About 40 pupils from schools all over Otago participated in the third annual e-sports brawl on Saturday.
Otago Girls’ teacher Duncan Trickey, who helped organise the event, said it was a good way to bring pupils together.
"We did some research on trying to get pupils of OGHS into e-sports, and it turned out they just didn’t have the opportunity," Mr Trickey said.
"So we arranged something about three years ago, and it’s just blossomed from there."
He said the school hosted weekly tournaments, but this was an opportunity to connect with pupils from other schools.
"You’ve got to be collaborative, have good communication and dedication," Mr Trickey said.
"For some of these kids, it’s the first time they’ve had the opportunity to represent their school in any kind of sport."
The focus of Saturday’s e-sports brawl was Valorant, a multiplayer first-person shooter game.
Mr Trickey said they wanted to move away from the image of gamers being holed up in their room by themselves and eating unhealthily.
"We try to provide enough healthy food and water, but it’s really about bringing gamers together so they’re not stuck in their bedrooms," he said.
"Especially given what a lot of these pupils have gone through due to Covid-19, we want it to be a real safe place.
"Some of the pupils at our school don’t have the right setup or opportunities at home to play, so it’s important to have the hardware at school."
Regan Mrigank, a year 11 pupil from King’s High School, said he enjoyed the camaraderie of the tournament.
"It’s fun to play Valorant. You have to have good reactions and be good with strategy," he said.
"You also can’t be toxic; it’s important to have a good community."
Regan said his team was "pretty confident" they could do well on Saturday.
But was Mr Trickey much of an e-sports "athlete" himself?
"No, I’m more into my board games," he said.
