Schools and universities should invest in esports.

 

Every year the national Protea Team has its roots in both the universities and schools.

It is well known that Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) had its roots in the Wits Wargames Club in 1982 when Gavin Munro, Dorian Love, and Colin Webster realised that there was a need for a national federation in order to give gaming greater accreditation.

MSSA has always remained true to its roots and has  always actively pursued growth at both school and university level.

Unfortunately, in South Africa, there is much more emphasis given to the sports of football, rugby, and cricket, and the mind sports are left largely as 'Cinderella' sports, even though it it is vital that athletes be trained on a mental level as well as a physical level if they want to succeed.

With the rising costs of maintaining vast fields for the outdoor physical sports, and even a dwindling interest in such sports, it is now more important than ever for schools and universities to re-consider their involvement in mind sports - especially esports.

Jonathan Yates, in his article "Ten Reasons Your Department Should Embrace eSports" identified 10 reasons why schools and universities should embrace esports within its sports departments.

In essence, the reasons according to Jonathan (put into South African terms) are:

1. With the growth of esports, more-and-more educational institutions are getting involved.
2. Esports has the ability to earn income as opposed to being a net expense to the institution.
3. Smaller staffs are required to ensure the good-running of such a programme.
4. There are lower maintenance costs as often existing venues can be utilised.
5. Esports is perfect to promote gender and demographic equality. There is no reason an entire esports team cannot be female. 
6. With most of the fans globally being in Asia, South African schools and universities could use esports to actively, and relatively cheaply, advertise into these areas. 
7. Many learners and students will compete in both esports and other traditional sports.
8. A sports department will embrace esports and develop the programme to draw new learners and students.
9. An eports programme is an excellent way for synergistic relations with many academic departments that other sports simply cannot foster. Computer, math, engineering, and others can gain from working with an esports team. This engenders support for the sports department from a broader base in the rest of the educational institution.
10. Esports allows sports departments to indulge in new revenue streams. As esports reflects the changing society this will become more important as the years progress.

Certainly, MSSA can attest to much of what Jonathan has written. Being the oldest, and longest, esports organisation in existence, MSSA has seen much otf the above to be true.

However, for any of the above to succeed it needs to have the total commitment of the sports department in order to create clear guidelines as  it would for any other sport.

Also read:

• Affiliation: Schools
• Affiliation: Private clubs
• Affiliation: Advantages of affiliation
• Calendar of  Events: 2021
• Calendar of Events: 2022 - Proposed
• Colours: Regional Colours
• Colours:2021 South African National High School Colours - Esports 
• Colours:2021 South African National Primary School Colours - Esports 
• Entry Dates: All championships
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's High School Championships.
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's Student Championships
• Esports titles selected: MSSA's Premier Championships.
• Events: North West Online Provincial Championships - 28 August 2021
• Events: MSSA Online School League - Friday, 10 July 2021.
• Events: 2021 National Team Trials - 21 August 2021
• Ladder: National Ladder Champions
• Notices: 2021 MSSA Management Board Awards.
• Notices: Annual General Meeting - Board positions
• Notices: Celebrating MSSA's female Protea athletes.
• Notices: Opportunities for female esports athletes.
• Notices: MSSA's new Players' Representative - Jessie Joubert (ZAG Academy
• Notices: Lenel Human makes history.
• Notices: Sahil Ebrahim of PES Society elected as MSSA's Western Cape Provincial Director.
• Notices: Derby events
• Notices: Derby events -the way forward.
• Notices: For our children's children... 
• Notices: Learners may play for both private and school clubs.
• Notices: League of Legends re-instated.
• Notices: Home schooling
• Notices: Publishing your club news.
• Notices: Transfer season
• Notices: Calling all those wishing to serve as Selectors to volunteer
• Notices: The various events held by Mind Sports South Africa.
• Qualifiers: Counter-Strike: GO
• Rankings: Clash Royale
• Rankings: Counter-Strike: GO
• Rankings: Morabaraba
• Rankings: Pro Evolution Soccer (PES)
• Results: 2021 Combined Online Provincial Schools Championships
• Results: MSSA's 2021 FREE STATE Online Provincial Championships
• Results: 2021 Gauteng Online Championships
• Results: KwaZulu Natal Online Provincial Championships
• Results: 2021 South African Online National High School Esports Championships
• Results:  Western Cape Online Provincial Championships
• Results: Derby - Old Edwardian
• Results: Derby - Old Edwardian and ZAG Academy
• Selection: New National Team Selection Criteria
• Selection: Selecting the national Protea teams for Mind Sports South Africa.
• Test Match results: South African Protea DotA 2 team rises triumphant.
• Test Match results: DOTA2: South Africa vs Azerbaijan
• Trailblazers: Michelle Marder

NIGERIA E SPORTS ON THE MOVE

Sports Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare (wearing black), and Nigerian Esports Association President, Mr Agbor Clinton, (in white), and  Nile University officials in Abuja .

The Nigerian Esports Association, the governing body of gaming activities in the country, has received a major boast in its activities towards promoting and developing esports  in Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sports and Youths Development in Nigeria, Mr Olusade Adesole, gave the words of encouragement to the Esports team while chatting with the president of the Nigerian Esports Association, Mr Agbor Clinton, at the MKO Abiola national Stadium Abuja.
   
Mr Adesole the permanent Secretary of Sports and Youths Development commended the president of the Nigerian Esport Association, Mr Agbor Clinton, for championing esports activities in the country.
Mr Agbor Clinton then pleaded the Sports Ministry to assist in the actualization of esports dream in Nigeria.  

