The High School Esports League (HSEL) has entered into a partnership with the United States Army National Guard to build 25 ‘esports labs’ in selected schools across North America.
HSEL’s esports labs will be equipped with high-end PCs and accessories from gaming hardware company ASUS and technology corporation Intel.
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In addition, HSEL-affiliated schools will also receive a STEM learning curriculum in order to educate students on how to maintain and build the esports labs, whilst also offering career and college advice.
Jason Kirby, President of Generation Esports, the firm behind HSEL, commented on the partnership in a release: “We are thrilled to be working with such well-respected partners to bring esports labs to schools nationwide. We know that setting up esports labs can be cost-prohibitive, so we wanted to step in and give schools an opportunity they might not otherwise have. STEM communities play a key role in the sustained growth of the economy, so it is important that we work to engage students in these areas in a way that builds life-long enthusiasm and excitement.”
“With this project we not only teach students life-long lessons on computer building and maintenance, but also give them the opportunity to get hands-on experience of esport gaming, potentially setting them up for a future career.”
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Alongside receiving a fully equipped lab, one of the 25 schools will be selected to receive a full internet infrastructure upgrade by Extreme Networks, the exclusive networking sponsor of the activation. The schools that will participate in the activation will be unveiled by February 15th, 2021.
Esports Insider says: Having partnered with a range of organisations in the past, the Army National Guard is no stranger to the esports industry. Any activation that has the potential to cultivate more interest in the industry is certainly a positive and the development of so many esports labs will undoubtedly strengthen the schools’ esports curriculum.