OCM BOCES levels up esports service through ELITE Gaming Partnership

OCM BOCES levels up esports service through ELITE Gaming Partnership

OCM BOCES is thrilled to announce its partnership with ELITE Gaming to offer students enhanced esports opportunities in a state-of-the-art facility. 

Since opening its doors in 2022, Syracuse-based ELITE Gaming has hosted tournaments, classes and special events. Its current location, inside the Atrium building on Clinton Square, features an esports arena with dozens of PCs, gaming consoles, lounges and a conference room. It also serves food and drinks.

“It's fantastic that esports is growing throughout the region, bringing more students an opportunity to compete for their school in an activity that is relevant and fun for them,” said OCM BOCES District Superintendent Matthew L. Cook, Ed.D. “The folks at ELITE Gaming have been a pleasure to work with. Their professionalism and passion come through in all they do for our students.”

Esports has rapidly grown over the past decade, providing students an alternative to traditional sports through competitive video game competitions. Participation in the OCM BOCES esports service has grown from just three school districts during its launch in 2021 to 17 school districts as of July 2024. Districts that fall under the CiTi BOCES umbrella are also able to participate. 

Amy Keesey, OCM BOCES Coordinator of eLearning & Model Schools, said the partnership will offer student-athletes more localized competitions. Through OCM BOCES’ current vendors, PlayVS and Generation Esports, student-athletes can only compete with distant teams, mostly out of state, along the East Coast.

“The partnership with ELITE Gaming will provide local gameplay and competitions for our students so they can have some of the district rivalries they do in traditional sports,” she said.

Beyond gaming, students will also be able to learn about open broadcaster software (OBS) and develop skills like “shoutcasting”—a term used in esports that refers to enthusiastically broadcasting a play-by-play analysis of a game—to help share their gaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. 

Interested districts are invited to attend an Esports Summit for Educators, hosted by OCM BOCES Model Schools Program, which will be held Thursday, August 22, from 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. Interested participants should register through Frontline at https://www.mylearningplan.com/webreg/activityprofile.asp?I=4802373