{"id":161213,"date":"2024-12-19T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/?p=161213"},"modified":"2024-12-17T10:32:21","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T10:32:21","slug":"playvs-ceo-launch-collective-partner-network","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/2024\/12\/playvs-ceo-launch-collective-partner-network","title":{"rendered":"PlayVS CEO on the launch of the PlayVS Collective Partner Network"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"651\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//12//Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-1-min-large.png/" alt=\"Colorado Governor Jared Polis attends the Colorado Esports State Championship in May 2024\n\" class=\"wp-image-161216\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-1-min-large.png 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-1-min-medium.png 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-1-min-medium_large.png 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-1-min-1536x976.png 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-1-min.png 1542w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Colorado Governor Jared Polis attends the Colorado Esports State Championship in May 2024. Image credit: Brad Cochi\/CHSAANow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c25350dd\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Collegiate and amateur esports have been having a moment in North America. Despite the crumbling of the Overwatch League, the restructuring of League of Legends esports into the Americas division and many professional orgs dialling back on rosters \u2014 the amateur scene and path-to-pro initiatives have grown.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253593f\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>As the largest amateur esports and competitive gaming network in North America, PlayVS has been busy building a partner ecosystem to service its more than 5,000 participating schools and almost 10,000 teams competing in PlayVS leagues and tournaments every year.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"keep-reading \"  id=\"kr-67cf6c253685e\">\n  <div class=\"heading\">Keep Reading<\/div>\n  <ul class=\"d-flex flex-column\">\n          <li id=\"post-157448\" style=\"order: 1;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//08//playvs-nintendo-of-america-partnership-renewal/" target=\"_blank\">PlayVS renews partnership with Nintendo of America<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-157941\" style=\"order: 2;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//09//nfl-playvs-madden-nfl-youth-championship/" target=\"_blank\">NFL and PlayVS partner for Madden NFL Youth Championship<\/a><\/li>\n          <li id=\"post-159096\" style=\"order: 3;\"><a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//10//playvs-omnic-ai-partnership/" target=\"_blank\">Omnic.AI partners with PlayVS for varsity and middle school projects<\/a><\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c2537c13\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The company is also the official high school esports partner of NFHS Network and the Special Olympics.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c2538386\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>While the path-to-pro route isn\u2019t for every amateur, organised esports can help young people develop transferable teamwork and communication skills in fast-paced critical thinking intensive environments, <strong>PlayVS CEO Jon Chapman<\/strong> told Esports Insider.<strong> \u201c<\/strong>We\u2019ve seen the positive impacts from esports and gaming mirror those from traditional sports in schools, especially for keeping students engaged with their community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c2538b11\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>According to the company\u2019s debut <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////www.playvs.com//news//mental-health-24/">PlayVS Esports Impact Survey<\/a>: 57% of students said that esports makes them feel like they\u2019re part of a community and 46% said esports has given them more friends and reported feeling more excited to go to school after joining an esports team.<br>The company is opening up its blackbook to further scale this positive sentiment, launching <strong>PlayVS Collective<\/strong>, an esports- and gaming-focused partner marketplace. Aimed at building a thriving community of trusted companies, the PlayVS Collective is a network \u201cfocused on meaningfully impacting the next generation with incredible gaming, education and community-building opportunities,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"674\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//12//Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-min-large.png/" alt=\"Team photo with NBC Sports\u2019s Tim Howard, as part of PlayVS\u2019s partnership with the Premier League and NBC Sports. Image Credit: NBC Sports\n\" class=\"wp-image-161217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-min-large.png 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-min-medium.png 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-min-medium_large.png 768w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-min-1536x1012.png 1536w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Follow-Up-on-PlayVS-Collective-min.png 1558w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Team photo with NBC Sports\u2019s Tim Howard, as part of PlayVS\u2019s partnership with the Premier League and NBC Sports. Image Credit: NBC Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c25393d1\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The scale of the company\u2019s official scholastic and casual amateur tournament operations has led to major publisher partnerships with <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//08//playvs-nintendo-of-america-partnership-renewal/">Nintendo of America<\/a>, Activision Blizzard, EA Sports and Epic Games as well as numerous other service and solution providers.