Mr Agbor Clinton said that the Nigerian Esports Association is 90% ready to join the league of esports nations in the continent of Africa  and expressed his confidence that the Nigerian Esports  Association will meet the requirements of affiliation and has expressed total loyalt  to the continental president of esports for his leadership role in Africa esports confederation.  

Mr Agbor Clinton then added that arrangements have reached advance stages to make colleges and universities the main driving force in actualizing the dream of esports in country. Colleges and universities constitute the largest percentage of esports players and as such the Nigerian Esports Association is working with institutions to enhance the success of the gaming in the country.

Meanwhile the Nigeria esports Association is warming up in readiness of international friendly matches that will put some esports players in good shape ahead of the world championship in South Korea in December 2019.

Adeline Shuri  Abuja Nigeria 
25/10/19

Why schools and universities should invest in esports.

The national Protea Team has its roots in both the universities and schools.

It is well known that Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) had its roots in the Wits Wargames Club in 1982 when Gavin Munro, Dorian Love, and Colin Webster realised that there was a need for a national federation in order to give gaming greater accreditation.

MSSA has always remained true to its roots and has  always actively pursued growth at both school and university level.

Unfortunately, in South Africa, there is much more emphasis given to the sports of football, rugby, and cricket, and the mind sports are left largely as 'Cinderella' sports, even though it it is vital that athletes be trained on a mental level as well as a physical level if they want to succeed.

With the rising costs of maintaining vast fields for the outdoor physical sports, and even a dwindling interest in such sports, it is now more important than ever for schools and universities to re-consider their involvement in mind sports - especially esports.

Jonathan Yates, in his article "

Ten Reasons Your Department Should Embrace eSports" identified 10 reasons why schools and universities should embrace esports within its sports departments.

In essence, the reasons according to Jonathan (put into South African terms) are:

1. With the growth of esports, more-and-more educational institutions are getting involved.
2. Esports has the ability to earn income as opposed to being a net expense to the institution.
3. Smaller staffs are required to ensure the good-running of such a programme.
4. There are lower maintenance costs as often existing venues can be utilised.
5. Esports is perfect to promote gender and demographic equality. There is no reason an entire esports team cannot be female. 
6. With most of the fans globally being in Asia, South African schools and universities could use esports to actively, and relatively cheaply, advertise into these areas. 
7. Many learners and students will compete in both esports and other traditional sports.
8. A sports department will embrace esports and develop the programme to draw new learners and students.
9. An eports programme is an excellent way for synergistic relations with many academic departments that other sports simply cannot foster. Computer, math, engineering, and others can gain from working with an esports team. This engenders support for the sports department from a broader base in the rest of the educational institution.
10. Esports allows sports departments to indulge in new revenue streams. As esports reflects the changing society this will become more important as the years progress.

Certainly, MSSA can attest to much of what Jonathan has written. Being the oldest, and longest, esports organisation in existence, MSSA has seen much otf the above to be true.

However, for any of the above to succeed it needs to have the total commitment of the sports department in order to create clear guidelines as  it would for any other sport.

Also read:

• Esports titles to be played at MSSA 2019 Premier Championships.
• Esports titles to be played at MSSA 2019 Student Championships.
• Esports titles for official High School Championships.
• The will of the membership.
• Why MSSA runs its Regional Championships the way it does.
• Draft Calendar of Events for 2019.
• Redefining what it means to be a student athlete.

When politics interferes with sport.

Gamers may incur increased costs getting to provincial championships.

Reports have surfaced that the ANC is pushing full steam ahead with the reconfiguration of South Africa's provinces. According to MyBroadband the ANC policy conference has called for a presidential commission to be set up, and for its work to be completed before the party’s elective conference in December 2017.

It seems as though the ANC is about to act on a decision that it made in 2007 in which that the number of provinces be reduced to six from the current nine.

While many gamers may not seem to think that this affect them much, it will. Few gamers realise  that the government and SASCOC put  a great deal of pressure on national federations  to confirm to existing political boundaries.

Thus, nine provinces increase the chances of gamers representing their province and of attaining provincial colours. Similarly, a reduction of provinces will mean that fewer gamers will have the same opportunities. When one considers the financial value attached to provincial colours, whether it be rugby, swimming, cricket, esports, morabaraba, and so forth, it means that people will be disadvantaged by any such reduction of provinces.

What financial advantages, you may ask? The financial advantage of receiving provincial colours is that the person holding such colours may apply to a university for a sports bursary.

Also, with fewer provinces,  there will be fewer provincial championships. This at first does not sound so bad. However, aligned with  fewer provincial championships is the allied increase in costs as people will have to travel further in order to participate in events. As the size of provinces increase, so will the distances that gamers will need to travel to provincial championships and thus, so will the costs.

Allied to fewer opportunities and increased costs, comes the the increased burden of record keeping. As someone who has earned Transvaal, PWV, and Gauteng provincial colours - and who has always resided in the same area - there is the danger that provincial colours will lose a little of their meaning for those who have received it before any such 'reconfiguration'.

Not only that, but who will look after the past results.

With many national federations, the past results are simply lost.

Fortunately for gamers, with Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) having a more effective administration than most, such records are inn no danger of being lost.

However, one thing is clear, and that is in my personal opinion, that the ANC does not consider all outcomes and does not consider the harm that they do to the average South African.