New partnership with Gameplan to build career skills with esports

Minecraft Education has been used by school districts around the world to capture the energy and passion of esports and build pathways for future ready skills, inspire STEM learning, and support social-emotional development.

We are thrilled to expand our esports program through a new partnership with Gameplan to offer Exploring Careers in Esports, a middle school elective course where students learn about various careers and skills in the esports industry.

GAME-BASED LEARNING WITH MINECRAFT EDUCATION AND GAMEPLAN

Gameplan’s Exploring Careers in Esports teaches students how to design and implement an esports game in Minecraft Education. The course uses project-based learning where students work in groups to build games, give each other feedback, and improve. Students explore career pathways such as game design, coding, marketing, and event management.

Minecraft Education offers students an opportunity to get into esports in a non-violent and safe environment. It builds future-ready skills such as creativity, problem-solving, and digital literacy. Gameplan leverages Minecraft Education to build a standards-based curriculum with hands-on experiences that increase student engagement and prepare students for high school.

Units within the Exploring Careers in Esports come with comprehensive lesson plans, assignments, and Minecraft Education world templates, making it easy for teachers of all experience levels to lead the class. The course uses Gameplan features such as scenario reviews, journaling, and interactive puzzles to keep students engaged. Progress tracking, grading tools, and integration with the most common learning management systems make class management a smooth experience for teachers.

Here is a glimpse into the course content:

• Explore Game Design: This unit introduces students to game design principles and building techniques in Minecraft Education. Students learn how to create engaging and interactive game environments. The unit consists of 11 lessons, including designing and building a parkour mini-game, understanding game mechanics, and playtesting and analyzing challenges.
• Explore Game Development: In this unit, students collaborate to design, plan, and develop an esports game. They work on various aspects of game development, including storyline creation, character design, and level building. This unit also consists of 11 lessons, focusing on teamwork and project management.
• Explore Game Logic: Students add more complex mechanics to their games using command blocks and Redstone. This unit focuses on teaching students how to implement game logic and create dynamic game elements. It includes 10 lessons, covering topics such as command blocks, scoreboards, and Redstone circuits.
• Explore Marketing: Students create marketing materials like thumbnails and videos to promote their games and tournaments. This unit helps students understand the importance of marketing and how to effectively promote their esports events. It consists of 9 lessons, including creating game trailers, designing promotional assets, and building a digital portfolio.
• Organize Tournaments: As the capstone project, students learn how to organize their own esports tournaments. They plan and execute a school-wide esports event, applying the skills they have learned throughout the course. This unit includes 9 lessons, focusing on tournament logistics, team registration, and post-tournament reflection.

Professional development is provided for administrators and educators to ensure district-wide implementation of the course is successful. This enables educators with various experience levels to teach the course with confidence. Everyone teaching the course on Gameplan will gain access to a community of educators, a source of support and inspiration. Find out more at Exploring Careers in Esports.

MORE MINECRAFT ESPORTS RESOURCES

The Minecraft Esports Playbook is also a valuable resource for educators and school leaders seeking to introduce or enhance esports programs in their learning environments. From setting up build challenges to running tournaments, the toolkit offers insights and examples to help schools harness the power of esports for creative learning and problem-solving. Find out more at Minecraft Education Esports.