The big news…on May 16, the BDS eSports team took the top 3 spots at the City Schools’ ​eSports Tournament at Medfield Recreation Center…but the bigger news is why this is such a big deal. BDS Staff member Enzo Blanks had a vision a few years back of forming a school-based eSports team so students […]

The big news…on May 16, the BDS eSports team took the top 3 spots at the City Schools’ ​eSports Tournament at Medfield Recreation Center…but the bigger news is why this is such a big deal.

BDS Staff member Enzo Blanks had a vision a few years back of forming a school-based eSports team so students could be a part of the growing trend of eSports, and learn their way around computers, planning events and working together as a team in the process.  Fast forward to 2024, when Baltimore City Public Schools, The Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success, and the Department of Parks & Recreation were also doing their research, and in an effort to ensure our youth had a stakehold in the industry, created a pathway for a Baltimore City eSports League to manifest.

What are eSports? “Simply put, eSports are video games that are played in a highly organized competitive environment. These games can range from popular, team-oriented multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBAs), to single player first person shooters, to survival battle royales, to virtual reconstructions of physical sports,” according to the Harvard International Review.

“Since 2018, when the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) first recognized eSports as an official sport, more than 8,600 high schools have started video-gaming teams. This explosive growth is driven by student interest—about 90 percent of teens play video games—and is matched by growth in esports scholarships and careers.” – NEA Today

City Schools is intent that our scholars will have the resources and skills to be competitive in this growing industry and are currently test piloting a competitive eSports program with ten 6th – 12th grade schools in the district. They partnered with the Cxmmunity Foundation, an Atlanta based company that ensures under-served students receive education, technology, and access to a curriculum that includes game design, PC build, marketing, shout casting (commentating) and event planning.

Baltimore Design School was one of the schools that applied and was selected to participate, along with Reginald F. Lewis, Patterson Park Charter, Benjamin Franklin and Renaissance Academy, to name a few.  Mr. Blanks is the proud coach of his team of ten 9th and 10th grade students, who practice daily in the Verizon Innovated Learning Lab on the 1st floor of our school.  This tech studio is complete with high speed internet, virtual reality, augmented reality, 3D printing, robotics, computers and more, giving our scholars the tools the need to imagine, build and play.  Team members have gaming experience, but are valued for their leadership, strategic thinking, sportsmanship, support and creativity.

Youth access to technology is a top priority across Baltimore City, evident by the level of investment the city has within our job training programs, community and recreation centers.  The Medfield Recreation Center is a flagship project with the first eSports lounge, attracting youth interested in competitive gaming. In an interview with Technical.ly, executive director of Baltimore City Recreation and Parks – Reginald Moore said  “We really needed to start thinking about a vision around eSports and what eSports mean for Baltimore City.”  “Our longterm vision is to create eSports teams that kids not only understand and get things that they love, like gaming, but they can compete — and also, they can grow up [and] they can gain scholarships on the collegiate level.”

Justin King, a lifelong gamer serving as the chief technology officer for the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks described the state-of-the art facility as having everything a youth would need to be competitive and develop their skills.  “There are 20 computers in there that feature i9-13900K processors, 4090 graphics cards, 64 gigs of RAM and 4TB NVMe storage drives,” he said.  The Dept. of Parks & Rec will be expanding gaming lounges in recreation centers throughout the city, promising a very exciting summer for our youth!

So…ALL THAT is why the first competition was so important, and why we offer an enthusiastic ‘Congratulations’ to the BDS eSports team and Coach Blanks for taking the TOP 3 SPOT rankings at the City Schools ​eSports Tournament.  Freshman Trezon H. took first place with sophomores Manuel G. and ​Omari W. coming in 2nd and 3rd place respectively.  ​This was a successful inaugural season of eSports in City Schools and BDS showed we ready to eBattle!