Employees and Students of HSE University to Participate in the Games of the Future
A student team from the university will compete in phygital basketball, while faculty members will unveil their research on the current landscape of student esports to the expert community. The Games of the Future's opening ceremony will take place in Kazan on February 21, with the events running until March 3.
The inaugural Games of the Future in Kazan is an international multisport tournament that combines physical and digital competitions at the intersection of sports, science, and technology.
The phygital format allows for competition in both traditional sports and cyber disciplines. It has gained popularity across Russia, with more than 60 cities opening regional branches of the All-Russian Federation of Phygital Sports. Ten venues located in Kazan, Innopolis, and Sirius are involved in hosting the games.
The competitions will take place in 23 innovative disciplines, including phygital football, hockey, basketball, martial arts, robot battles, and drone races.
Representatives from HSE University will participate in the events and competitions. For instance, on February 29, the expert session 'New Age Game Educational Technologies: Helpful Games and Esports in Teaching and Educational Activities' will feature an international report on the state of student esports in higher education institutions in Russia. The study, launched by the university last year, is dedicated to the significance and prospects for the development of the esports community, as well as current issues of esports support in universities, including a review of best practices across universities and public organisations.
At the Games of the Future, experts will discuss how so-called ‘helpful games’ and esports can become a platform for training high-demand personnel for the digital environment, as well as facilitate young people's entry into the IT industry, said Ekaterina Albegova, Director for Youth Policy Partnerships and Projects at HSE University.
Ekaterina Albegova
Director for Youth Policy Partnerships and Projects
‘We see that in the modern world, there is a growing trend towards improving traditional learning formats for the effective development of high-demand knowledge and skills. That’s why our team pays special attention to the prospects of using the achievements of the gaming industry in the educational process.'
In particular, the authors of the paper consider the possibility of including phygital sports in the curriculum.
Furthermore, the session will discuss the development of the Joint Research Centre for Game Educational Technologies based at HSE University, which was established by order of Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko. The project's partners include the Centre for Elaboration and Commercialisation of New Technologies, ANO 'Digital Economy', the Russian eSports Federation, the Association of Professionals in Game Operations and Development, and Skoltech. The centre will carry out comprehensive research on the phenomenon of gaming as a social practice for developing the capabilities of modern humans.
HSE University's participation in the Games of the Future as a partner is a unique experience, emphasised Ekaterina Albegova. The event will feature not only the research team, but also the university's student associations. On February 26, the student team of the HSE Basketball Community and CyberHSE, with the support of the Berloga scientific and technological platform, will participate in the Friends Tournament of the Games of the Future among partner teams in ‘phygital basketball’. The competition consists of two stages: battles in a basketball simulator and on an LED court. In addition to Berloga, teams from Gazpromneft, Sibur, Sberbank, VK, the Znanie Society, Wildberries, and Positive Technologies will participate in the tournament.
Ruslan Ataullin
Team manager
'We are facing a challenge that involves a combination of traditional basketball and esports, which is becoming increasingly popular at the university. I am glad that we have the opportunity to represent our university at partner competitions as part of the Games of the Future. We hope to bring home a victory.'
He believes that phygital basketball is not only an exciting sports activity, but also a useful tool for a well-rounded person. Developing this and other phygital fields within the university will help students become more successful and competitive in the modern digital world.