Esports
PlayVS Adds Recreational Esports and Overwatch to Play Roster
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 07/28/20
Esports
company PlayVS
is introducing a two-league system to high school play: varsity,
which it's already had, and recreational, which is new. It's also
adding Overwatch to its offerings for high school gaming.
Varsity
leagues will continue to be run in partnership with the National
Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
in 23 states. Currently, schools in those states can play Rocket
League and League of Legends as varsity esports, with one team per
game per school. Students in the varsity league compete against teams
state-wide for state championships. State championship games are
typically played before a live audience and streamed on the NFHS
Network. The two organizations said that additional games would be
added in the future.
The
new recreational leagues are available in all 50 states, as well as
the District of Columbia. Those are operated solely by PlayVS.
Participating schools can have an unlimited number of teams, all of
which can compete in regional championships in Overwatch, League of
Legends, Fortnite, SMITE and Rocket League.
PlayVS
said it expected most schools would choose to have teams in both
types of leagues.
The
addition of Blizzard Entertainment's Overwatch will allow high
schoolers to register to compete in recreational leagues for this
online game starting in the fall. Teams will have up of six players.
Top teams at the end of the season will advance to playoffs. The fall
season begins on Oct. 15, 2020, and games will take place on
Wednesdays.
"Esports
is at a pivotal moment as its popularity is growing exponentially,
especially as students need creative, productive and competitive
outlets during COVID-19," said Delane Parnell, CEO of PlayVS, in
a press release. "We're thrilled to be expanding our high school
offerings so that students can participate and compete in esports at
multiple levels. Our team is also excited to welcome new and
returning players this fall, whether from their schools or at home.
Either way, we're ready for them!"
High
schools can sign up and activate teams at PlayVS.com
About the Author
Dian Schaffhauser is a senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @schaffhauser.