The National Guard is Building Esports Labs in High Schools Across the US

The military, as you probably know, is always on the lookout for new ways to drag children into their ranks. We've brought a lot of attention to how both the army and the navy have been using Twitch streams to try and recruit kids to the military, and the various legal battles and trolling attempts that have followed those efforts. But Twitch isn't the only way the military is using video games as a recruitment tool: because we've just learned that Generation eSports has partnered with the Army National Guard, along with Asus and Intel, to install "esports labs" in 25 high schools around the nation.

Generation eSports president Jason Kirby had this to say:

"We know that setting up esports labs can be cost-prohibitive, so we wanted to step in and give schools an opportunity they might not otherwise have. STEM communities play a key role in the sustained growth of the economy, so it is important that we work to engage students in these areas in a way that builds life-long enthusiasm and excitement. With this project we not only teach students life-long lessons on computer building and maintenance, but also give them the opportunity to get hands-on experience of Esport gaming, potentially setting them up for a future career."

So the idea is to get people interested in STEM using esports. Makes sense. As for the National Guard's involvement, they'll be hosting "friendly exhibition matches" between collaborating schools, and while they're at it, talk with any students about how they could use a STEM degree in the National Guard, which, I'll grant you, is one of the less gross branches of the military.

Anyway, this should be a cool opportunity for some kids, regardless of the ties to the US National Guard. Hopefully, it helps bring some diversity to the eSports world too. Something it could desperately stand to fix.