A Spectacular Success: STC SABRES at the ESF Esports Tournament 2023

On June 3 and 4, students from 16 primary and secondary schools gathered at the ESF Centre in 24 student teams for the first-ever ESF inter-school Esports Tournament. 6 talented students from Year 7 and Year 8 split into two teams which were led by Mr Wisbey. Representing the STC SABRES, they competed with other ESF secondary schools such as Discovery College, Renaissance College, and South Island School; receiving first place overall in the Secondary division!

Multi-coloured backlit keyboards, professional gaming chairs and special headsets lit up the specially designed arena. Additionally, there were also giant projectors mounted on the walls that displayed live action, paired with a range of student commentators to explain the game. Parents, teachers, staff, and other spectators were also able to support their respective student teams by cheering and encouraging them.

The chosen game of this year’s tournament was the popular game Minecraft, which encouraged players to build their critical thinking skills through collaboration, all whilst solving a range of puzzles via complex building challenges. Brendan Kwok (8D1) recalled that the most difficult challenge he faced during the competition was “getting everyone organised before the round started, as many of us had strategies and tricks we would like to implement into what we were going to do”.

Additionally, the rising popularity of esports has provided the participants with a lively competition against students of different schools, but also a great opportunity for them to socialise and make new friends. Arthur Zhou (7P2) said that the one thing he enjoyed most about the Esports Tournament was “playing with kids from other schools, [and] ages”. Similarly, Brendan also “enjoyed playing the game against other schools”, as there was “the thrill of being up on the stage being streamed”, along with “the pressure of having to perform well for your school”.

Once again, congratulations to our brilliant students Brendan Kwok (8D1), Andrew Zhou (8D1), Arthur Zhou (7P2), Matthew Lam (7X2), Jason Tse (7G2) and Hin Hin Chen (7P2) for their outstanding achievements!

Written by: Sze Yu Kwong
Edited by: Hannah Wong