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New Esports Arena Puts Focus on STEM
By Elizabeth Laughlin
The Tube City Almanac
August 26, 2022
Posted in: Duquesne News
Duquesne City School District has opened a new esports arena for its students. It is the first in the Pittsburgh area specifically designed for middle school students.
The arena, which includes Xboxes and vibrant-colored chairs, is in the K-8 building and was previously a school board meeting room.
It officially opened on Thursday at 1 p.m. with a grand opening and ribbon cutting.
The esports arena was funded by Robert Morris University, the Penn State Readiness Institute and the Heinz Endowments, as well as federal COVID-19 relief funding.
Esports are competitive sports in digital contexts, often played by professional gamers. But they are becoming more popular at schools, especially in higher education. Traditionally, the gaming and coding industry has been predominantly white and male centered, but that is starting to change, as programs become more accessible.
Duquesne's esports facility also will feature an esports gaming club, held after school hours. The district hopes to play matches against other schools in the area.
Esports offer a way for middle-school students to practice their skills in STEM, such as coding, science, and mathematics.
Esports also benefit studies in digital literacy and digital humanities. They can help students work in a team and think critically. Studies have also shown that students become more engaged and interested in the subject matter when learning through a digital platform. Students can also become familiar with technology and programming.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, or the NFHS, esports competitions can lead to scholarship opportunities. They also open the door for careers in marketing, digital humanities, programming, graphic design, and more.
The new area comes as seventh- and eighth-grade students return to Duquesne City schools for the first time in 10 years, becoming the first school district in Pennsylvania to reopen a middle school after closing it.
Students will be able to take esports as an elective.
The district also is reintroducing WPIAL sports such as volleyball and football.
Duquesne City School District begins school on Monday (Aug. 29) for grades 1-8 and Tuesday (Aug. 30) for pre-K and kindergarten.
Elizabeth Laughlin is a freelance writer and a doctoral student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. She is a graduate assistant who runs the department newsletter and writes for a digital project. She writes for Modern Language Studies, and her short story, "Twenty-Seven," is being published in their journal.
Originally published August 26, 2022.
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