Esports in Education

Indiana Schools Launch Esports Network

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/02/19

An English language arts teacher has become the director for esports at his high school and kicked off a state-wide initiative to link up other Indiana schools interested in esports as well. John Robertson, who teaches at Tipton High, has launched the Indiana High School Esports Network, which currently has 13 members — all high schools (although middle schools are also invited to join).

The idea is to work together to connect the clubs, "rather than paying an outside company to do it for us," the network stated on its website. "We conceived IHSEN to assist new clubs in growth, to help them learn from the hurdles we've overcome and to connect with other schools. To create the best possible experience for all students in Indiana, we feel it's important to create a positive culture around high school gaming in our great state. IHSEN can assist with this by connecting teachers and administrators with each other to share ideas and grow our clubs."

Major goals of the network are to help other schools form their own esports clubs and to develop a set of rules and schedules for students to compete.

The latest season will last six weeks and cover six games: Overwatch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, League of Legends, Rocket League, Hearthstone and Forza Motorsports. Matches will be streamed online over Twitch and Mixer.

Tipton High opened its own combination esports/virtual reality lab last December, using funds from a grant provided by the Tipton County Foundation.