Do you have a child who plays Fortnite or Rocket League? Do they want to learn and improve their esports skills? Sign up to test the Guild Esports Academy

[GraceEMumsnet]

We are looking for Mumsnet users and their children aged between 11 and 16 to test out the Guild Esports Academy, the world’s number one esports academy. Your child should have an interest in and have access to play Rocket League or Fortnite, as well as access to a PC, mobile or tablet.

Here’s what Guild Esports has to say:

“The Guild Academy is the most comprehensive video game learning platform available today and we need your help to make it the best it can be. Your child will be able to learn from the best coaches in the world and improve their gameplay, no matter their ability.

Guild Esports have taken a best-in-class approach to ensure your child has a safe space online, through partnering with SuperAwesome - a world leading parental consent provider - you are in charge of what your child does and what data is collected.“

Selected testers will be provided with a username and password for their Guild Esports Academy online account - accessed on a computer or mobile device/tablet. This will include a free months trial of the Guild Academy for their child. Testers will be asked to use the account with their child and to test out the videos and drills contained within their lesson plan.

Your child can then use what they’ve leant to play Rocket League or Fortnite. Both games are free to download directly on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4/5, Xbox consoles and on PC via the Epic Games Store. You can also download Fortnite on Android devices.

All testers will be sent a welcome pack with an additional free year long membership for the Guild Academy for their child (RRP £60), alongside a special video message from David Beckham detailing how Guild Esports Academy have made the platform safe for kids.

Following testing the product, selected testers will need to give their feedback via a thread on Mumsnet and a short survey. All testers who give the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £100 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

If you’re interested in taking part, please sign up here.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

Do people honestly pay money (subscription) for their children to play more video games?
MNers should just hire out their 14yos

Esports? Video games are not any kind of sport. Stop trying to make Fortnite sound like a healthy hobby for children.

Yeah - this is misjudged and for me, not in the spirit of MN. Fortnite is addictive, damaging and unhealthy. Rocket league is better but still.

If your children are going to play games online this seems like a way you can control it rather than being a bad thing and esports is a sport! It's competitive and involves teamwork

My 18 year old DS is though to the National esports finals with his college team and has just finished his gold d of e and queens scout award. Gaming doesn't have to mean they do nothing else!

DS is staying at college for a third year to do an esports course and is the most motivated he has been in years. Is out today with his course mates and it doesn't start until September.

The thread last week on Fortnight was eye opening for me! My 12yo has been asking to play it as he seems to be the only one not on it. Needless to say, he won't be now.

@chocolatealldaylong

If your children are going to play games online this seems like a way you can control it rather than being a bad thing and esports is a sport! It's competitive and involves teamwork

My 18 year old DS is though to the National esports finals with his college team and has just finished his gold d of e and queens scout award. Gaming doesn't have to mean they do nothing else!

DS is staying at college for a third year to do an esports course and is the most motivated he has been in years. Is out today with his course mates and it doesn't start until September.

I think you're confusing "sport" with "skill" or "hobby". Would your DS have been able to use gaming as his chosen activity for the physical section of his D of E gold award? No - because gaming is not a sport.

My main sport is saying no to Fortnite to an 8 and 11 year old. I am the grand undefeated master.

Bollocks are computer games a sport.

What a crappy thing to encourage kids to do.

How much are MN being paid to allow this frankly misjudged advert?

Fortnight is not something which any child should be encouraged to do. It’s addictive and damaging and encouraging parents to get their children to play it really isn’t anything which mn should be recognised for.

Badly judged MN HQ. But I suppose everything has its price eh?

Such prejudice here! And ignorance. 'esports' is a widely used term in the same way other non-physical activities can come under the umbrella of sport.
Plenty of young people - correctly parented - manage to play and enjoy games like these without turning into antisocial addicts who don't leave their bedroom. There are some fantastic communities to be found within the gaming community - not something you'd know if you take the lazy, dated 'computer games are bad' viewpoint.

I don't think it's fair to say that the problems with Fortnite are down to incorrect parenting. It is a game which is deliberately set up to be addictive and to incentivise spending money on it.
My response is based on personal experiences and certainly not 'lazy outdated computer games are bad' prejudice. There are plenty of games that I am happy for my dc to play, and that I play along with them.
Having lived through a Fortnite addiction and come out the other side, none of my younger dc will be playing it, and knowing quite a lot about it I do not believe it is a healthy game for young people to be encouraged to play. Despite no longer playing, the consequences are ongoing, sadly, for my dc1.

