NAMPA, Idaho — Nampa High School has taken a groundbreaking step by establishing Idaho's first e-sports spectator arena within a public school district. This initiative allows students, teachers, friends, and parents to engage in the e-sports evolution by cheering on players in an exciting, first-of-its-kind environment.
Junior Alan Zavala expressed his surprise at the scale of the setup, saying, "Well, I was very surprised how big this room is and how many PCs that you can, like, play on with so many people." Meanwhile, Assistant Coach, Broadcast Assistant, and former Columbia Wildcat Wyatt Dougherty added, "This is the program I wish I had in high school."
The Nampa School District, led by Director of Information Services Cody Kreps, has embraced this big-league approach to e-sports, with enthusiastic support and funding from sponsors.
Kreps noted that District Superintendent Dr. Russell, initially unfamiliar with e-sports, became intrigued upon learning about the industry. "Basically, he had a vision of, you know, down in the basement and playing," Kreps explained, likening the experience to "playing online with your friends" while enjoying Mountain Dew and Red Bull.
The arena promises to open new doors, offering students numerous post-graduation opportunities. "It's a big deal because this is the same technology that some of the professionals are using for e-sports or other recording," Dougherty said. Furthermore, as Kreps highlighted, college scholarships are available at institutions like Boise State and other schools both in and outside of Idaho.
Team gameplay is emphasized through games such as Super Smash Bros., Zavala's favorite. "The team, its communication, is very important, and game knowledge. It's very important to teams," Zavala stated. Opportunities also abound in commentating, broadcasting, and content creation, as Dougherty noted, “It's gonna be really helpful for anybody that wants to continue into broadcasting, news, any editing, content creation, that type of stuff."
As the foundation for the student-driven e-sports initiative takes shape, the Nampa School District anticipates hosting intramural competitions in the upcoming school year.
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