Paul Roos Gymnasium (PRG) claimed top honours at the VSGaming High School eSports league finals at ComicCon Africa held at the Kayalami International Convention centre in Midrand, Gauteng recently.

Two teams from the school’s eSports club, Imperium, participated with their Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) team taking first place nationally and its Dota 2 team claiming third place.

Typically known for its successes on the field, PRG this year ventured into the fast-growing world of competitive computer gaming (eSports) and very quickly established itself as one of the top-ranking schools on multiple national high school leagues. This VS Gaming HSEL success follows PRG’s success with the League of Legends team in the MSSA Nationals during July. To date, PRG eSports has secured the support and sponsorship of IT equipment companies, Plantronics and Headset Solutions.

This is the first high school event hosted by VSGaming, a South African eSports organisation. Teams from PRG, Westville Boys, Oakhill and Parklands competed for bragging rights. Rounds were played in a best-of-three format. PRG’s Dota 2 team traded wins with Oakhill, eventually dropping out 4-2. PRG’s CSGO team was undefeated, beating Parklands College 4-0 overall. Even the parents of PRG players got involved by watching the matches which were streamed live online.

“There is much more to eSports than meets the eye. Whether parents believe that eSports is an actual sport or not, the reality is that this is a fast-growing industry internationally and is now also gaining increasing popularity among high schools across South Africa. There is a reason why international football clubs are opening eSports divisions, and South African rugby clubs are following this trend. The viewership numbers for eSports is fast approaching international football numbers, and will surpass it in the near future.

There are titles to be claimed, prize pools to be plundered and fierce competitors to be faced in tournaments that could even earn a player Springbok colours.

“The best part is that learners that previously might have not taken part in school sports, now play and compete on behalf of their schools. I love this, and the parents’ support is immense. ” says Louis van der Merwe, Information Technology teacher and eSports manager at PRG.

“Just like any sport, it takes discipline and many hours of hard work (and play) to succeed. Top-ranking high school competitors typically have played more than 2 000 hours each,” says Van der Merwe.

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