Imagine when you were a high school student, you had an online esports platform where you could compete with your classmates. Well, that’s real now, and the current students have a platform called PlayVS – the official high school esports league with a mission of bringing esports to high school, together with traditional sports like basketball or football.
Compete for a state championship
PlayVS is a high school esports league that allows high school students to compete for a state championship. Founded in 2018, PlayVS works to provide a robust online platform where schools will be able to build and manage teams, check schedules, and track stats, all with real-time support.
According to PlayVS, “Video games are a passion for millions of students around the world.” For that reason, the mission of PlayVS is to encourage students to “form social bonds and find community while pursuing something they care about.” The platform is a great way of engaging the students with their passion for esports while rewarding skills development.
Partnership with the NFHS
Through a partnership with the NFHS (the National Federation of State High School Associations), the company allows high schools to pay $64 per player in a league to compete with neighboring schools. The NFHS is writing the rules for each state, and just like the traditional sports, they are adding esports to their list of competitions. PlayVS, together with NFHS, plan to operate esports leagues in over 19,000 high schools.
Partnership with Epic Games
Furthermore, the company has partnered with Epic Games to bring the competitive esports league into colleges and universities. PlayVS is the first to score a partnership with Epic Games. The company already handles high school tournaments for Rocket League, a combination of cars and soccer.
Bringing Fortnite into high schools
The latest news from PlayVS is that they are bringing Fortnite competitions to high schools and colleges in the US. Fortnite is one of the world’s most popular games, and being an official high school sport and college sport will attract a lot of players.
After achieving massive success with high schools, PlayVS is currently launching in colleges across the US, and Fortnite is their first offer. Players will be able to compete on the platform of their choice.
On the PlayVS platform, “schools will be able to register and compete in Fortnite for free. PlayVS said it is focused on fostering a fun, inclusive environment where players can share their love of Fortnite in the good spirit of competition, regardless of skill level”.
YouTube: PlayVS | Spring 2020 Esports Season is Coming!
Photo credit: The feature image has been done by Alex Haney.
Sources: PlayVS / Jordan Crook (TechCrunch)
