The U.S.-based High School Esports League (HESL) is launching its own “Social Distancing Cup” to raise funds and keep young gamers practicing during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the matches for games such as League of Legends, Rocket League and Teamfight Tactics being played remotely by school leagues, the event is dedicated to secondary schools across the country – each closed for safety. Funds raised from the tournament will also be given direcly as relief to help low-income communities impacted hard by COVID-19.
In a release, the event was also unveiled with a new Generation Esports platform which hopes to promote the impacts of bringing competitive gaming into classrooms outside of learning hours. The initiative even sets national high school efforts to benefits students looking to become professional gamers and others looking to start charitable positions. A new Middle School Esports League establishing in Fall 2020 expands the offerings to much younger gamers during grades six to eight.
“Today marks a new chapter for High School Esports League and an exciting beginning for Generation Esports,” said HSEL co-founder Mason Mullenious, adding the power of video games can unify high schools across the U.S.
“As the esports industry continues to evolve, one thing remains as important as ever: the people. Generation Esports is a league for all types of communities, unified by the love of video games and healthy competition. With HSEL, we’ve seen the type of positive impact esports can bring to high school students across the United States, and we hope that Generation Esports can do the same for all gamers globally.”
Partners including ASUS Republic of Gamers, Viewsonic and more household gaming brands have already become involved in its $30,000 prize fund for high school teams, including hardware from respective companies. The fundraising portion will also come from participants asked to donate $5 to $25 as part of its ongoing efforts to financially support communities during and after the pandemic.
Registration is taking place starting this month, taking account of over 3000 high schools and over 80,000 young gamers stepping up to the challenge in the U.S. Its “enrollment” is open for those looking to join between April 10 to May 10, 2020.