Nintendo U.K. has announced a new partnership with Digital Schoolhouse and Outright Games that will see it expand its esports ecosystem in the country with a new national tournament aimed at primary school students between the ages of eight and 11.
The DSH junior esports tournament is a partly competitive, partly career-oriented experience, with the events offering pupils a look into the industry through both tournaments and lessons. The goal is to introduce them to careers such as computing, as well as the blossoming esports scene.
The program will be focusing on age-appropriate titles on the Nintendo Switch, such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. There will also be other games on-hand for those not competing to allow teachers to engage more with their students.
“We are thrilled in our role as lead partner for Digital Schoolhouse to be bringing yet another transformative and inspiring programme to young pupils across the U.K. with Nintendo Switch,” said Kalpesh Tailor, head of communications at Nintendo U.K. “In the past year our partnership has reached over 10,000 pupils and 1000 teams in schools & colleges across the U.K. with the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Team Battle tournament.”
The launch of the tournament follows a successful pilot that was held in the U.K. in 2020. From the tournaments, a report showed that those who participated in the pilot event were more engaged with activities at school. There was also an increase in motivation to study computing and relevant fields after playing in matches.
There’s no information yet on when, where, or how these events will be rolled out in the future, but it’s an exciting time for young esports fans throughout the U.K.
