{"id":5413,"date":"2021-01-29T07:00:04","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/achievement-unlocked-how-to-organize-a-videogame-tournament-for-your-scouts\/"},"modified":"2021-01-29T07:00:04","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T13:00:04","slug":"achievement-unlocked-how-to-organize-a-videogame-tournament-for-your-scouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/totscouting.org\/achievement-unlocked-how-to-organize-a-videogame-tournament-for-your-scouts\/","title":{"rendered":"Achievement unlocked: How to organize a videogame tournament for your Scouts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/p>\n

At first glance, videogames might seem antithetical to the spirit of Scouting. They\u2019re often played alone, inside, in front of a screen.<\/p>\n

But a recent event put on by Troop 12 of Clinton, Miss. (Andrew Jackson Council), suggests that maybe it\u2019s time to take another look at gaming \u2014 especially as the pandemic forces Scouts to find creative ways to spend time together, even when apart.<\/p>\n

At Troop 12\u2019s inaugural videogame tournament last month, Scouts strengthened friendships, showed off their creativity and had a ton of fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are a very active camping and outdoors troop, and we certainly wouldn\u2019t replace that,\u201d says Scoutmaster Dan Fuller. \u201cBut it was nice to provide Scouts with an outlet for another side of their interests. In our Minecraft design competition, for example, we had some great examples of Scout engineering and creativity. When done intentionally, gaming can be a great social activity, as I think our event showed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Life Scout Owen McCleese agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a fun and easy activity that can get the whole troop involved,\u201d he says. \u201cIt can help the troop grow together.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Jax Stover plays Fortnite (Photo courtesy of Jax Stover)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Pressing start<\/h2>\n

The idea for the tournament originated where all great Scouting ideas should: with the Scouts themselves. The Troop 12 patrol leaders\u2019 council, or PLC, was looking for inventive ways to enliven the troop\u2019s annual holiday party.<\/p>\n

Instead of merely moving that event to Zoom because of COVID, the Scouts realized that multiplayer videogames would allow them to spend time together in an enjoyable but safe way.<\/p>\n

After seeing how well it worked, Fuller contacted Bryan on Scouting to share his troop\u2019s story.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought other troops might be able to do something like this this winter, while we\u2019re waiting to resume outdoor meetings,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

During the planning process, Fuller says he forced himself to stay on the sidelines and let the Scouts do as much of the work as possible. He purchased the necessary gaming subscriptions or extras (like Minecraft maps) but otherwise stayed out of the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe PLC divided the tasks and assigned Scouts to run each game,\u201d Fuller says. \u201cThe Scouts in charge of each game developed their own tournament format and decided how to run each of those events.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fuller saw that when you give Scouts the freedom to plan something themselves, they\u2019ll score the maximum amount of points \u2014 even when obstacles arise.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very impressed with their ability to adapt on the fly,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen we had some technical problems getting the initial streams started, the Scouts stepped up and improvised solutions to keep everything rolling.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A tournament supply box gets dropped off at a Scout\u2019s house. (Photo courtesy of Dan Fuller)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Level by level<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s how Troop 12 did it. Would something like this work in your pack, troop, crew or ship?<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Get input<\/strong>: The PLC polled the Scouts in Troop 12 to ask what multiplayer games they\u2019d recommend for the tournament.<\/li>\n
  2. Select the games<\/strong>: From that list, the PLC selected the games to use, making sure to choose games available on a variety of platforms: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, PC and mobile. The lineup included Minecraft, Brawlhalla, Jackbox and Among Us. (All games were rated E, E 10+ or T.)<\/li>\n
  3. Test the tech<\/strong>: \u201cOur biggest area of improvement would be to get the PLC together earlier to test all of the games and streaming before the event,\u201d Fuller says. \u201cAll of our testing was just with one or two people. It was a little different when everyone logged on at once.\u201d<\/li>\n
  4. Deliver the goods<\/strong>: The day before the tournament, leaders in Troop 12 crisscrossed around town delivering \u201ctournament supply kits\u201d to each Scout\u2019s home. These were left on the doorstep to ensure the deliveries were no-contact. The kits were not to be opened until the tournament started. Inside, the Scouts found two bottles of Powerade, gamer-friendly snacks like Doritos and Sour Skittles, and party glasses and hats.<\/li>\n
  5. Start the show<\/strong>: During the event, Troop 12 Assistant Senior Patrol Leader Owen McCleese kicked things off and told everyone to open their supply kits. Properly fueled, the Scouts started to play their chosen games.<\/li>\n
  6. Include everyone<\/strong>: To give the event a \u201cgaming tournament\u201d feel, rounds were streamed live on a private Twitch channel available only to authenticated members of the troop.<\/li>\n
  7. Award prizes<\/strong>: All Scouts who won at least one round of any game were entered to win a prize. The loot included Scouting essentials like windproof camping matches, patches and books about camping.<\/li>\n
  8. Roll with the punches<\/strong>: \u201cI think going into the event with a flexible attitude is key,\u201d Fuller says.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Life Scout Blake Little, who organized the Minecraft competition, has some advice of his own:<\/p>\n