We Tested the first Gaming Academy in Spain: E-Squad

In our search of new education technologies and learning methods, we have discovered a new type of school, a gaming school.

“We only accept students that are willing to complete the entire cycle” said the director of the academy Jose Ruiz. The first cycle consists on 13 months were students come twice a week to learn strategies of every available game no matter the platform, ps4, Xbox, Nintendo, tablet and pc. “This might not be the best commercial approach, but we believe that to create an elite gaming school this is the best way”.

Every Sunday there is a friendly competition within the members of the academy where the students can show what they have learned and be exposed to public pressure while they are playing. At the same time students have to cooperate for a common goal which will improve their communication skills.

The E-Squad staff is composed of professional gamers. They even have the number one Tekken player in Europe! Also, within the staff we find psychologists and physiotherapists.

Students are trained in every game mode; the learning is not focus on any specific game. “If we teach fortnite and in one year no one plays it, it was not useful, that’s why we prefer to focus on the game mode, in this case battle royale, rather than on a particular game”.

“In the future watching esports will be like watching tennis or soccer”. The goal of the academy is to build future gaming professionals. They could become professional players, analysts, commentators or coaches.

During the first cycle students learn from every game and they discover where they are good. Then in the second cycle it is more focused on their skills and they will choose their specialization with the help of the professors/coaches.

The best players of the academy can become members of the academy team, Ninja Dragons. Members of the team receive full of scholarship and have unlimited access to practice at the academy. They have a mandatory day off to keep their eyes off computer.

This school reminds me of the actual high school model. You have a lot of subjects which are the different game modes that you practice and after the first cycle you focus on what you are better (university). I believe this type of schools will grow a lot and in the future,  this will become a full time school for students of all ages!