GAME ON

By Shelley Swift | Daily Reporter

FORTVILLE — Ryan Kern didn’t expect to get emotional talking about coaching kids in playing competitive video games, but the Mt. Vernon Middle School math teacher knows how much it can mean for youths to feel part of a team.

Kern shared his experience with a group of parents, sponsors and other guests gathered at the school Wednesday afternoon, as they celebrated the first year of esports programming.

“Some parents think video games don’t lead to anything, but it leads to connections, it leads to friendships,” he said.

Not every student can play basketball, baseball or soccer, Kern shared, but not everyone can do what his esports team members can do in competitive play.

Esports, or electronic sports, is a growing field of competition in schools and colleges around the world. Some students even win esports scholarships to play video games competitively in college.

The gaming industry in general — which includes video games, esports and competitive gaming — is rapidly gaining ground, with a global audience in the hundreds of millions.

Mt. Vernon’s esports program is the first of its kind in Hancock County, but Eastern Hancock schools have since joined the fray, and are in the process of renovating a dedicated space on campus for competition.

Mt. Vernon Middle School’s program got its start after Principal Lori Katz approached Kern last year about starting a team.

“I remember it was a Wednesday (when she said), ‘I want to start an esports team, and I want you to be the coach,’” shared Kern. “I said, ‘You just made my dreams come true!’”

Kern said he’s always been an avid gamer, which has been a running joke between him and his wife ever since they started dating. Never would he have guessed he’d one day get the chance to coach gaming in school.

The club he’s built has become highly competitive. The Gold and Black teams are ranked first and fourth in the state, respectively, among middle schools playing a game called Rocket League.

Typically, school-sanctioned esports clubs focus on a different video game each semester, competing against others playing the same game.

Mt. Vernon’s club got its start last fall playing Madden NFL.

This semester it’s playing Rocket League, described as a high-powered hybrid of arcade-style soccer played by rocket-powered cars.

The club grew from four members last fall to roughly 10 this year, and Kern anticipates it will only grow from there.

Groundswell of support

Wednesday’s gaming open house was meant to celebrate not just the program, but the community partners who made it possible.

Kern credited his principal as well as Mt. Vernon Education Foundation and NineStar Connect for supporting the vision.

Once tapped by Katz to launch the esports club, Kern applied for a Big Ideas grant through Mt. Vernon Education Foundation worth $5,000.

The foundation’s executive director, Renee Oldham, reached out to NineStar Connect in hopes of partnering on the program.

She was blown away when the publicly-owned utility granted an additional $23,000 for the program.

Kern said the major investment elevated the program from the ordinary to the extraordinary, transforming a dedicated section in the school library into a gaming lounge that would likely be the envy of gamers of all ages.

Twice a week after school, the Marauders Esports club members file into the dimly lit NineStar Gaming Lounge in the school library to compete online against other schools.

Players line up side by side at eight different gaming stations, bantering back and forth and shouting enthusiastically whenever someone makes an especially great play.

Their gaming equipment is top of the line, with computer towers and headsets that cast an iridescent glow.

Kern credits Seth Hamilton, director of technology for Mt. Vernon Schools, for helping him purchase and install the gaming equipment and creating such a great experience for students.

Belinda Fuller, one of the parents who attended Wednesday’s open house, was happy to see her eighth-grade son Connor having so much fun interacting with his teammates.

“I’ve always been a gamer, so he gets that from me,” said Fuller, who said playing video games is a great way to connect with others in a shared activity.

“We’ve even got his dad to start playing with us,” she said.

Connor, 14, who plays quarterback on his school’s football B team in the fall, said esports is a great way to experience what it’s like playing as a team, even for those who don’t play traditional sports.

“It’s just nice to share with people who are as passionate about it as you are,” he said.

One of his esports teammates, seventh-grader Cyrus Moore, 13, said it’s also a great way to build relationships and get to know students on a more personal level.

“It’s a good way to stay connected,” said Cyrus, who does robotics at school in the fall semester and esports in the spring.

Team unity

Kern said he’s loved watching his students’ friendships grow through the after-school gaming club.

“The community aspect has been awesome,” he said. “They’ve all grown just by watching each other play.”

As an educator, he loves the fact that esports can provide a team sport experience for students who otherwise might not get to experience that type of camaraderie.

His eyes sparkle as he talks about the possibility of starting a new esports program next year to integrate students with special needs.

Kern also hopes to expand Mt. Vernon’s esports program to the high school, and dreams of the possibility of local students winning college scholarships through competitive online gaming.

The National Association of Collegiate Esports, the only nonprofit membership association of colleges and universities with varsity esports programs, oversees play for more than 260 schools across the United States and Canada.

Kern said his students certainly have what it takes to compete.

On Wednesday he told guests how he was blown away by the caliber of talent while watching last year’s Rocket League world championships on TV.

“These (Mt. Vernon) kids are doing that exact same type of things they were doing in the world championships,” he said.

“I could never take them on in a game. What they can do is absolutely wonderful.”