Granton considers adding ‘e-sports’ extracurricular option

Athletes at Granton may soon be joining other schools in exchanging their cleats for video game controllers and the playing field for a computer screen. The landscape of sports and social activities is changing, and schools are starting to consider video games as a viable option for sports in future years.

The Granton School Board listened to a presentation on the possibility of introducing video game play, under the term electronic sports, as a lettering sport during its regular meeting on Jan. 10. The presentation was made by Jesse Schwingle, the instructional technology coach at CESA 10. Schwingle has spent the past several years establishing an electronic sports organization in the state and has been traveling to school districts to promote the idea of bringing video games into consideration for students to try as a sport during high school.

“There is a cohort of students that are not athletic, academic or musically inclined,” he said. “They can’t letter in anything, but they love playing video games … The question has been how to connect with these students. Some students don’t care about anything else, they just want to play video games. That is their life. We need to give them a place that would allow them to showcase their talents.”

Over the years, Schwingle said video games have gone from simple ones that required no skill to play to complex ones that require a player to develop strategy, critical thinking and even teamwork skills to win. There are plenty of lessons to be learned by playing today’s games, he said, and bringing kids out of their basements and into schools to play them in a monitored setting will help make sure the students are forming positive behaviors while online and comprehending the skills they are learning.

“I see it as a platform to build skills to transfer to the workplace,” he said. “In school, it is moderated and filtered and it builds networking and teaching skills. We believe in scholar gamers.”

Besides building valuable life lessons, Schwingle said the rise of electronic sports is now something that is being applauded and developed at higher levels than what kids even 10 years ago would have dreamed. As the idea of video games being a sport becomes mainstream, he said the concept becomes profitable and professional teams can be formed. That reality is already underway as major universities begin to develop their own competitive gaming teams to teach the next professional star.

“We have gotten to the point where video games are beyond button mashing,” he said. “It is very engaging. Colleges have seen this and are starting to offer competitive gaming scholarships to students. This is being seen across the state.”

After explaining the background of electronic sports, Schwingle proceeded to tell the Board about how the current electronic sports program works in Wisconsin. More than 100 school districts already participate in the Wisconsin E-Sports Association every year, with more schools, such as Greenwood, joining each month. The sport runs both spring and fall seasons, with eight weeks of regular season competition followed by a state tournament. Because the entire program is online, he said the students are able to hold practices and competitions right at the school without traveling.

“It has the same standards as other sports,” he said. “There are two seasons, spring and fall; they have an 8-week regular season and then a tournament. The kids compete against similar sized schools, and there would be both a varsity and a JV program. It is a co-ed sport, so both boys and girls are on the same team.”

Participants in the sport play four different types of video games as part of their tournaments, each focusing on a different genre. There is Overwatch, Rocket League, SMITE and Smash Bros, which are all games that can be played directly on a computer, forgoing the need for additional equipment.

“There is equal play and opportunity, there is no Playstation, Xbox or anything else to start out of pocket. It’s free,” said Schwingle. “When they play, they are monitored by the coaches and games are recorded so issues can be brought to the association. We are bringing in students who don’t have a place to showcase their talents.”

After the presentation, members of the Board asked several questions about the program and inquired on if there was any knowledge of student interest. Principal Amanda Kraus said a survey was done of the students prior to the meeting, and in the 6-12 grade levels, approximately 30 kids had expressed an interest in electronic sports. Of those 30, she said about 24 of those students don’t participate in any other school-related extra curricular activity, showing the sport has potential to reach those kids who feel left out.

The Board decided to continue to investigate the possibility of offering e-sports at Granton, and work out the details needed to bring the program to the school.

In other action taken by the Board during the meeting, the Bulldogs’ fall cross country co-op with Neillsville was renewed for another season. The Board also accepted the resignation of Board member Cheryl Steinbach, who was leaving her position for personal reasons. The Board now has 60 days to find a candidate who will fill out the remainder of her term which ends in April 2023. Anyone interested in the position must send an application to the Granton School District no later than Feb. 1 to be reviewed before a candidate is selected.