Young and Old Find Fun at Eco E-Sports Game Competition
Still having the perception that e-sports are harmful to the body and mind? Perhaps it is time to change your mindset. With the rapid development of technology, the younger generation has developed a deep interest in e-sports. Rather than trying to stop them, why not combine e-sports with education to allow children to learn happily? Tzu Chi has partnered with the PaGamO online gamification learning platform to design a game that enables participants to develop strategies in the game, capture land, and learn environmental knowledge at the same time. Participants from six countries have passed the previous preliminary rounds and made it to the finals. Eventually, three of Singapore’s representatives successfully finished made it to the top 10 in the finals.
With one computer each vying for top ranking places, this is something very familiar to young people these days. In recent years, e-sports are no longer just games, they can also be combined well with education.
Nanyang Girls’ High School Principal, Mdm Ng Chuen-Yin: The lessons that schools teach in the classroom may be a bit boring at times. If they can improve their knowledge of environmental protection or spark their interest in learning through gaming, I think it will definitely be very good.
Tzu Chi together with PaGamO, an online gamification learning platform, started the preliminary competition in November 2021. 30 players from Singapore stood out among 396 participants, with their ages ranging from 9 to 60 years old. On the day of the finals, they competed with participants from five other countries.
Keenan Tan, Office of Student and Graduate Affairs Manager Republic Polytechnic: I think games and education should come together. Games help them to absorb more information and help them to think about how they can use their skills and what they know to help impact the world in their way.
There are more than 500 questions in the game covering nine topics related to environmental protection. In addition to answering the questions accurately, sharp thinking and reactions were also required.
Participant, Liew Rui Liang: I think it's a good game, it has elements which allow you to learn about environmental protection.
Liew Rui Kee: (In this game, what did you learn?) In Europe, plastic bags are no longer in use.
Liew Rui Kee’s father, Liew Lin Hui: It increases their knowledge of environmental protection, not just learning in schools. It lets them know the trends happening around the world.
Participant, Kang Cheok Sai: When they asked me to play, I told them that this game is not for the elderly, but for the young. After today, I think it's okay, my speed is not as fast as that of young people, but we try our best to play, and it's quite touching.
The outcome of the competition is of least importance, what mattered was the sportsmanship shown by the participants to challenge themselves and to deepen their understanding of environmental protection.
