SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — High school students are gearing up to participate in an esports festival at Western Iowa Tech Community College.
The festival was sponsored by the Northwest Region of the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council. More than 80 students were given the opportunity to gain information about possible career paths in the games industry and ideas for courses such as video game design, graphic design, shoutcasting and newscasting.
Northwest Regional Manager Mary Trent said the esports festival allows students to see what courses related to esports are available.
“This gives us an idea of when students are interested in the game,” Trent said. What lies beyond the game? ”
Some students have already created their own video games. Student Adrian Acevedo said he doesn't play games, he just helps people make them.
“For me, I wanted to know more about games, so I thought of one thing I could do by playing games, and I think there's a lot more I can do in this community,” Acevedo said. I did.
For students living in rural areas, the festival inspired them to consider pursuing higher education with a gaming degree.
“We want them to be able to say, “I really like the game, and maybe they never thought of going to college for it, but now they have some ideas about three or four different colleges.'' I hope they come away with some really good ideas that say, 'I'm doing it.' Maybe they'll get into gaming and esports and pursue it.”
The festival also taught students about life skills.
“We learn things like teamwork, cooperation and competitiveness,” said student Caleb Pitzen. “We also learn to like doing things alone and in groups, so we can forever learn new skills and things.”
Western Iowa Tech Community College offers resources for students who want to start their own esports gaming team.
