Bild: WIki Commons

On August 18th, the first batch of students with eSports on the curriculum will start studying at Arlandagymnasiet in Sigtuna, Sweden.

And the seven chosen ones will have CS:GO as the main game during their time in school.

– When the students graduate we want them to have received the best possibilities imaginable to support themselves doing eSports, principal Andreas Eriksson says in a press release.

Over 70 eager students applied for the Arlandagymnasiet eSports education when it was announced earlier this year. Six boys and one girl were chosen as the lucky ones who are the first in Sweden studying eSports. The CS profile Jonas ”Iceman” Dahl participated in the selection process by judging the students playstyle, and on August 18th they will enter their new school for the first time.

– No high school in Sweden has had an eSports curriculum, so this will be very exciting. The students will receive the best possibilities to pursue a career in eSports, principal Andreas Eriksson says in a statement.

”Esports is a part of a whole”

Like the rest of the students, the seven will have access to a gym, physical trainers, gym trainers, nutritional advice, chiropractors and psychologists. But they’ll also have their own eSports trainer and a classroom filled with brand new computers, monitors and gaming chairs.

– When the students graduate we want them to have received the best possibilities imaginable to support themselves doing eSports, but also to have an alternative if that doesn’t happen. Because of that, a premise was that the applicants had to get into one of our national programs first, either a technical program, an aesthetical one, or a social science one with a focus on media. We think it’s important doing schoolwork and view the eSports as a part of a whole. When they’re doing the eSports they’ll also practice their focuse which they will use in the rest of the studies, Eriksson says.

”Healthy relationship with their gaming”

The main game for the students will be CS:GO which has exploded in popularity the latest couple of years. Besides being educated in the game, they’ll also read up on values and how to treat your opponents and teammates.

– Our pupils should have a healthy relationship with their gaming. We’ll also work with their values and how they should communicate. There’s been a couple of instances of bullying within eSports and that’s something we won’t accept, Eriksson says.