eSports News by Content Engine AI

When it comes to esports, you’re always dealing with stereotype—like the idea that video gamers are less accomplished than the average person. Pittsburgh’s Butler County Technical School, on the other hand, is working on dispelling the stereotype that a certain group of gamers are incapable of academics. The school wants to begin offering an esports program where students can compete on a level playing field with more highly skilled gamers.

As of August 1, Butler County Technical School will be the first technical school in the country to offer a dual-enrollment esports program at its part of the Center for Game Innovation in downtown Pittsburgh. The center’s IEC staff, working with specialists from Butler County’s Brockway Christian School, began the program this summer, and it’s looking to be a model for other schools looking to follow.

Chester Cunningham, eSports Student Manager at Brockway Christian, said:

We started this because of things like this happening in the gaming community. We wanted our students to be exposed to that, and to see what it’s like, so that they don’t lose that thrill and interest.

The esports program, which will be open to Butler County Technical School students as well as high school students from the nearby Brookline Area School District, will be accepting up to 20 students. Students will need to come to the center twice per week to train, and they’ll begin their freshman year, just before competing in the Kentucky Youth League’s tournament.

The program will not be open to those seeking a career in esports, but rather, will show a new avenue for achievement for those interested in the field. At the moment, esports players are considered outside the realm of academia, which is why Butler County and Brockway Christian are going to make sure their program is strong enough to accommodate high school students. It’s these types of big-picture initiatives that separate those who excel from those who don’t, and the program will hopefully be a step toward getting that message across to some of the more-vexed groups—especially when it comes to the average gamer.

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