Pioneering a new wave of inter-school competition – The rise of esports in education by Mr Phil Willis
The game is Minecraft Capture the Flag. Two Teams of five players attempt to steal a flag from the enemy base and bring it back to their own, whilst simultaneously trying to prevent the other team doing the same to them. The game is played over 20 minutes and players are able to build defences and fortify their positions, whilst also collecting healing items, stronger weapons and items that boost their speed or strength to give them the edge in battle.
“I really enjoyed this esports tournament. It was fun because I was able to play with my friend and we really improved as a team by the time we got to the final, even if we did not win. My favourite part was probably when we made it out of the group stage, since we worked so hard. Overall the tournament was a great experience.“
– by Talib Qizalbesh, Nadeen School Student
From January through to March, a pioneering group of students from year 8 and 9 took part in the first ever COBIS x Daigon international esports competition. Our first game was against a group of students in Azerbaijan, and from the outset our students demonstrated class and sportsmanship as they applauded their opponents victory in the test match. The following games were all ranked and we went from strength to strength, winning each match against schools in Al Ain, Moscow and Uganda, ultimately being invited to take part in the live finals event. The finals involved schools from over 20 different countries across the globe where we were the only representative for all of Bahrain. Having made it to the quarterfinals, we were up against stiff competition in the form of the under 15 teams from PRIMA International School Belgrade. They used new tactics we hadn’t come across before, and had a very strong offence. This was enough to defeat our Wolf Pack, and go on to come second in the entire tournament.
“This is the first year Nadeen has participated in any esports competitions. I am proud to be a player – and even more proud to see how far my team has come. Our victories fueled us. We learned from our mistakes. Success was the outcome. This was an amazing opportunity to showcase our skills and sportsmanship.“
– by Niharika Menon, Nadeen School Student
Esports is a hugely popular and rapidly growing industry. Whilst it is not on a financial par with physical sports, the emergence of professional gamers and teams, receiving significant corporate sponsorship, and media exposure on platforms such as Youtube, Facebook and Twitch, demonstrates a strong trajectory that esports will continue to grow. So it is extremely exciting to be involved in some of the first ever school-based international competitions. Like in physical sports, esports such as FIFA, Defence of the Ancients, Fortnight, Counter-Strike, Rocket League and Minecraft’s capture the flag- require communication and teamwork, problem solving and quick thinking, strategy, patience and determination. I am incredibly proud of the Nadeen Wolf Pack’s first ever venture in the digital arena, and based on their resilience and rate of development, I know we will grow in this exciting new competitive field.
