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| Fairmont High School in action |
At
a recent LAN I overheard two gamers chatting.
The
one said, “I realise that the
MSSAis
dedicated when
organising events. Yet in my personal reserved opinion , I find
certain factors in the guidelines to be potentially handicapping to a
team performance”.
“How
do they handicap performance?” replied the other.
“By
having school
teams shall play from schools or from other approved venues, whether
their own or shared”, the
first speaker replied.
“But
would that not ensure that all teams are equal?”, replied the
other.
“That
is not the point”, replied the first speaker who went on to state,
“The school's
internet may be
used by the
hostels and careless teachers which
would cause
poor network performance and latency resulting in all 5 members of
the team being handicapped, where as if all members were allowed to
participate own residence, this could be avoided, and even if 1 or 2
members have problems with their connections, its at least not all 5
members. And
to have a teacher present, why?”
Driving
home from the LAN I ruminated long and hard on the conversation.
It
is clear that the two gamers do not actually understand the purpose
of the MWEB Inter-school online championships.
The
first point is that the MSSA is attempting to get schools to see
eSports as an official sport. Just as in the case of rugby, when
matches are to be played, the groundsman marks the field and no other
use of the field is allowed. So it is with eSports, when recognised
by the school, when the games are played, only the team has use of
the internet.
In
fact, such is the impact of the eSports teams, that many of the
schools participating in the Inter-school online league have upgraded
their internet connections to help their teams.
By
having the team sit at the same venue too has many benefits. Instead
of gaming being relegated to bedrooms where gamers sit on the most
comfortable chair in the house, have and endless supply of food and
drink, and play in isolation, the team has to deal with a competition
type environment.
The
team is there for all to see – headmaster, educators, and fellow
learners. The team becomes more visible, and becomes newsworthy.
Media actually knows where to find the team in order to do articles
about their performance. Through following this programme, gaming
becomes far more visible to the general public.
The
team also has increased possibilities to improve their game. By
playing together in the same venue, the team can further develop and
learn. After the game, the team can actually discuss what went right,
what went wrong and what they should do in future games.
By
playing in residences, gamers are relegating their game to be only a
recreation.
The
fact that so many top schools have bought into the system shows how
well the Inter-school online championship has ticked all the boxes
and has met governing body approval.
It
is also essential to have an Educator present. This is an official
championship. The championship is recognised by every level of
government and delivers provincial and national colours.
The
Educators are there to act as referees as well as to ensure that the
school's brand is not harmed.
The
teams are officially representing the school after all!
