VPA partners with esports company to bring competitive gaming to the state
The Vermont Principals’ Association has a partnership for a fledgling new sport.
In an ever-growing sporting space, the VPA has teamed with PlayVS, a popular esports platform, on a three-year contract that aims to bring team-based video game competitions to the amateur ranks.
“One of my areas of growth was to give more time and effort into esports and having them have more support and guidance with VPA oversight,” second-year VPA assistant executive director Lauren Thomas said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “That's one of the exciting things about PlayVS, they'll do that in collaboration with us.”
The Los Angeles-based PlayVS (pronounced “play versus”) was founded in 2018 and also collaborates with NFHS Network. The partnership will bring esports as an option for all of Vermont’s public high schools, according to a news release on Wednesday.
“PlayVS is delighted to partner with the Vermont Principals’ Association, uniting in our shared commitment to enriching the quality and equity of educational opportunities,” PlayVS’ Chief Business Officer Aakash Ranavat said in the release. “With esports, we’re not just offering a platform for competitive gaming but also a unique channel for inclusivity, diversity and personal development.”
Vermont already had an esports scene under a Massachusetts-based company with about nine or 10 schools participating, according to Thomas. It is too early to tell how many schools will add esports to their list of options with a needed emphasis on finding coaches, Thomas said.
PlayVS, which has worked with Champlain Valley Union High School the last two years, provides an established gaming space with teams throughout the country making for a more efficient sporting experience.
“They’re (PlayVS) so spread out across the country, they have so many teams that they can pull from to fill up rosters, especially when there's a cancellation," Thomas said. "Due to their size, they have a really great opportunity to provide grants and additional opportunities for schools to have like a (Nintendo) Switch (a popular gaming console) bundle that might not have it."
Participation per season costs $80 per player or less for larger teams, according to the news release. Thomas said there will also be grant opportunities available for Title I schools to “offset or decrease the costs esports.”
“This is probably one of the hardest parts about esports for me,” Thomas said regarding funding. “There is a financial investment into it, since it's computers and licensures, so finding out ways to continue to seek out grants to make it equitable across the state. And making sure the schools that may have deeper funding streams aren't the only ones that are able to participate.”
The PlayVS site has the annual cost per team at $3,000 per school year, but Thomas said the agreed price is less than what is advertised online. And there are opportunities for a lesser rate for Title I schools.
Games will begin this fall under popular competitive titles: League of Legends, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The season will conclude in December and according to Thomas, VPA championship trophies could be awarded such as they would in any other sport.
Athletes can compete from their homes or at school if the necessary equipment is available.
“This gives kids an opportunity to interact with kids from other parts of the country … that can be really cool and diverse and beneficial,” Thomas said.
To learn more about PlayVS and high school esports, visit https://www.playvs.com/high-school.
Become a member of the Vermont Varsity Insider Facebook group at https://bit.ly/2MGSfvX.
Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: VPA partners with esports company to bring gaming to the state
