“Most schools run mini trials to see which teams they can put through. So, yeah, it’s definitely grown, and I see it continuing to grow, that gaming space.
“I think it caters for a slightly different group of students than a lot of the mainstream sports.
“We also notice that a lot of them still do other events.”
Craig said it had broken the ice for some kids and bridged them to new sports.
“If they’re playing games anyway, but usually they’re at home, it gets them in-person so they’ve got that social component. Mixing and mingling with other schools.”
Pickleball, darts and table tennis events were planned to help build kids’ confidence for team sports, she said.
The 2NUiCODE initiative has taken several student groups to San Francisco’s tech hub and hosts robotics, 3D printing, virtual reality, coding and artificial intelligence workshops for secondary schools in the region.
In 2021, they opened an esports arena to meet the growing interest in competitive video gaming.
Sports coach Te Kiri King said it was rewarding to become a deliverer of 2NUiCODE courses after years as a student.
“I felt like I needed to, sort of, give back.
“The whole idea of the course in 2NUiCODE was to open up the world to the likes of Silicon Valley, and saying that our people can get over there.”
King attended all three trips, two as a student and the 2024 visit as an organiser.
They included workshops at Stanford University, Microsoft, Twitch and Google’s headquarters.
King said the 2NUiCODE space had grown from its initial focus on design thinking and brainstorming.
“Mainly, the course was designed to help those kids who wouldn’t necessarily think about doing tech as work, per se,” he said.
Video gaming became more central to the space, alongside other technologies.
King said during his time there the space had grown from a small classroom with “very old, crappy computers” to a huge classroom with two esports hubs.
The esports tournament is one of 50 events held by TSSSA each year, including surfing, kī-o-rahi, beach volleyball and touch rugby.
Although esports’ status as a sport remains contentious, it was officially recognised by Sport New Zealand in 2020.
King said the TSSSA event offered a fun experience for kids already in other sports teams, and an option for those wanting non-physical competition.
The event caters for students of all levels, who can compete in teams of mixed genders and ages.
Last year’s tournament featured about 15 teams from seven Taranaki schools.
This year, players will compete in Fortnite, a multiplayer shooter video game involving fast-paced, technical building skills.
King said Fortnite never really grew on him, but it remained popular with teenagers nine years after its release.
Last year’s winners were as young as 15, he said.
King also noticed stigma toward gaming had declined since he was a kid.
“Nowadays, you can make money off this stuff, which is quite huge, and a lot of the kids are seeing that.”
“And now, all of a sudden, they want to be professional gamers.
“So what better way to start than an esports competition in your local area.”
Tournament games will run from 10am to 2pm at Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Ruanui Trust building.
Noam Mānuka Lazarus (Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara) is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle.
