‘ We’ve made it to the major leagues’

Canada’s largest Xbox tournament coming to Falls

Hundreds of gamers will descend on Niagara Falls later this month to test their skills against the toughest competition from across North America.

Now in its fourth year, the Ultimate Gaming Challenge Niagara has quickly grown into Canada’s largest XBox video game tournament.

Th e event is also now part of the Major League Gaming circuit and is a qualifi er for larger gaming conferences.

“We’ve made it to the major leagues,” said Dino Miele, chief information offi cer for District School Board of Niagara, which hosts the event.

Game- based learning, he explained, helps to develop critical- thinking skills as well as communication and collaboration.

“It is a way for students to learn without feeling like they’ve failed because they keep trying and trying until they get a better score. It allows kids to learn without feeling intimidated or embarrassed.”

More than 500 gamers have registered to take part in the tournament that will be held at Scotiabank Convention Centre April 24 to 26. About 150 spectators are also expected to attend.

The competition, held in partnership with Brock University and Jet Set Studio features two popular gaming titles for participants to choose from, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, for those 18 and up, and NHL 15.

New this year will be a Super Smash Brothers division played on the Wii U.

Gamers will compete for up to $ 30,000 in cash and prizes.

The tournament is broadcast live online, with an estimated audience of 1 million people.

Also, approximately 60 girls in grades 6 and 7 will attend a technology camp sponsored by IBM.

Proceeds from the tournament will

WHAT: XBox Ultimate Gaming Challenge Niagara WHEN: April 24 to 26 WHERE: Scotiabank Convention Centre WHAT: Connect 2015 conference WHEN: May 5 to 8 WHERE: Scotiabank Convention Centre

support school- based initiatives and Education Foundation of Niagara.

DSBN will return to Scotiabank Centre May 5 to 8 for the fi fth annual Connect 2015 conference.

Like the e- sports event, the conference has grown from a small event to Canada’s largest education technology conference.

More than 2,000 people from across North America are expected to come together under one roof to share best practices and expand their horizons of education technology in a global and digital economy.

Participants will include educators, IT experts, business managers and government sector institutions.