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High school E-gaming center could pay off in real scholarships
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High school students in Baton Rouge may not be hearing their parents yelling at them to get off the latest video game console as much anymore due to the possibility those pixels could pay off in college scholarship money.
Southern Lab is the first of it's kind in the state to establish an E-gaming center in an attempt to help their students elevate their game.
"My whole mindset when I got into E-sports is 'I'm going to be the Nick Saban of E-sports," Lab teacher Christopher Turner said as he helped build the media lab.
"I'm a believer that if you build it, they will come. It's real big for us to be at the forefront of building those skillsets and certifications to put them at a head start."
Turner gathered the needed "rigs" through fundraising and partnerships with some top PC gaming companies.
"Some of the colleges don't have equipment like this," he added.
The glowing keyboards, track pads and Alienware computers all help the students not only game but also on-line broadcast their skills to the world.
Turner feels like those connections can pay off with future scholarship offers for his students.
"You're talking about 150 schools that offer e-sports scholarships. You can go into production, you can podcast, graphic design. All of those are in the ECO system of E sports. I think it's starting a real STEM or STEAM program."
Turner also feels like while his lab is the first, it won't be the only E-gaming center for high school players in the future of Baton Rouge.
"I think it will be a beacon for the city. If you come from a low or high privilege area, for you to be able to compete with us. If kids are more exposed to different things, it allows them to create on a whole different level."
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