High School In Norway Will Include eSports In Their Curriculum

A high school in Norway looks into including eSports in its core curriculum.

Garnes Vidaregaande Skule, which is located in Bergen, will introduce competitive gaming this coming August. The school, however, is still currently uncertain how they'll go about it. In fact, it is currently confused which of the three games to focus -- 'DotA 2,' 'League of Legends' or 'Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.' The school officials have asked the opinion of the students on which game they should include in the subjects through an online survey. The school also asked the students for other options and expressed that they are open for proposals.

The curriculum will be offered as an elective subject. Students should think of it like a gym class but with a grading system as daunting as other subjects. Garnes Vidaregaande Skule will be the first Norwegian public school to include competitive gaming in a school's curriculum.

Each week, the gaming subject will last for 5 hours but not all of those will be dedicated to sitting in front of the PC. Petter Grahl Johnstad, manager of the school's science department, said that they will include physical activities that work to 'enhancing the student's ability to stay focused over a long period of time whilst performing their sport.' Aside from physical training, the subject will also include reflex training, nutrition and lifestyle advice.

The subject is not only aimed at preparing Norwegian high school students into the professional scene but it also works to develop teamwork and motivation. Skule is looking into joining the esports scene within three years.

'Understanding the game is one thing, but if the communication does not work within the team, if the players can't rely on each other, you practically have nothing in our opinion,' Johnstad added.

Students who will be taking the course will be given Nvidia GeForce GTX 980Ti video cards for free but they still need to setup their own PC.