Norway Is Thinking About Offering ESports Classes As An Alternative To Gym Class

Art- Most of us have tried to sneak a quick game of Minesweeper in during our computer classes at school, but for students at Garnes High School in Norway, playing games won’t be something they’ll have to hide. Garnes Vidaregåande Skole, a public high school in the city of Bergen, Norway, is to start teaching e-sports to its students starting in August. The elective class puts e-sports on the same footing as traditional sports such as soccer and handball at the school. 30 or so students enrolled in the program will study five hours a week during the three-year program. Folk High Schools—boarding schools that offer one year of non-examined training and education—have already offered some e-sports training, but this will be the first time that e-sports find a place in a regular high school. Students on the program will not simply spend five hours a week playing games at school. While gaming skills are important, the classes will include 90 minutes of physical training optimized for the games in question, with work on reflexes, strength, and endurance. Each class will be split; 15 students will play while the other 15 perform physical exercise. In an interview with Dotablast, Petter Grahl Johnstad, head of the school’s science department, says that the students will have their performance graded, with game knowledge and skills, communication, co-operation, and tactical ability all being assessed.

Yes.  1000% yes.  Need it to happen.  That’d be my reaction if I were a high school kid in Norway right now. Abso-fucking-lutely. Not because I’m a nerd and don’t like sports. It’s not that at all. You seen my high school football tape? I’m no nerd.  Quite the opposite.  I was a couple less Bud Lights away from being a half way decent linebacker at a D-3 school in Iowa. It has nothing to do with being a nerd or a jock or any of that.  It has everything to do with sweating. Yes, sweating.  Sweating after gym class in the middle of the day then going back to regular class was easily one of the worst parts of high school. Nothing worse than having gym in the middle of the day then sitting in Spanish class with sweat soaking through your shirt. Didn’t matter if you stood in front of a fan for 20 minutes or whatever. Even if you took a shower it didn’t help. It actually would make you sweat more sometimes. Remember when George Constanza goes to the gym, showers then is pissed he’s gonna be sweating during the meeting? It’s the exact same scenario. Not moving and sweating is the fucking worst. I would’ve picked an Esports class 100 times out of 100 if it had been an option back then. Sit at a desk and play video games or half-heartedly lift weights at 11am then sit at a desk and look like you’re running a marathon? Easy choice. Esports it is.