Hickman High School gets e-sports room

Hickman is the first Columbia high school to have a room dedicated to playing video games.

Gamers competed Tuesday against Columbia Public Schools Superintendent Peter Stiepleman and Columbia Public Schools Foundation President-elect Abe Bahadori as part of a foundation grant to create the district’s first e-sports room.

CPSF gave the high school $8,500 toward the room, according to a news release.

E-sports is a growing field with more colleges and universities starting to offer teams, including Columbia College and the University of Missouri.

More than 475 high schools offer club teams and about 50 offer e-sports scholarships, according to the NCAA. The 2019 school year is the first year the National Federation of State High School Associations has authorized e-sports as an activity.

CPS spokeswoman Michelle Baumstark said the district is looking into adding e-sports teams to CPS middle schools.