VALLEY MILLS, Texas (KWTX) – It might sound crazy but Valley Mills high school with a student population a little over 200 may have just become a hub of esports in central Texas.

” I think it just offers a non traditional path to compete and represent your school in an even that specifically focuses on kids with an aptitude for technology and technological applications.

Josh Jones the Assistant Superintendent of Academics and now Esports coach at Valley Mills applied for and received a grant from Howmet Aerospace that was aimed towards furthering STEM development in rural schools. That grant allowed the school to build a brand new esports lounge from scratch.

“I was very excited,” said Jones.

“I was explaining it’s like a dog chasing a car and then you actually catch it. You don’t know what to do with it. The it was like ‘Okay, this is real’, so we need to start planning how we’re actually going to do it, and how we’re actually going to pull this off.”

The lounge, which was built in the in schools administration room, and was previously used for school board meetings, contains eight new gaming PCs, a PlayStation 5 Pro and a Nintendo switch. Top of the line equipment that will be used to help students practice and compete in the fast growing world of high school and middle school Esports.

“It’s created a lot of buzz,” said Jones.

“We had some kids compete this year. And every time kids stop me in the hall they want to know ‘Hey, how do I get involved in Esports? And what’s that going to be like moving forward?’ It’s a new program. It’s something that’s still being ironed out and kind of worked on.”

New Baylor Esports coach Adam Stanley was on hand for the tour of the new facility, and was beyond excited for the future development of the new program that really got of the ground just last year.

“This is what it’s about,” said Stanley.

“It’s giving students opportunities. And if Baylor can play any role in that then I think that we’re doing our job. We want to build the high school level. We want to build the middle school competive level. Because students are gamers. And it’s our responsibility as adults to give them structure. To give them support and support them in what they love. While also pointing them to true things and good things discipline and teamwork, and communication. And that’s what this room will provide for these students.”

For schools that are looking to replicate what Valley Mills is building, Jones says he’s open to visitors.

“We want to be able to compete with schools in our area just like we would in athletics or anything else,” said Jones.

“The more schools that are doing it then the more opportunity there is for everybody to get together and for the kids to socialize and compete with each other and have those opportunities to play together.”

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Published: July 17, 2025

By Gavin Boyle

Gamers will see more licensed content from studios like Lionsgate and Netflix on Roblox as the gaming platform launches a License Manager, streamlining the process for companies to produce official content on the website.

“This is the perfect bridge between a platform like Roblox that’s used to moving at such a quick pace and brands that are trying to identify the appropriate partners,” said Todd Lichten, the Head of Entertainment Partnerships at Roblox.

“We have a goal to have 10% of all gaming content revenue flowing through the Roblox ecosystem and benefiting our community,” added Manuel Bronstein, the chief product officer at Roblox. “This will require having a wide range of experiences and giving creators the opportunity to partner with rights holders of the most recognizable IP.”

Netflix and Lionsgate have already joined the program, providing access to some of their most popular titles on Roblox. These IP include SQUID GAME, STRANGER THINGS, TWILIGHT, DIVERGENT and NOW YOU SEE ME.

“Roblox offers a unique and dynamic platform for our fans to connect with beloved franchises in interactive and personal ways,” said Jenefer Brown, the Executive Vice President and Head of Global Products and Experiences at Lionsgate. “We’re excited to engage with the Roblox creator community and can’t wait to see the innovative experiences they bring to life with our IP.”

Related: Are Video Games the Best Marketers for Big Brands?

While the process to license IP on Roblox has now been streamlined, the concept is nothing new as multiple games, like Minecraft and Fortnite, already serve as major branding pipelines. Because millions play these games every day, businesses can effectively market to gamers. 

“We often time the content releases with pop-culture moments like a movie release or anniversary celebration, or with relevant global topics like sustainability,” said Ada Duan, Microsoft’s GM of brand management. “The Minecraft team works with our professional creator partners to make fun and engaging gameplay, while our licensing partners share any themes or elements they would like to feature in the game.”

As for Fortnite, its most successful partnership has been with Disney, who went on to purchase a $1.5 billion stake in the company to cement their partnership. Earlier this year, Disney even launched a new Star Wars show through the game, providing players access to the first episodes of the series, even if they were not Disney+ subscribers.

Video games have become the best marketing tool for many major entertainment brands, so it is no surprise that major games like Roblox have streamlined the licensing process to make the system as simple and seamless as possible.

However, as content from shows like SQUID GAME or STRANGER THINGS appears on platform, parents will need to stay even more vigilant about what their kids are exposed to on Roblox.

Read Next: Will This Release Strategy Help Disney’s New Star Wars Show Succeed?

Questions or comments? Please write to us here.

