GHSA offering high school Esports

Earlier this year, the National Federation of High Schools (NFHS) sanctioned Esports in partnership with Playvs. Georgia (through the GHSA) will be one of the first states to offer Esports this October as part of Playvs’ Season Zero featuring League of Legends — the most played PC game in the world and a key driver behind the explosive growth of Esports. Additional game titles will be added in the inaugural season this coming February.

The regular season will run from Oct. 30-Dec. 11. Matches will be played weekly on Tuesdays at 4 and 6 p.m. for a total of 12 matches throughout the regular season. The playoffs will take place from Jan. 8-29.

Each state will be divided into four regional conferences and compete in a single-elimination bracket. Conference champions will advance to the semifinals with the top two teams competing for the state title, all at a live state championship event - exact date and location TBA. No more than 128 teams will make the playoffs and competition schedules are set to be released this month.

Each school is required to have an Esports coach, who is onsite for all practices and matches. Each League of Legends team will consist of five students and each school can field as many teams of five as they’d like.

Each student will need one computer or laptop and one set of peripherals (mouse, keyboard, headset). Students can use their own or schools could provide these items. Jerseys are optional. The participation fee for each student is $64 per season. Official competition rules and game play settings will be sent at a later date.

With the Playvs online portal, coaches and students can be invited to join and once the season begins, students will login to Playvs on campus to play.

The last day for schools and students to register for Season Zero is Oct. 29. Visit Playvs.com for more information.