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Amid the disruptions to education from COVID and the attendant increase in both homeschooling and families seeking supplements outside the classroom to help children catch up, “gameschooling” is having a moment.
Combining core educational concepts with the challenges, community and excitement of competitive gaming, game schooling empowers parents and educators to find fun ways to teach children with different learning styles. Before the pandemic, Minecraft and Roblox were popular for teaching kids about everything from math and architecture to social skills, but the explosion of interest and alternatives over the past two and a half years has seen a new generation of students update their workbooks. linked and assignments with online meetups.
There is now a national convention for this.
This weekend, the online education platform Outschool is hosting its first-ever GameCon, celebrating “gaming in all its forms: board games, video games, role-playing games and more.” The meeting runs Friday through Sunday with a wide range of $1 sessions (the credit card ensures that a parent has signed up the student), and has created numerous opportunities for children to delve deeply into specific games and interact with industry professionals, as well as sessions that allow children to connect with a wider learning community and parents to talk to their peers about how games are being used to improve students’ skills.
Some of the official attendees at the various stages include representatives from LEGO Masters, Roblox and EA. The Wider Expectations for Outschool Organizers: Inspiring students to pursue their passions and network with like-minded peers through classes, games, tournaments, and connections forged in dedicated sessions with educators, as well as gamers, artists, creators, and professionals from the industry.
“This is all about co-creation with students,” said Fernando Tarango, Outschool’s chief community organizer for GameCon. “We want to create an experience to inspire students to pursue their passions, find their next passions, and dig in at a high level.”
Designed for participants ages 5 to 18, from kindergarten to high school, Outschool expects more than 2,000 students to participate in the virtual event. Each student can participate in individual sessions after a parent has signed up and GameCon organizers emphasize that this is designed as an interactive community event.
“We’re going to have a who’s who in gaming panels, trying to recreate the energy of a real gaming convention,” Tarango says. In addition to the speakers, expect Smash Brother tournaments, Minecraft servers, industry panels, artist galleries, and a series of events designed to capture the energy found at an in-person convention.
Launched in 2017, Outschool calls itself the Netflix of learning, a live online platform that connects students from around the world with other students and educators in a series of classes that span everything from core subjects to niche and creative interests. By building an interactive online model, Outschool gives students access to both teachers who are enthusiastic about subjects and other students with similar interests, creating an online setting with an attendance rate of over 80 percent for lessons that can range from one-time to semester long.
When launched, Outschool focused largely on homeschool students, but as conditions in schools have changed during the pandemic and the market has grown, the platform has allowed more families to take classes after school, on weekends, and during the summer. Some partnerships have also been forged with classrooms in innovative schools, as students in select programs can now earn credits from the Outschool curriculum as well.
Outschool, named Inc.’s fastest-growing education company in 2021. Magazine, has seen a 20-fold increase in class bookings between 2019 and 2021 and now serves more than 60,000 active students per month. With more than 115,000 classes available, Outschool has grown from 40 employees to more than 150 during the pandemic. The group also started Outschool.org to help those who cannot afford Outschool classes, and have since the program started in 2020. over $3.5 million in free signups.
Zakariya Awan, a 13-year-old Outschool contestant in Tennessee, will be one of the GameCon attendees, participating in a public large-format interview with a group of friends. This session represents the influence of teens as creators of online content. Awan says that getting together online with friends across the country to make music, whether it’s music for a YouTube series or a new Minecraft world, is a fun opportunity to feel compassion and channel creativity. GameCon offers a chance to spread the word – and the joy.
“I’m excited about all these cool things I get to do,” Awan says. “That is a lot of fun. I could make music with all my friends for something in a video game or use art. All my friends do the same and we get together on Discord to talk about what to do now, what to build. It’s very cool.”
Tarango says he expects thousands of students like Awan to have the opportunity to connect with peers, learn about new games and forge new friendships through GameCon. “I can imagine that these will mostly be individual students pursuing their own passions,” he says. “When children play, they learn. When they play together, they learn together.”
Michelle Brooks, a participant in LEGO Masters season two, brings a touch of celebrity to the event. “It’s really fun for me to be part of an online learning model,” she says. “It’s something that’s a big part of my family’s new way of education. This is also around the same time that my kids really embraced the gaming world.”
Brooks says gaming has become an important way for her children to connect with others during the pandemic, and her LEGO Masters experience has given her a new perspective on using play as education. From her own shop to teaching a LEGO elective at a hybrid school for sixth through eighth grades to connecting with people through convention, she loved sharing my art and love of building in these environments. to be able to share.
“I definitely think gaming is a valuable learning tool because it teaches a whole range of skills, including strategy, teamwork, conflict resolution, and creativity,” Brooks says. “We really encourage creativity in our home and gaming is an incredible medium to explore creativity.”
The GameCon meeting offers a mix of side stages for juniors, tweens, and teens, along with multiple public lobbies where students can interact directly with others. The ‘Main Stage’ options will run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific Time during the three-day event and focus on both game sessions (Super Smash Bros. and Minecraft appear to be two popular options) that could be of use to creators.
The organizers hope that the dual focus on gaming – with tournaments as well as Minecraft servers – and content creation will provide different opportunities for play, learning and networking. The main stage will be each day of GameCon Super Smash Bros. and Minecraft in the spotlight, as well as opportunities to learn more about LEGO Masters and Roblox from major names in the game industry, as well as other kids who play regularly.
Outschool also hopes that GameCon can highlight the long-term educational and career benefits of play-based learning. “Being at Outschool has opened my eyes to innovative ways teachers use video games to play chess, to card games and magic tricks,” Tarango says, “a whole way to use games and fun to fuel that love of learning. ”
Here’s the full GameCon 2022 program:
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