Lenovo has revealed they will be helping school eSports teams maintain their competitive drive by giving them tools for building training facilities and at-home connections.
The plan also includes turning eSports into its own curriculums as institutions invest in the video game medium. While institutions are closed around the world amid COVID, Lenovo plans to provide student athletes a gaming network from home and continue to play under official school support. These “custom end-to-end” solutions extend all the way from university eSports teams to K-12 grade schools. Its products and software will also be streamlined into school budgets with warranty and leasing for workstations.
Teams across Canada and the U.S. will also have a way of continuing their training from home as multiple school teams play in titles such as Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch, Call of Duty Modern Warfare, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and League of Legends. Its physical solutions also include custom LEGION PC gaming rigs, peripherals, RESPAWN furniture and other equipment needed to create training areas for athletes. The ggCircuit Suite is a digital program which gives participating schools a way to join institution-based servers in games and stick with their teams as they compete.
According to Lenovo, the Lenovo eSports Solutions for Education initiative starts in the U.S. and gives student players the ability to play games under school-connected servers. This gives athletes integrations with their school eSports records and includes matchmaking with other schools. Competing schools will also be included in a leaderboard while coaches can use Lenovo’s solution to manage and check their player stats for mentoring. It’s worth noting the program extends to schools in Canada, with institutions such as Humber College, UofT, York and Sheridan College qualifying for Lenovo’s eSports solutions.
“The response from schools and universities we’ve been working with has been extraordinary,” says Rich Henderson, Director of Global Education Solutions at Lenovo. “For many reasons, education institutions are ready to start or expand esports programs but need assistance with IT, stakeholders, scholastic connections and how to get started. From in-school esports arena design and game management to helping protect student safety and managing varsity teams, Lenovo has the solutions for educators to adopt or accelerate this growing opportunity for students,” he said.
Lenovo’s solution is currently active across North America, with a possibility of expanding worldwide in 2021.