There’s a lot to learn about esports and how our programs work. Fenworks answers the most frequently asked questions here, but if you have more questions, we want to help! Don’t hesitate to reach out and start a conversation.
Esports offers an unprecedented level of fairness and inclusion when compared to traditional sports. It also provides a level, competitive field regardless of age, gender, and genetic predisposition in ways that traditional sports are unable to accomplish. Esports as an extracurricular activity boosts inclusion by creating a community atmosphere for a demographic that is routinely ignored and unincluded in traditional school extracurricular activities.
Esports are different in a variety of important ways. For one, esports is a term that encapsulates an immense variety of competitive titles, from auto racing simulator games, traditional chess, and more! Esports also opens an opportunity for all groups of people to compete in a level playing field, regardless of age, gender, or genetic predisposition—girls can compete against guys without any advantage one way, just the same as a high schooler can compete against similarly ranked middle school students and experience a fair competition. Finally, a physical location for competition is not necessary, and in a post-pandemic landscape, virtual competition is completely without risk of infection or transfer of an illness.
Esports can most simply be defined as competitive video gaming, either professionally or at an amateur level. While this is the correct definition of the esports ecosystem in a holistic sense, it does not truthfully describe what esports means to us here at Fenworks. To us, esports is an opportunity. It’s an opportunity for school administrators to engage new students, an opportunity for students to make new friends, and an opportunity for the esports ecosystem to grow in a healthy manner. It also provides students who have an interest in this activity (which is traditionally viewed as an isolating hobby) with the opportunity for a pro-social, safe environment to enjoy.
Fenworks strives to offer every school a technology education program to enrich the students’ educational experience in a personable way. We provide high schools and middle schools across the region with a comprehensive esports program that consists of curriculum, competition, and coaching. We also monitor the ecosystem to ensure every participant is who they say they are, and that they are speaking and acting appropriately.
Many studies have thoroughly debunked the prevalent stigma that video games make kids more aggressive, violent, or prone to violent behavior than kids that do not play video games. You can read more in these peer-reviewed, scientific studies from Frontiers in Psychology, Journal of Communication, and The Royal Society Publishing.
Fenworks coaches are professional, paid instructors who vary from educational content instructors to expert-level coaches. All Fenworks employees are background tested, CVIC Green Dot Certified, STEM.org Certified, and complete additional professional development as required.
Esports boosts inclusion in a demographic that traditionally has been excluded from social participation. It also helps more kids feel included and supported by their peers and schools in something they love to do. In addition to inclusion, students involved in esports have been found to achieve better grades, increase school attendance scores, and develop critical thinking skills.
No. Fenworks strives to select popular game titles that are free-to-play and cross-platform so that our program is as accessible to students as possible. Of the titles we offer, only two require interested students to purchase their own copy of the game—these are Minecraft and Overwatch.
The Fenworks program provides students with numerous benefits that are not available to them otherwise. These benefits include the following:
-Professional-grade coaching in six independent game titles
-Access to game and STEM-related content
-State-level competition
-A safe ecosystem with other likeminded students
-Opportunities for students to earn scholarships and grants
All student fees for the Fenworks program will be handled by the individual schools. The fee will be paid in the same way that all other activities fees are paid. If students have any questions, they should reach out to their school finance office for more information.
All you will need to participate in the Fenworks program is a gaming console like and Xbox or PlayStation or you can use a computer that can run the desired games. You will also need to have access to a device that can run Discord, this can be a smartphone, a computer, or a tablet.
Fenworks wants to emphasize the importance of education and other student activities and has no intention of poaching students from these other activities. Fenworks creates a flexible program with the intention of working around other commitments. No punishments will be enforced for missing session times. Content is posted in a video format so that it can be consumed on a later date, and students are given flexible times to complete their competitive matches. Fenworks will not prescribe homework and will work with schools to have the same GPA and academic participating expectations as the schools each student is from.
The preseason and season will begin in the late fall. Practices and matches will follow a schedule that is mindful and respectful of school calendars and holidays. The season will conclude with a state tournament. Dates will be shared as quickly as possible.
Students can choose! If a school has a dedicated area that is permitted to be used for the Fenworks program, students may play from school. If a school does not have these resources, or a student prefers to participate out of school, no problem! Students can use their own home setups, as long as they’re able to use Discord and participate.
Yes. Fenworks is working with the students’ schools to maintain a safe environment. The ecosystem is monitored and moderated by our coaches, with any inappropriate behavior being directly reported to schools. Fenworks also intentionally uses software’s that do not sell student data, keeps student last names truncated, and ensures that all users into the ecosystem are vetted and checked with schools to ensure that we know each user is exactly who they say they are.
Fenworks is an independent company that partners with schools to provide esports in as an extracurricular activity. We hope to provide esports in the same way that schools provide any other traditional sports and activities, such as speech, theatre, soccer, swimming, football, and basketball.
If you have an activity right after school and can’t make our first session, join the night session! Fenworks offers two program times to allow for the most student participation.
This is okay! Simply let your school’s General Manager know that you will be gone. Please keep in mind that academic/extracurricular commitments are of utmost importance and no student will be penalized for their absences regarding these other commitments.
Students will not be required to travel to participate or compete within the program—the Fenworks program will be facilitated remotely. Students will, however, have the opportunity to travel to compete at the end-of-season state tournament!
The season will begin in the fall and will conclude with a state tournament in the spring. Fenworks is mindful and respectful of school’s calendars as well.
Students will compete once every week against another regional school in the Fenworks program and will gain points that will determine eligibility for the State Tournament at the end of the year.
We offer both as opportunities for you to decide! Of course, our program is oriented towards providing the most enjoyable competitive scene for esports, but we also include non-competitive titles to engage in with a moderated community too. If you want to just join the community without any competitive pressure, we will facilitate it just as passionately as the competitive program.
The coaches come from the top 5% to 0.01% of players in their respective titles that they teach in. All curriculum is put together in a collaborative way so that, in the case that one coach may not be as experienced as another in a title, students are still learning from a qualified, expert coach in each title.
Student fees will be handled and due according to the schools’ individual considerations. Please consult your local Fenworks-partnered school for how, when, and where individual student fees are processed for the Fenworks program.
As with other school-sponsored activities, Fenworks believes that academics always come first. The Fenworks team will enforce eligibility based on each school’s extracurricular GPA requirements.