Esports tournament coming to Steinbach

The Manitoba School Esports Association is bringing their esports tournament to Steinbach with about 300 players in attendance.

“This event at SRSS is a Brawlhalla provincial. So is like a 2v2 fighting game, so kids are in teams of two but oftentimes they’ll have…three to four kids per team because they have subs and things like that and so these kids have been competing for the last five weeks and have qualified for a spot to play at the provincial (tournament),” said Karl Hildebrandt, Chair of Manitoba School Esports Association.

Esports has been around for a number of years, first starting in Asia and then progressing out to other areas of the globe. It arrived in Canada about six years ago, according to Hildebrandt, and was established in Manitoba recently with MSEA establishing itself four years ago after the amalgamation of Middle Years Esport Manitoba and Manitoba High School eSports Association.

MSEA always hosts two large provincials a year – one in the fall in Winnipeg and one in the spring in Dugald. This will be the first time MSEA will hold an esport competition in Steinbach as a qualifier for provincials. At the competition there will be 30 middle years teams and 20 seniors teams.

Hildebrandt said esports are more than gamers playing each other. He said the sport gives youth the opportunity to participate at a provincial level that they might not have had in the past.

“We often get parents that come in and they’re just blown away by the focus, the teamwork, the critical thinking, the collaboration between these kids. They’re communicating, they’re creating strategies for themselves, they’re learning from their losses and it’s all hands-on things those are all the global competencies that are in Manitoba’s curriculum now that these kids get exposed to at a young age through playing something they love – video games,” he said.

Esports also can give kids experience in careers in graphics, production, and as professional gamers.

“I think at the end of the day it’s a motivator to attend school there’s so many things to think about – mental health, fitting in, making connections to peers but also to an adult, and having a connection where you feel like your school needs you. It’s so important for kids right, and if they don’t have all those pieces they’re not gonna want to attend school,” said Hildebrandt.

The esport event in Steinbach will be held on March 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.