Following the 2022 edition, Gamr hosted another esports competition at the STEAM Fun Fest 2023 edition with a ₦1 Million prize pool, one of the biggest in Nigeria for young children. The STEAM Fun Fest is Africa’s largest event for young children aged 7 to 17 to immerse themselves in the world of science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics.
As part of Gamr’s mission to nurture and advance gaming culture in Africa and beyond, we understand that it is imperative to bring competitive gaming and its possibilities to young children.
The 2023 STEAM Fun Fest Esports competition featured FIFA 23 and Just Dance. FIFA is a popular video game across Africa, with the love for football transcending to the console for many children, teenagers and even adults on the continent. Moreover, Just Dance is also a captivating game that allows young children to easily have fun while being competitive.
After the registration of participants, moderators informed the kids of the rules of the competition to enable them to become familiar with them. The brackets of the tournament were set for an elimination round of 16 for both FIFA and Just Dance. After highly competitive games which included four rounds of gameplay, the winners emerged as follows:
Just Dance
- Ifunnaya -1st
- Inioluwa – 2nd
- Okiki-3rd
FIFA
- Daniel-1st
- David-2nd
- Moyinfoluwa-3rd
The prizes for the tournament were distributed across the two games, with the winners of each game receiving a generous reward of ₦200,000 in scholarship funds and internship opportunities. The participants securing the second position in both games were awarded ₦100,000 in scholarship funds and received a bundle of school stationery to support their educational journey. Furthermore, the third-place winners in each game shared a prize of ₦50,000 in scholarship and stationery.
In addition to the scholarship and prizes, all the children who participated in the tournament were not only celebrated for their exceptional gaming skills.
FIFA Final Sees Brothers Face Off in an Epic Showdown
The Gamr FIFA final saw two brothers square off against each other in the finals. Both brothers saw out other competitors in previous rounds showcasing their skills and eventually had to battle it out for the first position. After beating his brother and every other person he faced at the competition, Daniel in an interview with Gamr said “I feel very good, excited and proud of myself. My brother was in the finals, and he also did very well, but because we play together, I knew some of his weaknesses and his strengths and I used it against him”.
Minecraft session with the kids
Asides from the esports tournaments, the children also had a masterclass session on Minecraft from Dapo, a Minecraft tutor. Minecraft is one of the most popular video games in the world, where players explore a generated 3-D world and interact with various elements, including blocks representing different materials and creatures like animals and monsters.
Many kids were fascinated with the map’s tutorial and showed great interest in immersing themselves more in the world of Minecraft.
The benefits of gaming for kids
Gaming offers an avenue for kids to connect easily and can lead to cognitive development, creativity and imagination. It also leads to cognitive development, as gaming often involves fast-paced action and requires players to react quickly. This can enhance a child’s hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. Moreover, games often evoke various emotions in players and this can teach young children to manage frustration, excitement, and disappointment in a controlled environment.
Lastly, as technology becomes more prevalent in everyday life, gaming can help kids become more comfortable using computers and digital devices.