Esports

Esports League HSEL Extends Reach to High Schools in AU and NZ

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 08/27/20

An esports league company is spreading its high school footprint outside of North America. Generation Esports (GenE) has taken its High School Esports League (HSEL) to Australia and New Zealand.

The new HSELANZ will engage students through organized competitions and provide academic opportunities. HSELANZ kicked off this week with an esports tournament, featuring high schoolers playing against peers in four online games: Fortnite, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, Valorant and Clash Royale. The tournament is free, and winning teams gain free entry to the summer season. However, league participation does have a fee, starting at AU$120/NZ$129 per student for an annual pass.

HSEL uses "Gaming Concepts," an esports-based curriculum developed by two educators at Maize Unified School District 266, a Kansas school district. The content, created by Complete High School Maize Principal Kristy Custer and Social Studies Teacher Michael Russell, covers learning standards in areas such as careers in gaming, maintaining healthy practices, self-management and interpersonal communications, as well as an overview of esports gaming and complete lesson plans. According to GenE, the same curriculum will be used by HSELANZ.

"What we bring to Australia and New Zealand is a proven educational program that embraces students' passion for video games and shapes it into an understanding of the esports industry," said Hugo Diegues, representative of GenE in Australia and New Zealand, in a press release. "Our aim is not to encourage students to leave the classroom but to entice them to enhance their academic learning with the addition of a gaming class that may be utilized by those wishing to pursue a career in the industry."