All North Carolina High School students are invited to participate in the VESL program for free. Through esports, the news release said, SET and PlayVS are creating an environment that promotes STEM education and digital upskilling.
“Esports has shown its power in enhancing student engagement, attendance and overall mental wellness,” PlayVS CEO Jon Chapman said in a public statement. “Through the integration of our esports expertise with SET’s dedication to educational excellence, we can empower thousands of North Carolina students, fostering success not only in gaming but also in classrooms and future workplaces. Beyond this initial partnership, the model holds incredible potential for replication across other states.”
According to its website, SET’s mission is to promote upward mobility, support STEM education and tech talent pipelines, and increase the number of women and minorities pursuing technology-related careers. It considers esports a “vehicle to teach STEM,” which VESL facilitates, for example, by providing an outlet for students to complete assignments on topics like artificial intelligence or coding and compare their work to other teams in a competitive environment.
“Joining forces with PlayVS brings the gold standard varsity esports platform together with the cutting edge of innovation in STEM education and workforce development,” SET chairman Tariq Bokhari said in a public statement. “What we are doing today in North Carolina, and soon after nationwide, is setting a new standard for meeting kids where they are via gaming and creating a bridge that changes lives and upward mobility trajectories through a first-of-its-kind competitive varsity approach to STEM learning, while also generating the workforce talent desperately needed at scale, and tailor-matched to the unique employer needs of each region.”
In an email, Bokhari added that the company’s core goal is to bridge the digital divide, particularly in rural communities. He said all programming for STEM and esports competitions is compatible with school-issued Google Chromebooks.
“On the esports side, it extends beyond gaming,” he wrote. “Students in esports may handle tasks like live stream production or technology maintenance. They can also apply STEM knowledge gained through the program to create their own video games.”
According to the PlayVS platform’s website, in addition to providing live match events and scheduling support, it also has functions for roster management, scouting tools, and direct publisher partnerships that allows it to integrate a variety of game titles for competitions. Across the United States, the National Federation of State High School Associations Network uses the PlayVS technology for varsity-level esports competitions leading up to state championships in games such as Super Smash Bros., Rocket League and League of Legends.
