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.

Image Via Coin Crew Games

So they have announced Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School, and yes, it’s going to PC first — Steam and Epic Games Store they said. Developers Coin Crew Games and iam8bit Presents are showing it off at the Summer Game Fest 2025 during the Day of the Devs thing. They told the game will arrive in 2026, no date but still. This is a sequel, so if you played the first one (a lot of people did, like millions), then you maybe understand what’s coming. Except not really. This one’s more open.

New Style of Escape Puzzling, Kinda Big

Now, instead of just being puzzle levels, Escape Academy 2 got a campus. You walk around it. Classrooms, dorms, probably tunnels or some sort of hidden stuff. Everything is a puzzle now. Or like, puzzle-adjacent. It’s more of a game you explore than just escape from things. That’s what they’re trying to say. The entire school becomes a puzzle now. Which sounds more fun, but also maybe confusing, unless done right.

You Can Play Alone, Or You Don’t Have To

You’ve got options. You want to play alone, fine. You want a friend to solve the puzzles with you? Also yes. There is online co-op and local split screen, which not every game still has. They added something called “No-Timer Mode” too, so no rush to solve if that’s what stress you. But some people might think it’s less exciting like that.

Story Gets Deeper (Or at least it tries)

So the game, it’s not just puzzles. It’s telling a story too — something about academy secrets, hidden histories, mystery stuff. Old characters come back. New ones show up. Everyone probably has something to say, maybe too much at times. You can go on side-quests with them, get lore and other things if you care. They say it’s more immersive and all that.

ALSO READ : New SpongeBob Game Leak Reveals Patrick Star as the Main Playable Character

Looks Nicer, Sounds a Bit Cooler

Graphics got upgraded a little, maybe a lot, depending on who you ask. Characters look slightly different, maybe better, or just… new. There’s a fresh soundtrack from DJ Doseone. It’s more atmospheric and puzzle-y (whatever that means). At least the music will likely slap, softly.

It’s Coming, Eventually

No exact date, but “2026” is what they keep saying. You can wishlist the game on Steam, which means you’ll probably forget and then be surprised when it releases. Meanwhile, if you ain’t tried the first Escape Academy, it’s on discount now — like 60% off on Steam. Maybe worth grabbing if you want to catch up before the sequel gets here.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A local esports company is holding camps in Grand Rapids this summer to help support the rapid growth of the sport.

Jump Ahead Play Fuel summer camp will be held every Friday and Saturday from June 20 to Aug. 1 at Burton Middle School. The camp is free to all kids 10 and up in Kent County.

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“I’m very excited for the culture of esports that we’re building,” said Dee Jones, the chief energy officer at Jump Ahead L3C, the company hosting the camp.

He said that kids will get educated on digital finances; ‘shoutcasting’ commentary; cryptocurrency; name, image and likeness rights and more.

“I truly want them to know that people care,” Jones said of what he hopes kids get out of the camp. “People care about their education, people care about their goals, their dreams, the things that they look to achieve to get out of poverty, to change their lives, to break those barriers. To show their parents that you can actually get paid from gaming, have a career and potentially earn six or seven figures.”

Universities around the country are putting more resources into building esports programs, leading to the formation of competitive teams, new facilities and even scholarships.

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Josiah Dunning played on Ottawa Hills High School’s esports team. It earned him a scholarship to Davenport University.

“It was an athletic scholarship, which confused me when I saw it the first time,” Dunning said.

Dunning is a part of a growing number of students who are using their talent for video games to help play for college. In Michigan alone, several schools now offer partial esports scholarships, including Michigan State, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.

“We’re actually increasing opportunities and kids around our community are directly benefiting from this,” Jones said.

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CORAL SPRINGS, FLA — Lander’s Kajsa Lindqvist was named a second-team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) on Friday. Flagler’s Stella Jelinek and Henriette Stranda had previously been named first-team All-Americans, giving the PBC three in total.

Flagler’s Jordyn Jodgson and North Georgia’s Jadin Ware were also named honorable mention All-Americans.

A junior from Göthenburg, Sweden, Lindqvist played every round for Lander in 2024-25, with one victory and nine top-10 finishes, tied for most in the PBC. She shot par or better in 13 of her 36 rounds for a 73.03 stroke average, third in the league. Ranked #13 in the nation by Scoreboard, she shot seven-under 65 twice during the season, the two lowest rounds (relative to par) by any PBC player.

Lindqvist finished in fourth place at the NCAA South Regional with rounds of 73-69-74, earning one of the two individual spots in the NCAA National Championships. At the nationals she finished in a tie for fourth after shooting one of those 65s, jumping 11 spots on the leaderboard in the final round.

A three-time PBC first-team All-Conference selection, Lindqvist earns her first All-America honor.

School’s out for summer, and for some kids, that means heading off to camp.

An e-sports summer camp was held at Omaha’s Quest Forward High School this week.

English teacher and eSports coach, Angee Henry, originally took the coaching gig to help ensure students had something to do after school.

“They said, ‘There’s no coaches in the building, will you coach?’ And I’m like, ‘Well, I coach track,’ and they said, ‘Oh, then you can coach e-sports,” Henry said.

She immediately saw how passionate the students involved were, and how competitive a skill it can be.

Her first year on the job, her team finished third overall in a Super Smash Bros. Class D competition.

“I think looking at it as a sport, because we look at it as a game sometimes. You know, football is a game, but it has respect in there and just respecting it, and knowing that athletes are participating in something serious,” Henry said.

Maximus Johnson is one of 14 students who participated in this week’s camp.

He said his favorite part was learning from other players and being part of a team.

“Here it feels like you’re actually playing together for the same reason, and you have the same values on why you’re playing,” Johnson said.

Johnson loves video games for the creativity they offer, but he picked up more than just victory royales during camp.

“I’m learning teamwork and skills that have to do with strategy, that’s been really fun and useful. I think it’d be cool to play e-sports for a living, but even then, I’m still learning very good values here,” Johnson said.

Johnson said as much as he loves gaming, he recognizes the need to still be physically active and get outside. He added that this camp included interactive factors like warmups and a real-life outdoor version of Mario Kart.

Coach Henry shared her message to all: E-sports can level up students’ lives.

“It can take them to college, it can take them into IT jobs,” Henry said.

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