to this, the children become familiar with all the roles involved in a tournament and the way in which each one collaborates in the good performance of this one.
The lesson plan itself is tailor-made around the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game. However, teachers can adapt it very well, using a standard course material, to the game of their choice.. Provided that it respects the PEGI classification, of course. Throughout the module, students therefore learn to organize a list of matches, at install computer equipment, at develop marketing materials, at disseminate messages and communicate around the tournament and, most importantly, to participate in the tournament.
As stated above, the program went through a test phase in 2024 and could be expanded. For the moment, only seven schools have been able to benefit from it for a total of 700 pupils but the encouraging results could well tip the balance.
Out of all the teachers selected to test this program, all underlined a real motivation on the part of the pupils: 55% of them considered themselves “very motivated”, the remaining 45% were “extremely”. A fun program which, according to 55% of teachers, resulted in better student results compared to other courses.
This awareness has also had repercussions on the teachers themselves since 91% of them declared, immediately after the program, that they would be ready to continue this discovery of eSports by accompanying their class to physical events, such as national junior tournaments.