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c2539b5b\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201c[The PlayVS Collective\u2019s] whole goal is to help create more participation in the amateur ecosystem because we think that will continue a healthier overall esports and competitive game ecosystem,\u201d said Chapman. \u201cThe aim is to have more students decide to participate and enjoy the benefits of teamwork and all the other things that come from being a competitor within the space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253a2dd\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Chapman took over the role of CEO <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//06//playvs-new-ceo-jon-chapman/">just last year<\/a>, and has been hard at work <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//11//playvs-removes-fees-interview/">adapting the company\u2019s business model<\/a>, improving its offerings and bringing in new partnerships like the <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//09//nfl-playvs-madden-nfl-youth-championship/">NFL<\/a> and <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//03//nbc-premier-league-playvs-epremier-league-college-invitational/">Premier League<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253aa6d\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>By leveraging its growing network and rebuilt trust, this newly launched PlayVS Collective aims to be a resource marketplace \u2014 offering curriculum materials from non-profits like NASEF or <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//02//stiegler-edtech-playvs-partnership/">Stiegler EdTech<\/a>, equipment and technology from Lenovo, <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"http:////omnic.ai/">Omnic.AI<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253b1ea\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Think of it as a one-stop shop for resources and services schools would need to build and maintain an esports programme from partners PlayVS trusts, Chapman said.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253b95e\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>He also hopes the Collective can create experiences for students to interact with industry professionals to serve as mentors or offer insights into career paths in the industry, or glean transferable skills from gaming to pursue Science, Technology, Economics and Maths (STEM)&nbsp; careers.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//wp-content//uploads//2024//12//Dec-2024-ESI-Photo.jpeg/" alt=\"PlayVS High School State Championship. Photo credit: PlayVS\n\" class=\"wp-image-161218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec-2024-ESI-Photo.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec-2024-ESI-Photo-medium.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/esportsinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dec-2024-ESI-Photo-medium_large.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">PlayVS High School State Championship. Photo credit: PlayVS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253c1ec\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>There are plenty of hurdles to launching and maintaining a scholastic esports programme. From finding qualified coaches, to maintaining a pipeline of incoming participants (the group\u2019s <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//03//playvs-middle-schools-expansion-fall-2024/">expansion into middle schools<\/a> aims to help), to overcoming the long-held negative stereotypes associated with gaming.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253c968\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>\u201cEspecially among groups underrepresented in gaming populations, we\u2019ve seen that using gaming in schools as a conduit to want to study STEM subjects and think about a career as a game developer is a really positive change we hope to contribute to,\u201c Chapman said.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253d0d5\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The opportunities provided by the PlayVS Collective are also a move to amplify the group&#8217;s inclusion efforts through its leadership\u2019s belief in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement to drive positive societal outcomes.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253d84c\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>By <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2023//11//playvs-removes-fees-interview/">removing barriers to entry<\/a> and opening up its network, PlayVS is aiming for a knock-on effect to encourage girls and young women towards the esports-to-STEM pipeline too. <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////80.lv//articles//breaking-stereotypes-about-50-of-gamers-are-women///">Recent studies<\/a> have shown that 50% of all gamers are women-identifying, but the professional competitive landscape doesn\u2019t resemble that ratio.<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253e014\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>By encouraging girls at a young age that they belong and can succeed in life thanks to structured experience in gaming, this could bring positive change to the competitive pipeline historically and currently dominated by young men.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253e8fb\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>The esports industry is built from competition, but Chapman sees more opportunities in reducing business competition and instead working together to ensure that future generations have an esports industry they can participate in. \u201c<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"esi-paragraph-67cf6c253f096\" class=\"esi-paragraph \">\n    \n<p>Students and schools are the centre of PlayVS\u2019 universe. Finding ways internally and externally to bring our community the best tools, gaming experiences, educational and career advancement opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n  <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Colorado Governor Jared Polis attends the Colorado Esports State Championship in May 2024. Image credit: Brad Cochi\/CHSAANow Collegiate and amateur esports have been having a moment in North America. Despite the crumbling of the Overwatch League, the restructuring of League of Legends esports into the Americas division and many professional orgs dialling back on rosters &hellip; <a href=https://esportsinsider.com/"https:////esportsinsider.com//2024//12//playvs-ceo-launch-collective-partner-network/">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":161216,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","esi_template":"default","excluded":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[63,15023,51,50,55,8717,54,5283,106,237,240,18641,18248],"tags":[490,16688,3751],"class_list":["post-161213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial","category-education","category-events-calendar-news","category-features","category-esports-titles","category-insights","category-interviews","category-investments","category-latest-news","category-news-by-region","category-north-america","category-sponsored","category-top-stories","tag-collegiate-esports","tag-jon-chapman","tag-playvs"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>PlayVS CEO on the launch of the PlayVS Collective Partner Network<\/title>\n<!-- Added by HTTrack --><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=UTF-8" /><!-- /Added by HTTrack -->
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