We are welcoming Isaac Peña to the Athletics for Life Podcast. We got in contact with Isaac via the Athletics and Activities Director of the Western Academy of Beijing Martin Halpin. Isaac is a Design teacher and Soccer coach for the Western Academy of Beijing. He introduced eSports (electronic sports) within WAB extracurricular program.
The pandemic gave us the opportunity to host our first eSports Fifa Soccer tournament and eSports gives us the opportunity to learn valuable life skills through sports in an online setting.
Combining video games and school used to be a recipe for trouble.
But with new technologies emerge, and schools re-evaluate how to impact student learning, there is research to suggest that gaming and e-sports may have a place alongside academics.
Isaac Peña has been coaching soccer at WAB for several years. He has seen the types of off-field benefits that athletic training and competition can have on students: academic improvements, increased self-confidence, team building, problem-solving, communication, and so many more. This year, as WAB planned programs to get students active while fighting the pandemic, Isaac sparked a conversation with the WABX Activities Department about how e-sports and how they can benefit students in many of the same ways as athletics.
Isaac’s new e-sports club in the Middle School was created out of an effort to engage students in school and help them connect over something they love. The popularity of the club is already apparent, and Isaac has a lot to look forward to as the group develops, including the FUSE Cup.
Today we are going to learn from Isaac how to start with eSports, what the benefits are and what it can add to your Athletics and Activities program.
Thank you Isaac for your willingness to share your enthusiasm for eSports.
'eSports athletes are real athletes as it takes the same skills to get to a high level' - Isaac Peña
'eSports provided us with a whole new community. The community is what makes eSports so special' - Isaac Peña
'The eSports experience: it is so much more than just the eSports athletes, it is about the creators of the games, designers, casters, advertising, music. It is truly a holistic education activity - Isaac Peña
'The actual gaming is just a small part of what eSports actually are' - Isaac Peña
'Starting with eSports is like walking a dark forest. If we help each other we will be able to find a way out of it' - Isaac Peña
Topics Covered
Catching up with Isaac Peña
How did he start with eSports
Was he sceptical of eSports
How did he implement it at Western Academy Beijing
What is the FUSE cup and are they hosting their own eSports events
eSports as a theatre production
The Asian games eSports event in Jakarta
The role of eSports at Western Academy Beijing
How does he deal with sceptical parents and what does a practice or training look like
How does he promote the eSports program
How to pick the right game and consol
What is the easiest way to start with eSports
How to Livestream your eSports events
eSports and Scholarships
The transferable skills of eSports
What are his goals with eSports
His vision on eSports for the next 5 to 10 years
Final tips to get out of the dark forest
More information on the FUSE Cup
Website Western Academy of Beijing - https://www.wab.edu/
FUSE Cup - https://www.thefusecup.com.au/
OUR SPONSORS:
Collegepro website: http://www.collegepro.com.cn/
Contact information: dale.dai@collegepro.com.cn
SOS Medical Mongolia: http://sosmedica.mn/en/
Host(s): CD Johnson and Jeff Koops
Twitter: @AthleticsforLi2
Special Guests: Isaac Pena
Camera and editing: Scott Lillis
Contact information:
cd.athletics4life@gmail.com / craig.draper-johnson@britishschool.edu.mn
jk.athletics4life@gmail.com / j.koops@isumongolia.edu.mn
s.lillis@isumongolia.edu.mn
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