Discovery Trust Minecraft Esports Competition: A Case Study
540 children from 11 schools and 6 club esports teams participated in a creative and collaborative online challenge.
Introduction
The Minecraft Esports Competition was a unique event that involved 540 children from 11 schools and 6 clubs across Discovery Schools Academy Trust in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland. The competition was designed to promote creativity, teamwork, and digital skills among children aged 9-11 years. The competition was organised by the Discovery Esports Club, a non-profit organisation that aims to inspire young people to engage with esports and gaming.
Competition Format
The competition consisted of 14 qualification rounds, 2 semi-finals, and a grand finale. Each round was made up of 7 teams of four competitors, who had to build a trophy based on a different theme for each round. The themes ranged from Gardening, Fishing, Golf and Mario Kart Dominos, Pokémon Unite, and A Minecraft Trophy in the final. The competitors had 15 minutes of planning time and 45 minutes of construction time. They used a rubric to judge and plan their designs, which included criteria such as Creativity, Aesthetics, Complexity, Innovation using Redstone and the design theme Trophy Competition Rubric.docx. The teams logged in remotely from their schools or clubs and competed in the esports 12 Grid Making Arena, a customised online environment that allowed them to create and share their trophies. The trophies were then evaluated by a panel of judges, who selected the best team from each round to advance to the next stage. The judges also gave feedback and tips to the teams to help them improve their skills and strategies.
Competition Outcomes
The competition was a huge success, attracting over 100 adults as spectators for the finals. The spectators included teachers, parents, and representatives from the Esports Club. The finals showcased the amazing creativity and talent of the young competitors, who impressed the judges and the spectators with their innovative and diverse trophies. The final theme was “Minecraft Esports”, and the teams had to build a trophy that represented the spirit and values of Minecraft esports. The grand final was a close contest, with all 7 teams demonstrating high levels of skill, collaboration, and sportsmanship. The judges praised both teams for their excellent work, but ultimately decided that the team from Danemill Primary School was the winner, based on their trophy’s originality, creativity, and relevance to the theme. The team from Danemill Primary School received a trophy, a build your own Gameboy that children had to programme their own games. The runner-up team from the
Conclusion
The Minecraft Esports Competition was a successful and rewarding experience for all the participants, organisers, sponsors, and spectators. The competition achieved its objectives of promoting creativity, teamwork, and digital skills among children, as well as raising awareness and interest in esports and gaming. The competition also demonstrated the potential of using Minecraft as a tool for education, entertainment, and social interaction. It was decided that this would become an annual part of the wider education programme for Discovery Trust.
