Shaheen originally applied for the Innovation Squad project because he was looking for ideas to scale up his e-Sports team lounge for use throughout the school day. He was well underway getting his team set up, including a remodel of the gaming space and simulcasting games during the school day and on a live stream. While he does have some small-scale problems to overcome (establishing a stipend for coaches through student activities, advocating at the state level for the inclusion of more high-interest and lucrative games), he was more interested in establishing a gaming culture in the school in general. We discussed ways to create leadership roles for his players to develop empathy for gamers, especially regarding their “extreme collaboration” skills, advanced communication skills and the available scholarship funds for talented gamers.

The project is currently on pause. The kids are still gaming, but not necessarily competing. We discussed the possibility of students creating and releasing videos about gaming and maybe inviting high school students to “attend” games for school spirit while other activities are suspended.