Students compete in Valorant, a multiplayer video game, in the Esport Lounge at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center, Photo by Xiaomeng Shen/UW–Madison

While esports isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think of athletics, there are a lot of skills that you need to be a good esports athlete.

“There is a big mental aspect of esports, but part of it is just mechanical skills, like how well you aim and stuff,” says UW sophomore Arsalan Ahmad, an officer for the Madison eSports Club. “Genetics plays a huge role in other sports, a lot of times it’s just ‘oh are you tall enough to play basketball.’ With esports there is a lot of adaptation, it’s not only that you have to grind, but you also have to adapt to changing metas (most effective tactics available) like traditional sports.”

Ahmad, who’s studying computer science and data science, competes on the club’s top team for Valorant.

Esports, or playing video games competitively, has grown rapidly into a global industry. Games like League of Legends, Valorant, Apex Legends and Counter-Strike have become some of the most popular, with their top athletes being treated like celebrities, complete with dedicated training facilities and top tier sponsorship deals.

UW–Madison has also started providing more opportunities and spaces for esports on campus. While UW doesn’t have a varsity-level esports team like some universities, student-led groups such as the Madison Esports Club offer competition across multiple games.

The Madison Esports Club first started off as a group of students who gathered to play popular games such as DOTA, Starcraft and Hearthstone. In early 2020 the organization was adopted under the University Recreation and Wellbeing as a Sports Club, bringing it more funding and opportunities to compete against other teams.

The organization hosts teams for specific games, such as League of Legends, Valorant and Call of Duty. But students in the club don’t have to compete on a team — they can just find groups of other students to play games for fun.

Since COVID, gaming and video games has become one of the largest entertainment industries in the world,” said club president Eddie Kustner. “It’s good to have more opportunities for people who enjoy video games to go out and meet other people who enjoy video games.”

The Madison Esports Club competes in a variety of collegiate competitions locally and on a more national scale, including the Big Ten league and the Wisconsin Esports Conference, which includes other colleges in Wisconsin. The Big Ten is offering competitions in Super Smash Bros and Overwatch for the Spring 2025 semester, and the Madison Esports team is competing in both.

Outside of the team itself, the Bakke Recreation and Wellbeing Center has opened up a dedicated Esports lounge fitted with computers optimized for gaming. Esports has also been offered as a part of intramural sports, with semester-long competitions and shorter tournaments.

“Fostering local competition is really good. Also just connecting with other students on campus,” says Arsalan Ahmad. “It’s a great way to socialize with other students, just like it is with other intramural sports.”

Kustner would like to see esports grow here. “We have an esports room and it’s great that we have that, that’s a great first step,” he says.

It can be difficult to convince up-and-coming esports athletes to compete on a collegiate level because the prime age for gaming is on the younger side. Most talented players make their professional debut before they even graduate from high school.

“The long-term goals are to support the team and to provide more opportunities for the community to grow. The most successful esports communities in college have a very strong social scene and they have physical areas where people want to come, which fosters community” Kustner says.

Written by Serena Wang

Link to original story: https://news.wisc.edu/the-growth-of-esports-at-uw-madison/

Districts in New York, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Maryland have partnered with ClassDojo. 

New districts using ClassDojo for Districts include:

• Lynchburg (VA) City Schools

• Manor ISD, Edgewood ISD, Laredo ISD, and Ysleta ISD (TX)

• Pittsburgh (PA) Public Schools

• Alamosa (CO) School District

• Sylvania (OH) Schools

• Charleston (SC) County Schools

• Diocese of Rockville (MD) Schools

• Linden (NY) Public Schools

ClassDojo offers communication across all schools and automatic translation in more than 130 languages. The tool can be used for districtwide messaging, announcements and updates and offers seamless integration with SIS, SSO and rosters.

“As we wrap up our first year as a ClassDojo for Districts partner, one of the biggest benefits has been the ability to create a more unified communication experience across our schools,” explains Will Herring, Assistant Director of Technology at Moore County Schools in North Carolina. 

“ClassDojo was already widely used and well regarded in our classrooms, so it made sense to build on that foundation at the district level. Just as important is the data – we’re no longer sending messages into a void. Now we can see when families are engaging – and that insight is shaping everything from parent engagement strategies to our broader school improvement plans.”

“Our goal is to make it easy for every family to stay informed, feel welcome, and be involved – without adding more work for educators,” adds Dr. Chad A. Stevens, Head of K12 Engagement t ClassDojo. “We’re proud to support districts that are building stronger communities around their students by helping district leaders improve communication, streamline tools, and better connect with every family.”

Last year, Five Sigma, a dedicated EdTech growth fund, acquired a stake in ClassDojo. ClassDojo is heavily used in the UK, with more than 70 percent of schools having accessed and used ClassDojo. With an extensive user base of approximately 50 million, primarily under the age of 13, ClassDojo is utilised in around 90 percent of U.S. schools and across 180 countries worldwide.

British Esports, the UK’s national body for esports, will host the 2024/25 Student Champs Grand Finals on 5 July at the National Esports Performance Campus in Sunderland.

The finals mark the conclusion of a season that saw close to 750 teams compete in over 13,000 matches, involving more than 3,000 students from across the country.

The tournament, open to students aged 12 and over, is the UK’s leading grassroots esports competition for secondary schools and colleges. The finals will feature matches in Overwatch 2, League of Legends, Rocket League, and VALORANT.

The Student Champs platform is increasingly integrated into formal education pathways. Over 65 percent of Further Education colleges now participate in weekly matches, and the tournament supports qualifications such as the BTEC in Esports and the new Esports Leadership Programme, studied by over 15,000 students globally.

