Doris 5th & 6th graders learn life lessons playing video games in school
By Devese “Dee” Ursery
COLLINSVILLE — Doris Intermediate School hosted its first E-Sports tournament with Pac-Man as the feature game to help foster good sportsmanship, communication and collaboration skills.
Students get to participate in age and skill appropriate E-Sports programs at DIS, Collinsville Middle School, and Collinsville High School. These programs will be guided by IHSA guidelines and best practices.
The inaugural Pac-Man tournament took place in the E-Sports Lounge at DIS on Apr. 3 with 61 students competing for a prominent 3D printed trophy, designed by STEM RtI students, and bragging rights. Students also played classic card and board games in the school cafeteria while they waited for their turn.
“Our district wide E-Sports programs started in spirit and planning near the end of the last school year. Planning meetings were started with school district administrators, teachers, technology members and the athletic director,” said Jason Watts, STEM teacher for DIS.
“This school year we have been able to start to implement those plans for our 5th and 6th graders with an intramural program here at Dorris Intermediate School.”
E-Sports is an exciting new opportunity for students in our district this school year, according to Watts. E-Sport programs are starting up in high schools and colleges all over the country. Some students are earning scholarships money to eventually go on to play E-Sports in college and beyond. At DIS we have a chance to make sure students start out with all the skills they will need to be competitive and even dominate on their favorite games.
Watts said this was the first tournament of the year and it was open to all students at DIS. There were about 60 people who signed up to participate. He also explained that the DIS plans to host a school wide E-Sports Tournament for any student interested at least once a year. Additionally, an in-house E-Sports Tournament will also be held for the students that want to join our formal E-Sports program.
Pac-Man is a classic and a game that all students can have fun playing. Pac-Man is also available for students to freely practice online on their school provided chromebooks. It was a great choice for our first tournament.
“Our district wide E-Sports programs started in spirit and planning near the end of the last school year,” said Watts. “This school year we have been able to start to implement those plans for our 5th and 6th graders with an intramural program here at Dorris Intermediate School.”
The idea of teaching DIS students about gaming has been going on for a few years in their STEM programs, according to Watts.
“Students have gotten the opportunity to learn game theory, cooperative and competitive strategies, and even program their own games in Scratch,” Watts said. “It is exciting to see his new opportunity for our district’s students.”
It’s a different time, video games are used in schools as learning tools for their students.
Much like everything that students now learn in school, gaming requires students having a high degree of critical and creative thinking skills, as well as collaboration and communication skills.
According to Watts gaming requires different strategies and decision-making approaches for different styles and types of games. “This tournament and our E-Sports program gives students the opportunity to see this first hand and practice these skills with their friends,”
“The connection between decisions and outcomes, in a safe gaming environment, is a fantastic learning experience. The idea that players’ choices affect each other’s outcomes is huge,” Watts said. “Understanding that each player’s choice influences what happens to everyone involved can be a very powerful lesson. A lesson that students can then take into their own lives outside of gaming.”
Watts said the heart of E-Sports, as with all sports, is the love of playing the games. This new arena of E-Sports will allow even more students to explore their interests in gaming while honing skills that will help them throughout their academic career.
