MiEN Company was founded in 2012 in the heart of Furniture City - Grand Rapids, Michigan. Innovative design and creative furniture has since produced a growing brand with a loyal dealer network. Specializing in manufacturing classroom furniture, technology integration and modular lounge units, MiEN Company serves K-12 and higher education markets to provide them with the latest and greatest furniture solutions.
Partnering with MiEN Company provides you with the expertise and the technology-driven collaborative environments that students and faculty require to be successful. In addition, partnering with an ally in purchasing, such as OMNIA Partners, can help your company save time and money while creating an ever evolving and innovative learning experience. Discover the benefits of creating a trendy Esports environment with the help of MiEN Company below!
The Esports Ecosystem
The term Esports has gained popularity in recent years and is defined as 'competitive online video gaming'. The industry has been growing exponentially in the past few years and is expected to surpass $1.8 billion by 2022. With the major growth, educational institutions have been taking notes on how they can best utilize the technology.
According to leading advocate and educator, Chris Aviles, scholastic Esports between schools provides the same social and emotional learning (SEL) benefits as traditional athletics, such as teamwork, leadership, and sense of belonging, but can also be used to teach a variety of subjects from career and technical education (CTE) to literacy and STEM. Similar to participating in an athletic sport, Esports players have to practice communication and collaboration in order to be an effective, successful team. Spending time analyzing plays and strategizing with teammates has a direct correlation to skills required to be successful in college and future careers.
Below is a list of STEM careers that are associated with Esports:
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NASEF Esports Core Values
The growing popularity of Esports is supported by the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF). The organization produces a free state-approved curriculum for Esports that can be used during the day or after school. Their mission is to provide opportunities for students to use Esports to develop STEM and STEAM- based skills as well as SEL attributes such as communication, collaboration, problem-solving and even leadership that will help them thrive in school and in future careers. 
The NASEF vision is to ensure that all students have the knowledge and skills they need to be society's game changers: educated, productive, and empathetic by:
- Connecting learning and play in and out of the classroom so that students, educators, and families can experience interest-driven learning.
- Creating opportunities for safe and engaging spaces so students can play, learn, and grow.
- Building community with interconnected scholar players who demonstrate leadership, accountability, commitment, and fortitude.
- Honoring diversity by helping participants celebrate individually and differences.
- Encouraging respect of self and others to honor human potential.
Esports Leagues and Scholarship Opportunities
To promote Esports as a great way to achieve personal and educational growth, the High School Esports League began partnering with approximately 3,000 high schools. The league competitions are observed by college recruiters and professional players, so that players can be evaluated for grant and funding opportunities as well as college scholarships. Similarly, there is a Middle School Esports League that promotes Esports to a younger group of students, who may be interested in related career paths at an early age.
College Esports scholarships are on a fast growth track as more institutions embrace the innovative technology. There are now more than 150 colleges and universities that are members of the National Association of Collegiate Esports. Because of this growing number, scholarships are becoming more common for students to receive and can range from $500 to an astounding $8,000 per year! Some universities are even offering full rides for their varsity Esports team players to incentivize them to attend and represent the school.
Overall, the alignment of Esports to the development of higher order thinking skills and social emotional learning with a path toward college scholarships combined with the high interest of adolescents for gaming activities ensures that Esports will continue to grow for some time into the future.
Click below to read the full MiEN Company Esports whitepaper!
MiEN Company & OMNIA Partners
MiEN Company strives to stay on top of the latest educational trends in pedagogy, space planning, and ergonomics. Through the cooperative contract with OMNIA Partners, MiEN Company offers a full collection of award-winning furniture designed to adapt to evolving learning environments! MiEN Company partners with public sector agencies to address their ever-changing needs. Save time and money by utilizing the cooperative contract with MiEN Company and OMNIA Partners today!