Esports: DALIMSS Sunbeam Group of Schools becomes the first to introduce gaming as an extracurricular activity
The school wants to encourage healthy competition among students and help improve their overall performance and well-being. Read the full story below.
DALIMSS Sunbeam Group of Schools has added esports as an extracurricular activity at its campuses, as per reports on Saturday. The school group becomes the first in India to introduce esports as part of their school curriculum.
Maahir Madhok, Additional Director at DALIMSS said, “As times are changing so should the methods of teaching in our schools. Officially integrating esports in our extracurricular activity was a controversial decision at first and many of our parents didn't agree to it initially, but after we explained the benefits each and everyone was on board with this and it has been a collective effort by our parents and teachers to run things smoothly.”
The school group has been focused on the importance of overall learning and understands the need for gaming to be inculcated into academics as an extra skill that students can develop rather than introduce gaming as merely a time-killer. They were also one of the first schools in India to host a Minecraft Championship this year. The aim of the school was to promote creativity among students and engage them in digital environments to nurture, learn and grow.
How esports got introduced at the school
India Today Gaming got in touch with DALIMSS Sunbeam Group of Schools to find out how the idea to introduce esports as an extracurricular activity originated. DALIMSS explained that the idea emerged when some students were allowed to stay back after school and play Minecraft. As more students started to stay back, one of the teachers at the school pitched the idea to integrate esports into hobby classes of the students.
As more students decided to stay back for the gaming sessions, the school decided to host a district-level Minecraft tournament earlier this year. The school said they plan on hosting the free-for-all tournament every three months.
The games introduced, future plans and preparation at the school
When asked about the games being included for esports, DALIMSS stated that Minecraft has been introduced since it’s educational and children-friendly. The school plans on adding Rocket League along with Dota 2 for its senior students. The school has also hired an IT professional with expertise in the gaming industry to “aid and teach our faculty how to play these games” and also for those who would be “conducting these classes and tournaments.”
Maahir Madhok shared that he’s been a fan of Esports in his college days and stated that it was a stress reliever for him after long study sessions. Gaming also helped him with exam anxiety and he said, “We are confident that we have started something really huge in the education landscape of India and I urge each and every school to join us in this effort."
