Gamer.LK takes competitive eSports to schools with the first inter-school eSports championship

Tuesday, 20 September 2016 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

After successfully conducting inter-university and mercantile eSports championships, Gamer.LK is introducing the first inter-school eSports championship in Sri Lanka. The Dialog Gaming Inter-School eSports Championship is open to both government and private schools, and will see teams from over 20 schools in the country compete for the prestigious championship trophy. Organised with the intention of bringing out the positives of structured competitive video games, the event will be held on 24 and 25 September at Trace – Expert City.

eSports is an official government-recognised sport in countries around the globe, with national-level governing bodies and international federations regulating the sport. Sri Lankan eSports is governed by the Sri Lanka eSports Association, which is a member of the International eSports Federation. Sri Lankan youth have brought pride to the nation on several occasions by representing their country at eSports World Championships. eSports has been held alongside major events such as the Olympics and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, with Sri Lanka being invited to participate with support from the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka.

With video games being perceived as a problem for school children today, Gamer.LK is striving to take the passion and hours that children put into casual gaming and mould it into a constructive, team based, regulated, sports-type past time. The benefits of eSports are many, with studies showing increased cognitive growth, better hand-eye coordination, enhanced communication skills with team members, and increased critical thinking for problem solving. eSports in Sri Lanka has received the support of organisations such as the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka for its promotion of Information Technology, with eSports being considered a gateway to computer literacy and a career in the IT industry.

The promotion of game-development awareness and education is another aspect being brought to light at the event. Alongside game-development workshops, there will also be talks on how to balance eSports and maintain grades at school. Dialog Gaming powers the event and also hosts cloud gaming severs underlining its commitment to the eSports community in Sri Lanka, providing them a platform to take on the international stage.

For more information on the event, head to http://school.gamer.lk.