Using Design and Innovation Methods to Teach Esports
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21834762 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Augustus W Hallmon (0000-0001-9138-5097, James Madison University, corresponding author), Raafat Zaini (0000-0001-8718-7063, James Madison University), Raafat Mahmoud Zaini (James Madison University), Séan Ronan McCarthy (James Madison University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 72-76 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1937-156X • E-ISSN: 2162-4097 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/1937156x.2026.2649725 |
| OpenAlex | W7155052878 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 15 |
In 2020, James Madison University launched an eSports program that has quickly made a name for itself nationally by becoming a finalist or winning several tournaments in three years. JMU’s Esports program resides in JMU X-Labs, an experiential teaching and learning lab on campus that uses design methods to work on complex problems, often for clients. In 2021, faculty associated with the X-Labs began collaborating with faculty from Sports Management and Hospitality to collaborate on incorporating Esports into curricular and co-curricular learning experiences at our university. The first course to arise out of that partnership focused on students researching best to design eSports tournaments and creating a tournament simulation. The second iteration, and the focus of this teaching case, focused on designing a course that asked students to work on semester-long projects in teams that speculatively explored ways that eSports could be developed on the JMU campus, not just as a competitive sport, but also for curricular and co-curricular learning purposes.This manuscript provided specific strategies that the second course on Esports used in developing research and solutions to real-world problems using Esports’ business ideas and technology.Using a Learning Record model, the authors explored and analyzed ways that Esports could be used in society to address current issues based on students’ perspectives. Four themes emerged from this discussion: Esports events; Esports and inclusive community; Esports and Learning experiences; and Esports culture. The experiences from this learning activity can inform practices for academic institutional practices and preparation of teaching an Esports course from a design and innovation perspective using research/theoretical concepts
Higher education · Recreation · Teaching method · Tourism · Digital Games and Media · Educational Games and Gamification · Innovative Teaching Methodologies in Social Sciences
| Highly cited | No |
|---|