More students than ever before will have access to the community, camaraderie, and competition that esports provide, in a uniquely inclusive and equitable setting

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- PlayVS, the leading amateur esports platform, has announced that it will dramatically reduce the overhead cost of scholastic esports participation by making competition on its platform free for high schools in the U.S. and Canada.

Beginning with the Spring 2024 season, PlayVS will remove competition enrollment fees for all state and regional leagues, enabling students to partake in the highest tier of scholastic competition across the most popular gaming titles. These include Madden NFL 24, Mario Kart 8™ Deluxe, NBA 2K24, Rocket League, Splatoon™ 3, and Super Smash Bros™. PlayVS will crown more than 200 state and regional champions across these titles during the 2023-2024 school year.

This strategic evolution is driven by a commitment to leveling the playing field for students everywhere, regardless of budget or resources. PlayVS is focused on making it easier than ever for schools to offer esports programs so that their students can experience the many benefits associated with competitive gaming – including socialization, character growth, and the development of STEAM skills – and enabling the company's vision of making esports available to everyone. PlayVS' removal of competition fees will open up the opportunity to compete in esports to thousands of lower and middle-income high schools where the cost to compete is the main barrier to entry.

"Without esports, many of our nontraditional athletes would miss out on the opportunity to participate in a popular student organization and represent their campus with pride and joy at tournaments. The level of engagement in campus social life and the increase of students' self-esteem has a huge impact on all esports athletes regardless of their ethnicity or socioeconomic status," said Dr. Jasna Aliefendic, Technology Coordinator for Garland Independent School District in Texas. "The growth and development that I see every year is truly remarkable, and it's being directly unlocked by competitive gaming. This decision by PlayVS would enable many schools in Texas and around the country, and particularly those in low-income urban and rural areas, with the ability to start a program and unlock the tremendous benefits that esports provide to their student population."

Esports are uniquely accessible in that they are co-ed and don't require specific physical attributes to be successful. Nearly half (45%) of PlayVS' users say that esports are their very first experience participating in an extracurricular school activity. Additionally, according to PlayVS' 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.

"Esports are more than just a form of entertainment; they're a platform for personal and educational growth," said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS. "We want to ensure that every student has access to this unique opportunity, regardless of the resources their school can allocate. There is a major need and opportunity for organizations to support important, youth-based initiatives in their communities. PlayVS will be providing opportunities for these organizations to help underwrite the costs of access to and participation in esports."

Chapman, who has spent his entire career in education, joined PlayVS as CEO in June 2023, after co-founding and leading edtech company EVERFI from 2008-2023. During that time, he created a vibrant ecosystem of organizations committed to supporting the needs of thousands of schools and millions of students, with the majority from underserved and rural communities.

PlayVS' shift to free competition is part of Chapman's new, broader vision for the company. Starting this December, PlayVS will spearhead new initiatives that will drive increased esports adoption at large. On December 9, PlayVS will host its first-ever PlayVS Live event in Austin, TX. The initiative will unite local community members, esports players and pro athletes for a day of competition and connection. PlayVS is committed to introducing new avenues of growth for amateur esports and will launch several additional PlayVS Live events in 2024 across current and new gaming titles.

PlayVS' shift to free competition follows a successful collaboration with the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF), offering free access to competitive esports to member schools in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF).

ABOUT PLAYVS
PlayVS (pronounced Play Versus) is North America's leading scholastic esports platform, on a mission to unlock the many benefits of esports for players everywhere. PlayVS offers a single community in which players, coaches, educators and parents come together to compete, connect and grow through the power of esports. PlayVS is the official high school esports partner to the NFHS Network, the Special Olympics and state and regional organizations in the U.S. and Canada that offer officially sanctioned scholastic esports leagues.

SOURCE PlayVS