What Games Do High School Esports Teams Play?

Esports teams at the high school level typically play games such as “League of Legends,” “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive,” “Overwatch,” and “Hearthstone.”

Introduction

High school esports teams typically play games that are popular among professional gamers, such as League of Legends, Overwatch, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. However, some schools also offer teams for less popular games like Rocket League and Hearthstone. Ultimately, the game(s) offered by a high school will depend on the preferences of the students and the resources available to the school.

The Games

Esports teams at the high school level typically play games such as “League of Legends,” “Overwatch,” “Hearthstone,” and “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.” These are all team-based games that require strategic thinking and teamwork. They are also all very popular games with a large following.

League of Legends

League of Legends (LoL) is a five-player online battle arena video game based on the Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne mod Defense of the Ancients. Designed by developer Riot Games, LoL was unofficially released in October 2009. The game is a free-to-play title supported by microtransactions. LoL is one of the most popular Internet games. According to Riot Games, it is played by 650 million people.

High school esports teams typically play one or more of the following games:
-League of Legends
-Overwatch
-Counterstrike: Global Offensive
-Starcraft II

Overwatch

Overwatch is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released in May 2016 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game includes several different game modes, mainly designed around squad-based combat with two opposing teams of six players each. Players choose one of over two dozen pre-made hero characters from one of three class types: Damage heroes that deal most of the damage to attack or defend control points, Tank heroes that absorb a large amount of damage, and Support heroes that provide healing or other buffs for their teammates. As in most multiplayer online games, players gain rewards that lead to further content through an in-game leveling system; as they advance, players unlock new abilities or character customization options.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) is a multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Hidden Path Entertainment and Valve Corporation. It is the fourth game in the Counter-Strike series and was released for Windows, OS X, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in August 2012, while the Linux version was released in 2014. The game pits two teams against each other: the Terrorists and the Counter-Terrorists. Both sides are tasked with eliminating the other while also completing separate objectives, such as planting or defusing a bomb and rescuing or guarding hostages.Players use a variety of weapons and equipment to complete these objectives. The game features an inventory system, where players can purchase weapons and equipment at the start of the round with money awarded based on their performance.

Hearthstone

Hearthstone is a digital collectible card game released in 2014 by Blizzard Entertainment. It is free-to-play, with players gaining in-game currency and card packs via winning matches and completing quests, while real-world money can be spent to acquire additional card packs and cosmetic items. The game features cross-platform play, allowing players on any supported device to compete with one another, restricted only by geographical region. Battlegrounds is a Hearthstone mode featuring a player versus environment adventure where eight players team up to battle wave after wave of computer-controlled opponents, followed by a boss battle.

Rocket League

Rocket League is a Vehicular Soccer Video game developed and published by Psyonix. The game was first released for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 in July 2015, with ports for Xbox One, macOS, Linux, and Nintendo Switch being released later on. In Rocket League, players control a rocket-powered car and use it to hit a ball that is larger than the cars towards the other team’s goal area to score points. The game includes single-player and multiplayer modes which can be played both locally and online, including cross-platform play.

The Tournaments

High school esports teams usually compete in tournaments that are organized by the game publisher, or by third-party tournament organizers. Some of the most popular games for high school esports teams are League of Legends, Overwatch, and Rocket League.

The High School Starleague

The High School Starleague (HSL) is the largest high school esports league in North America. The league was founded in 2012 by students using their own personal computers to play the game League of Legends. In 2013, the league expanded to include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2. The HSL now has over 3,000 active members from over 1,000 high schools across North America.

High school esports teams compete in tournaments throughout the year to earn a spot in the HSL playoffs. The playoffs are single-elimination and the winning team earns a spot in the annual High School Esports Nationals tournament. The HSL also offers a variety of other tournaments and events for high school students, including a women’s only tournament and a tournament for players who are not currently enrolled in high school.

The National High School Esports League

The National High School Esports League (NHEL) is a high school esports league founded in 2013. The NHEL is the largest esports league in North America, with over 1,600 schools and 40,000 students playing in varsity and junior varsity leagues. The NHEL offers esports teams a competitive environment to play against other schools in their region, with the opportunity to advance to state and national championships. The NHEL also provides resources for schools to start and maintain their esports programs, including coaching resources and scholarships.

High School Esports League

The High School Esports League (HSEL) is the largest and longest-running competitive gaming league for high school students.

HSEL offers students a structured and organized way to compete against other schools in a variety of games, including:

-League of Legends
-Overwatch
-Counter Strike: Global Offensive
-Rocket League
-Fortnite
-Smite
-Hearthstone
-Call of Duty: WWII

The Future of High School Esports

High school esports teams are becoming more and more common, as the popularity of competitive gaming grows. But what games do these teams play?

The most popular games played by high school esports teams are League of Legends, Overwatch, and CS:GO. These games are played in official tournaments organized by the High School Esports League (HSEL).

Other popular games played by high school esports teams include Dota 2, Hearthstone, Rocket League, and Smite. While these games are not part of the HSEL tournament circuit, they are often played in unofficial tournaments and leagues.

As the high school esports scene continues to grow, we will likely see more games being played at the high school level. For now, these are the most popular games among high school esports teams.

Conclusion

To sum it up, just about any game can be played as an esport. The most popular games being played by high school esports teams are League of Legends, Overwatch, Hearthstone, and Rocket League. However, that doesn’t mean that other games aren’t being played or that there aren’t many other great games out there to get into.