The first ever state sanctioned Esports tournament got underway on Friday, February 14th, from Aberdeen Central high school. More than 30 schools are represented at the inaugural event.
A year ago, the South Dakota High School Activities Association ran a pilot season for Esports. Because of the respond, it was greenlit as a sanctioned sport and activity under the SDHSAA umbrella.
“The main driver for us was we had some inquiries on it, and for us, it was an opportunity that was fairly cost effective for schools that could get kids involved, who otherwise wouldn’t be involved,” said Dan Swartos, executive director of the SDHSAA. “Not every kid is an athlete, not every kid’s a musician, so that was the main driver of this was to offer an opportunity for kids that might not have other opportunities in the other sports and activities that we offer.”
Most new things have their glitches to start, and Esports is no different. A lot of schools are having to learn the process as they go.
“We’ll learn a lot from this year and keep improving it moving forward, but we’re really happy with it to this point,” exclaimed Swartos.
Fenworks, a company that partners with schools to enhance the Esports experience, is also positive about the outlook of the sport.
“When you come to events like this, you see full embrace of what is happening. The teamwork, the relationship building, the leadership, the educational components, and how that leads into career, workforce, and readiness for the real world,” said Fenworks CEO Kaleb Dschaak. “I think you’re seeing a lot of school districts begin to understand, we not only should be doing this, we’re behind in doing this – let’s get this going.”
He also echoed Swartos about Esports being a spot for kids to find their own niche.
“You see these kids, who have been looking for a way to express themselves, have been looking for an opportunity to be a part of a team, have been looking for this opportunity, and for whatever reasons, the other offerings of the school district just didn’t speak to them,” explained Dschaak. “By embracing that, we’ve had an opportunity to connect with those kids.”
Some of the games being played at this year’s Esports state tournament are Mario Kart 8, League of Legends, Minecraft, and Super Mario Brothers Ultimate.
Dakota Valley head coach Michael Oberg mentioned too that it’s much more than kids playing video games.
“Every one of these [kids] have played video games their whole lives. But they may or may not have been part of something like a team,” he said. “This is maybe their first experience working with others on a team. We don’t allow them to play from home. They’re there every single day. They’re communicating with their team, so we’re building that teamwork skill in parallel to their end game skill, so we’re hitting it from two approaches.”
It's a sport that is exploding, not just nationwide, but worldwide. The early signs of Esports in South Dakota are exciting, and the future is certainly bright.
