Rebecca Koenig Interim Senior Editorial Director | EdSurge Research
The South Florida Showdown, a Minecraft Education tri-district esports challenge, recently brought together students from three neighboring school systems. The event focused on designing sustainable, hurricane-resistant schools using block-based worlds in a high-stakes competition. This initiative aimed to foster essential skills such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking among students.
Esports is becoming increasingly popular in schools across the nation. Thousands of schools now offer competitive gaming programs that provide students with a sense of belonging and leadership opportunities. Dr. Lisa Milenkovic from Broward County Public Schools emphasized the educational benefits of esports: "Beyond the thrill of competition, esports supports students’ education by engaging them in exciting online gaming, developing teamwork and collaboration skills, increasing critical thinking and spatial reasoning, and promoting leadership abilities in a safe, controlled online space."
These programs open new opportunities for diverse groups of students who may not participate in traditional extracurricular activities. Events like New York City's Battle of the Boroughs and the South Florida Showdown are reframing esports as instructional models that encourage problem-solving and community building.
Carlos Vazquez from Miami EdTech expressed his enthusiasm for the event: “Watching students from across Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach come together to solve real-world challenges using Minecraft Education was inspiring.” The showdown addressed local issues such as hurricane threats by engaging learners in designing resilient communities.
The event comprised three phases: district innovation with over 350 student submissions; semi-finals focusing on restoring the Everglades ecosystem; and a live finale at Nova Southeastern University where teams competed to design climate-resilient schools. Leigh Arnold from Palm Beach County noted that both students and educators enjoyed demonstrating knowledge through creative builds.
Students gained valuable skills beyond technical proficiency through these competitions. Nina from the Banana Splits team highlighted teamwork's importance: “The real joy came from working together — six minds with a hundred thousand ideas.”
Districts interested in launching similar programs can integrate curriculum with academic content, focus on teacher support, use accessible tools like Minecraft Education, and encourage mentorship partnerships.
A Coral Springs High School student shared their excitement about participating: “This was my first time participating in an esports competition... I feel honored to have been part of this experience.”
For those attending ISTELive 25 interested in starting an esports program with Minecraft Education can attend sessions like "Build a Chicken: Run an Esports Challenge with Minecraft" for further guidance.
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