2023 APS Esports Expo - November 18, 2023

Working with the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED), a STARS Code was given for an esports class, and APS Curriculum and Instruction approved the class to begin in the 2023/2024 school year, beginning in high school. Aaron Jaramillo, APS Esports Curriculum Specialist, has been working with C & I to present curriculum course outlines for schools in APS and throughout the state.

Esports continues to be a positive force in the lives of our students with multiple reported benefits, including player socialization, problem-solving, and strategy skills, critical thinking skills, social-emotional learning, and now the added benefit of connecting play and learning through an esports curriculum.

Esports, like traditional sports, is a competition between individuals or teams. These competitions, however, don't take place in a field or on a court. They take place in video games!

Games come in all styles and varieties, from 1 on 1 fighting games where fast reflexes and individual skill is paramount, to 5 vs 5 MOBA where teamwork and communication are vital to taking home the win!

While it's easy to equate playing video games with sitting alone in a dark basement, don't be fooled! Our players attend organized practices where they learn how to communicate with teammates, strategize with coaches, socialize with friends, and improve motor skills through hours of practice.

If you're wondering how playing video games could be beneficial - don't worry! Lots of people have this same question when they first hear about esports.

Studies have shown that students who participate in organized video gaming events, like esports, benefit in several ways:

• Improved students' spatial awareness
• Multitasking
• Fast-paced decision-making
• Teamwork
• Communication
• College scholarships opportunities
• STEM opportunities
• Pathway to college

Most importantly, esports can also function as a way to help students who have trouble fitting in find an outlet. This can lead to huge improvements in those students' social lives, behavior, and grades.

While some form of video game competition has been around since Pong was first created in the early 1970s, esports has only been around in earnest for about a decade. Esports competitions have grown from a few dozen players and spectators in a warehouse to being live-streamed to hundreds of millions worldwide! In-person events are attended by hundreds of thousands of fans each year and as of 2019, there are 2 dedicated esports arenas, one in Los Angeles and one in Las Vegas.

While all of that sounds exciting, the really good news is that colleges around the world have started offering scholarships for students to play esports on their teams. In 2018 there were around 200 colleges that offered a combined $15 million in scholarships for playing esports, with the average student receiving about $4,800 a year! Colleges are also creating new curriculums around the esports industry, which is estimated to exceed $1 billion annually by 2020. Some colleges are offering courses and programs in esports management, marketing, and business, as well as established programs such as video game design and computer programming.

Mission

APS Esports is committed to offering our high school students the opportunity to participate in esports by providing an equitable playing field across the district, a platform for educational and personal growth, and skills needed for career and life.

Vision

Through esports, we will help our students realize their full potential by providing inclusion, enabling collaboration, improving confidence, inspiring excellence, and preparing them to become caring individuals and global citizens.