Overwatch Esports Camp: Skill Building and Team Practice, Age 13-17 (PC Only)

These are the students’ learning goals and activities over the course of five sessions:

— Day 1 - Set Up and Overview - Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Overwatch and to familiarize kids with our camp’s objectives. We start off the camp with an icebreaker to create a comfortable space for kids to get to know each other. In this session, we’ll concentrate on Overwatch’s goals and the Arcade: Capture the Flag mode.

— Day 2 - Hero Roles - Students will discover the different roles in the game and what each role does. They will then get to practice in a Custom: Control (King of the Hill) map.

— Day 3 - Team Composition and Synergy - What is a team comp and how do different heroes’ kits synergize? In this class, we’ll explore what makes a good team comp and how students can pick to make their team synergy strong. We will then practice in a Custom: Escort map game. 

— Day 4 - Map Types - The map can affect a player’s team’s chance of success and playmaking. Discover what makes each map unique through Custom: Assault map custom games. 

— Day 5 - Counterplay and Thinking Dynamically - In this session we will explore ways you can increase your team’s chance of winning by practicing counterplay. The class will practice in a Custom: Hybrid map custom game which combines knowledge from the  Assault and Escort maps to test each players’ critical thinking.

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn from one another. Our programs are designed based on the extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site. 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, and sports performance, and design and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.  

Learn more about our organization at:  https://connectedcamps.com/about 

About UCI Esports:

UCI is the first public university to create an official esports program and is regarded as one of the best and most comprehensive in the world. The vision for the esports program was born in the summer of 2015. With a successful Computer Game Science major, a thriving gaming community, and a history of elite competition, UCI is a natural place for esports to thrive. UCI recruit's the best gamers in the world to compete for their teams in the top collegiate leagues in North America and is at the forefront of game-related education and research.

This class does not require any out-of-class work although if students wish to explore this subject any further, our instructors can provide guidance so they can continue to practice Overwatch on their own time. 

At Connected Camps, we assess each student’s progress by engaging them in reflection of their own work and the work of their classmates. By practicing in Overwatch and applying concepts taught in class, our students are able to solidify their learnings through hands-on application. Our counselors’ focus is to provide qualitative feedback to further each students’ individual goals and interests, and we do not use letter or number grades.

In addition to our in-class reflections, our counselors also provide post-session recaps that offer a summary of what is accomplished each day. Through these summary reflections, students are able to review the material and share with their parents what they did in class. We find this approach allows kids of different interests and abilities to engage with our teachings in a way that is particularly relevant to them.

7 hours 30 minutes per week in class, and an estimated 1 - 2 hours per week outside of class.