Introducing PlayVS Middle Schools Esports!
Our free to play middle school leagues will be centered around team play with the ultimate goal focused on student growth and fun!
Today, we are excited to announce that starting this Fall 2024 season, we will expand to middle schools across the U.S.!
Since our founding in 2018, we have been able to offer the highest tier of scholastic competition and play to thousands of high schools on our world-renowned platform, and we are ready to bring that same success and excitement to the middle school space. Our middle school leagues will be centered around team play, with the ultimate goal focused on student growth. Through the benefits of esports, students will be able to learn leadership and teamwork skills, access STEM fundamentals, and prepare themselves to be better players at the competitive high school level.
The newly introduced leagues are structured around a two-week preseason and an 11-week regular season. Teams will go head-to-head across the three-month period, with an end-of-season win-loss record as proof of their performance.
The expansion to middle schools marks a significant milestone in our mission to bring the many positive benefits of gaming to students everywhere. According to our Fall 2023 mid-season survey of active coaches, the vast majority of esports coaches (90%) see improvement in student socialization; nearly three out of four (74%) see improvement in mental health and positive life outlook; and more than half (60%) say they’ve seen improvement in grades or attendance among players. With approximately 76% of children playing video games, our expansion opens the door for hundreds of thousands of middle school students to experience these benefits.
Hear from our CEO Jon Chapman on our announcement:
Like with the rest of our platform, when it comes to launching in the middle school space, the safety and privacy of our community have been our top priority. We are happy to share that we are currently COPPA compliant and will be adding official COPPA certification ahead of its Fall 2024 season. Registration is currently open to middle school students over 13 years old. Later this spring, for students under 13, we will be introducing our parent registration portal to make sure parents are an integral part of their student’s esports journey and to ensure the safety of all involved.
Schools, coaches, and parents who are interested in learning more about PlayVS and our Fall 2024 Middle School season are welcome to schedule a meeting with one of our team members, who are ready to answer any questions you may have.
As we get closer to the Fall season, be sure to be on the lookout for many exciting updates, including announcements around our full game lineup, details on the schedule, and how parents can get involved to observe their middle schoolers' journey throughout the platform.