Students from the College of Esports have also contributed to event production, applying learning from coursework to professional environments.

Chester King, president at British Esports, says: “We are incredibly proud of every student and team participating in this year’s Student Champs. The growth in participation, level of competition, and dedication shown by these young athletes exemplify the power of esports in developing crucial life skills.”

Bootcamp access and team line-up

All finalists will receive access to a performance bootcamp at the National Esports Performance Campus ahead of the finals. Teams will train and prepare for their matches in the facility, which is designed to mirror professional esports environments.

Finalist matchups are as follows:

• Overwatch 2: Confetti Arrows (Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies) vs. Antares.eXe (Exeter College)

• League of Legends: Burnley Esports Elite LoL (Burnley College) vs. Croydon Prime (Croydon College)

• Rocket League: York Vikings (York College) vs. Ariel.eXe (Exeter College)

• VALORANT: GCS Owls NatVal (Gower College Swansea) vs. CONEL Cyphers Valorant (The College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London)

Oneallsports will sponsor the MVP award, which will recognize individual players demonstrating standout performance and sportsmanship during the finals.

image Via Epic Games

So, Fortnite just brought out this Supernova Academy LEGO Pass thing on June 7, 2025, and it’s kind of different from what players might have thought. It’s not exactly same as usual Battle Pass, but like a side pass only for LEGO Fortnite mostly, though you can get XP for it from any Fortnite mode actually. You have to pay 1,400 V-Bucks for it, or if you have Fortnite Crew, it just comes with that. The pass is gonna stay until August 8, 2025, which means there’s a bit of time.

Sonia, The First Thing You Unlock

As soon as you grab the pass or if you already have Crew, you get Sonia, who is this LEGO version of a girl student who looks quite futuristic. She doesn’t look too powerful, but she’s the main person in this theme, maybe kind of mascot or something like that. She is wearing a bit sci-fi clothes and all.

Buildings You Can Make

This pass is actually focused on building a lot. So there are some full buildings that unlock through it, which you can place in your LEGO Fortnite world:

• Supernova Academy Main Hall – This is like the biggest building, looks like school center.

• Research Base – More science related place, made from like space junk.

• Training Facility – Looks more military or like an old ship, maybe.

These are actual usable builds, so you can decorate and explore them in creative gameplay, and they look neat with LEGO style.

Decorative Sets You Can Use

Besides just building, you can also get a whole bunch of décor sets. These got lot of smaller things to fill your builds and make them look like actual school or gym.

• Gym stuff like weights and lifting benches.

• Cardio Area comes with fans and machines.

• Buffet setup with tables and trays and stuff.

• Classroom pieces like laptops, chairs, and blue boards.

There are also banners and signs to match the theme, which make the area feel more lively.

Other Stuff That’s Included

The pass doesn’t give much in terms of new skins or weapons, but you still get some other additions:

• Some more cosmetics for Sonia maybe.

• Special small items like test tubes or flags added to builds.

• Nothing in terms of gameplay perks though, it’s all visual things mostly.

Still, the variety it has makes the game feel more full if you like to create.

How Long & How To Earn Rewards

Everything unlocks through XP you earn, whether you play Battle Royale or LEGO mode. No specific mission needed. It’s about 30 total items in the pass, so not super long, and it’s active till August 8, so enough time is there.

Why It Matters for Season 3

Right now Fortnite is in Chapter 6 Season 3, which is called “Super.” So this pass matches with that, because the Supernova Academy is kind of important in the theme. It fits with other content and heroes added in the season, just not all inside same Battle Pass.

Should You Even Get It?

Well, if you’re into LEGO Fortnite or like decorating stuff and placing new buildings, then yeah it’s probably good. The Sonia skin looks fun, and the structures give lot of new ideas for custom maps. It’s not for everyone, though – players who just play Battle Royale might not feel it’s worth 1,400 V-Bucks, unless they already have Crew. Either way, don’t forget it’s gone after August 8.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A growing industry is opening new doors for students across New York both literally and digitally. Nearly 70 of the state’s top young esports players gathered this weekend to compete in the Empire State Scholastic Esports Federation’s Championship and Invitational, showcasing not just their gaming skills, but their potential for futures beyond the screen.

For these students, esports isn’t just a pastime, it’s a platform.

“A lot of these students aren’t going to be streamers or even professional gamers,” said Zach Goodman of PlayVs, a partner in the event. “But they’re going to have so many different avenues to go down—whether it’s production, show casting, broadcasting—things along those lines.”

That future was on full display at the event. From Rocket League commentary to live match coverage, students weren’t just competing—they were also running the show. The championship featured a full-blown production studio operated entirely by students, giving them hands-on experience in broadcasting and media.

Kevin Calderin, Vice President of the Empire State Scholastic Esports Federation, said esports gives educators new tools to reach students in meaningful ways.

“It gives me another way to help teach and instruct—finding what resonates with them in a way I don’t always have the freedom to do in a traditional classroom,” Calderin explained.

For Edwin Charriez—better known by his gamer handle “Tadpole”—esports has been transformative. A Super Smash Bros. player with a passion for his favorite character, Rob the Robot, Edwin says the game has helped him open up socially.

“I’m not a very social person,” he said. “Being able to play the game and match other people’s skill level has allowed me to open up and discuss that with others. Now suddenly, I have a friend group across multiple schools. It’s insane.”

We mic’d him up during a match—yes, he won.

From players to producers, the next generation of students is proving they’re ready to compete—in every sense of the word. Esports is more than just a game. It’s a gateway.