Riverside County Esports League


PEEL: The Power of Esports & Experiential Learning

The Power of Esports and Experiential Learning (PEEL) is a hands-on competition where students apply the technical, creative, and leadership skills they’re learning in Career Technical Education (CTE) classes and esports clubs by planning and producing their own live tournaments in a state-of-the-art esports arena at the Riverside County Office of Education. From graphics and lighting to sound, streaming, and shoutcasting, students take charge of every part of the event—building realworld experience in media, production, and digital technology. PEEL also strengthens interest and engagement in CTE pathways.

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Interested in Bringing PEEL to Your Campus?

The PEEL Roadshow is a hands-on esports-based academic learning experience that we bring to your elementary or middle school campus. Students participate in structured activities that integrate STEAM, literacy, and problem-solving through game-based learning environments like Minecraft and esports titles such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The goal isn’t gaming for gaming’s sake — it’s using high-interest environments to drive rigorous academic thinking and engagement. For more information contact Steve Hickman, Ed. D. at shickman@rcoe.us or complete this interest form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Esports is a global phenomenon, generating entertainment, business, and career opportunities that rival even the world’s largest sports leagues. From an educational standpoint, esports gives students a unique way to connect with their schools—especially those who may not feel drawn to traditional clubs or activities.

Research consistently shows that students involved in extracurricular programs perform better academically than those who are not. With over 90% of young people playing video games on personal devices, consoles, or PCs, esports offers a highly accessible path for engagement. In fact, studies reveal that up to 70% of students participating in school-based esports had not been involved in any other school activities beforehand.

Beyond engagement, esports opens doors to real-world careers in fields such as creative design, event production, programming, broadcasting, management, and consulting. At RCOE, we believe the benefits of providing students with safe, structured esports opportunities—for both learning and entertainment—far outweigh the perceived drawbacks of screen time or concerns about video game content.

We have found that Remind is the safest, fastest, and easiest way to communicate with students and coaches for esports-related events. Popular platforms such as Discord have not been deemed safe for educational purposes.

Participation in RCOE Esports League is free to students and their schools. Of course, for in-person events there can be costs involved for travel. Those cost, if any, must be borne by the school.

No. Upon parent or guardian request, however, we will take down specific  photos or images within a reasonable time.

Contact

Steve Hickman, Ed. D.
Coordinator
shickman@rcoe.us