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Whether you want to recreate your old high school team, revive a defunct college program, or invent a completely original squad, the College Football 26 Team Builder is the tool for you. From logos and uniforms to rosters and home stadiums, this online feature provides players the creative freedom to design and personalize every aspect of their team.

The Team Builder is a standalone tool that works through the dedicated web portal. To access this tool, create an EA account and log in to the portal. You can then create teams according to your choice, which you can import directly into College Football 26.

To start using the Team Builder in College Football 26, you’ll need to visit the official EA Sports College Football Team Builder web portal from a desktop browser. Mobile and tablet support is not fully optimized, so a PC or Mac is the safest option.

You’ll need to log in using your EA account credentials, which should match the account you use for the game on your console. Once logged in, you can create a new team from scratch or browse existing teams created by other players.

The interface is split into various tabs, such as Branding, Uniforms, Stadium, Program Details, and Roster. You can upload custom logos, design home and away jerseys, choose stadium size and theme, set your team’s strengths and rivalries, and manually edit every player’s name, appearance, and stats. When you’re satisfied, hit Submit to finalize your creation.

What are the uses of the Team Builder?

The Team Builder is an important tool for creating immersive experiences in College Football. There are plenty of options for using it. Whether you want to replace all the real NCAA teams with your creations in Dynasty mode or import your custom team in Road to Glory, this tool helps you accomplish that.

The feature also allows for community sharing, so you can download teams made by others, explore different rosters, or find your favorite fictional setups. It’s ideal for content creators, sim leagues, and players who love customization and storytelling.

You need to follow a series of simple steps to import your team in College Football 26 from the Team Builder tool. However, before getting into that process, you should make sure that all the team modifications are set exactly to your choice before importing them into the game.

Here’s the step-by-step guide to importing your teams from the Team Builder:

• Launch College Football 26 and select the Create and Share tab on the main menu.
• Go into the Download Center from this tab and select the Schools category.
• Depending on your console, click the Triangle or Y hotkey to open the search option.
• In the search box, type the name of your saved team and press the X or A hotkey. This will download that specific team to your game files.

Once a team has been downloaded, it can be used in the Play Now, Dynasty, and Road to Glory game modes.

For more on College Football, check out our guides on all the new celebrations and features in this year’s edition.

What seems like a flashy turn on the screens and bellowing cauldrons of the arenas is not as large as it appears. The growing popularity of esports is made all the more here by the millions of fans, substantial investment, and infrastructure at long last beginning to keep pace with demand. What is going on? Well, let us take it line by line.

And as the spectators congregate in front of their monitors or squeeze into esports stadiums, this other culture is brewing behind the scenes, one to do with craft, community, and collective experience. Local breweries are turning into watch parties for limited releases with WHACK-a-mole in honor of icons of gaming, but beer quietly becomes part of the celebration. Home or away, watching the finals on TV or reading highlights in your local taproom, in both worlds, there exists a place with which to talk, relax, and enjoy being present.

Canada’s Growing eSports Ecosystem

Cities Investing in Digital Arenas

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A Culture That Embraces Innovation

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Banijay Gaming operator Betclic has struck two new sporting partnerships in France amid the renewal of two others.

The new partnerships are with the French Handball Federation – running until 2028 – and the Arkema Première Ligue (APL), the top division of women’s football in France.

Betclic has renewed existing collaborations with the French Volleyball Federation and the Ligue Nationale de Rugby for the Top 14 competition.

Betclic said handball is now the eighth most bet on sport on its app, with the Arkema Première Ligue the most popular national women’s competition.

The extension with the French Volleyball Federation for another four seasons, until 2028, comes as the sport ranks sixth for most bets on the Betclic app, the operator said.

Excluding major sports, the 2024 Olympic final between France and Poland was Betclic’s second most bet-on event of the Games, with more than 15 per cent of players now betting on the sport.

Betclic said one in every two bettors on its app places wagers on rugby, amid the renewal with Ligue Nationale de Rugby and the Top 14 competition, which lasts until 2027.

Nicolas Béraud, founder and CEO of Betclic, said: “French volleyball is experiencing a silent but spectacular
revolution, and we are proud to support this beautiful adventure. By partnering again with FFVolley, Betclic reaffirms its lasting commitment alongside a federation in full momentum, driven by historic results and an ambitious vision for the 2028 Olympics.”

Of the partnership with the APL, he said: “The APL is a reference championship, where clubs that matter in major competitions compete. We want to be where sport is advancing, where audiences are evolving, where passions are growing.

“Women’s football ticks all the boxes, and we are proud to contribute to its development alongside Jean-Michel Aulas (President of the Ligue Féminine du Football Professionnel and Philippe Diallo [president of the FFF].”