Esports Program
What is Esports?
As defined by North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF), Esports, also known as electronic sports, is a form of competition facilitated through computer gaming. Most commonly, Esports takes the form of organized, multiplayer online video game competitions. These competitions often incorporate live broadcasts with commentary and award prize money to competitors. Esports is also one of the fastest-growing sports in the world.
Why Esports in High School?
The most critical question we considered when determining if this would be the right program for CBC: Can this program benefit our students?
Here are the benefits of Esports for CBC students:
- More opportunities to get involved in structured co-curricular activities -- According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, 84% of teenagers play video games regularly, including 92% of boys. We want to meet our students where they are and provide the appropriate structure and guidance for them to actively participate in organized teams.
- Social interaction -- Esports connects students of all different backgrounds, unlike any other sport, club, or organization. We see Esports as an outlet for social connection, potentially bringing together diverse groups of students with common interests who otherwise would never have interacted with each other.
- Esports games challenge students to use 21st-century skills. The strategic thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and teamwork skills endemic in multiplayer video games will transfer to real-life situations. Esports games continually require students to work collaboratively to assess situations and quickly make strategic decisions to solve problems that will result in intended outcomes.
- Gateway into STEM -- We will closely align our Esports Program to our CBC STEM Academy, allowing for exploration of jobs, careers, and other related opportunities through our STEM curriculum.
- The number of collegiate Esports programs is rapidly growing. As of September 2019, the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) included over 150 member colleges and universities. Each has an Esports program already on their campus. For the most current list, visit the NACE Member Directory. Many of these universities also offer Esports scholarships.
Where and when will my son be able to participate in the CBC Esports program?
We compete in our 1500-square-foot CBC Esports Center on our campus founded in 2019. The Center has 48 gaming PC stations that include the following:
Intel Core i7-9700k Processors
EVGA (Nvidia) GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER Graphics Cards
Corsair Dual Radiator Liquid CPU Coolers
27” Asus VG278Q 144hz 1080p Monitors
Gamdias Peripherals (and PS4, PS5, Xbox 1, Xbox Series Controllers)
Custom CBC Vertagear Racing Series Chairs
The Center also has 30 gaming consoles (Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch), each with controllers on their respective platforms.
Most notably, the CBC Esports Center has its own Charter Spectrum Enterprise internet connection (2 Gbps scalable to 10 Gbps) powered by fiber with extremely low ping times that can accommodate the high frames per second generated by the gaming PCs. The Center is open during Activity Periods for open play or intermural competitions, and after school for the competitive Esports athletes and teams.
Tryouts are conducted at the beginning of each competitive season in Fall, Winter, and Spring. These seasons are structured with a 2-week preseason, a 6-7 week regular season, and a 3-week post-season which culminates in a championship finals event. Each game, league, and season have its own unique schedule.
What games will be available in 2023-2024?
We are always working with our parents/guardians, students, and our Board of Directors to finalize the list of game titles available to our students. The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rates all games on a scale. The CBC Esports Center includes games for competition rated no higher than T (Teen - content is generally suitable for ages 13 and up) with one exception, which requires parent/guardian approval for students to compete.
The list of competitive titles this year currently includes:
| Super Smash Bros. Ultimate | Rocket League | Overwatch 2 |
| Apex Legends | Pokemon Unite | League of Legends |
| Valorant | Fortnite | Minecraft |
| Halo Infinite | Rainbow 6 Siege (16+ Only) | Brawlhalla |
| Chess | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Splatoon 3 |
| Madden NFL 24 | NBA 2k24 | NHL 24 |
| EAFC 24 | Street Fighter 6 | Tekken 8 |
The above list is neither finalized nor complete. Check back in the future for updates.
Ongoing Research & Videos Related to Esports
Dr. Anthony Betrus (State University of New York) - TEDx Talk - The Benefits of Esports in K-12 Environments
Dr. Constance Steinkuehler (University of California - Irvine) - Spotlight - Social Interaction and Cognition in Esports
Dr. Mimi Ito (University of California - Irvine) - Spotlight - Esports for 21st Century Learning & Social Interaction
Dr. Jen Jen Chen (University of California - Irvine) - Spotlight - The Long-Term Benefits of Esports
Video for CBC Parents - Why Esports at CBC?
More videos and research articles to come...
Additional Parent Resources
North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) - Parent Resources (Supported by the University of California - Irvine)
More parent resources to come...
Be positive. Compete with, support, and RESPECT EACH OTHER. No toxic behavior is allowed here.
RESPECT THIS SPACE. Take care of the furniture, hardware, and peripherals. Clean up after yourself. No food, drinks, or bags of any kind are allowed.
RESPECT THE GAME. Play fairly and within the rules. Don't undermine the spirit of the game. Always use your assigned profile and be a good ambassador of CBC.
I want more information. Who should I contact?
Please contact DJ Demongey, Esports Program Coordinator, with any questions you might have.