I find this promotion rather tawdry too. My 14 yo certainly doesn’t need any parental validation to stoke his gaming habit. Even if it’s endorsed by David Beckham.

Wow, for the most part this is the usual Mumsnet competition to see who can be seen to be most anti-gaming.
During lockdown, gaming was a godsend for my 11 yr old, on Fortnite and Minecraft. He played every day with friends he couldn't see in person, they used teamwork and built incredible things in both games.
My son isn't addicted to Fortnite and has no issues when it's time to come off the game. He has plenty of other interests, including cricket and cubs, so gaming hasn't turned him into some hollow-eyed zombie.
Honestly, those of you throwing your hands up in horror at Mumsnet promoting this are really demonstrating incredible narrow-mindedness and, frankly ignorance about a perfectly valid pastime that is enjoyed by children and adults alike. If you feel it's not for your child, then great, carry on, but I know at least two thirds of my son's Y6 class enjoy gaming and as their teacher, I also know them to be intelligent, well-rounded individuals.
As for the D of E sport comment, I'm guessing there are plenty of sports that aren't eligible for it, so that argument really doesn't stack up.

@GnomeOrMistAndIceGuy

Such prejudice here! And ignorance. 'esports' is a widely used term in the same way other non-physical activities can come under the umbrella of sport. Plenty of young people - correctly parented - manage to play and enjoy games like these without turning into antisocial addicts who don't leave their bedroom. There are some fantastic communities to be found within the gaming community - not something you'd know if you take the lazy, dated 'computer games are bad' viewpoint.

Nope- not against gaming in any way. At last count we had 7 consoles, 3 of which are mine. A v close family member has been in teams that won European championships in two different games.

Just against Fortnight, and similar types (CoD, GTA etc) for young children.

Fortnite isn't remotely comparable to CoD or GTA.

Bsmirched you are lucky that your son is able to use Fortnite in a healthy way and has not become addicted. But it is you who are being narrow-minded and ignorant to discount the experiences of others (and there are many) who do not have such positive experiences of the game. There are issues with the design of the game and the way it is played which make it a problem for children who are susceptible or vulnerable. And encouraging kids and their families to play/allow them to play without awareness of the potential dangers is irresponsible IMO.

@BewareTheBeardedDragon my comments were more aimed at those whose overarching view is that gaming is bad and results in square-eyed zombies. I fully understand that children react differently to everything, but you'd hope any parent would look into something like Fortnite before allowing their children to play it. I just get so annoyed at the pearl-clutching smugness of some on here who think they're parenting is somehow superior to those of us who allow our children to game.

Wow, so many people on here are anti gaming. Which is somewhat understanding... As the Fortnite thread, people are not using the child settings on their devices correctly.

My honest question is: Why is every single child that DS assosiates with able to play online? These kids are 9 years +.

There is a distortion between MN and RL.

@Bsmirched As for the D of E sport comment, I'm guessing there are plenty of sports that aren't eligible for it, so that argument really doesn't stack up.

No. You can chose "any sport, dance or fitness activity – in short, anything that requires a sustained level of energy and physical activity."
www.dofe.org/do/sections/

What you can't do is sit on your arse playing computer games and count it as a sport. It's not snobbery - they wouldn't accept chess either.

I have literally banned my 8 year old from playing Rocket League for a week as it affects his personality so much in a way that Minecraft and Lego worlds do not. Awful, awful. He can't handle it, it's like a hit of heroin or similar. Terrible tantrums when it's turned off. Literally begging to play it over and above the time we have set.

We do not have Fortnite and I do not intend to get it.

I realise not all children react this way. My older child can cope with games including Rocket League but his younger brother just can't.

I am shocked that MN appears to be supporting the promotion of Fortnite which many youngsters become addicted to! Shocking lapse.

My son responsibly plays both of these so trialling this would be a benefit to him. Fingers crossed.

Hello, I have an avid Rocket League player in the house who I am sure would love to take part (provided the time commitment is acceptable to his mum, ie me!). Have signed up. Fingers crossed

I thought fortnite was a 12? Our primary school recently sent out reminders to parents/guardians that it was not appropriate for primary age children to be playing it, and they would raise a safeguarding alert if they thought/ had evidence children were playing it. So I don't think fortnite can be that benign. Although thinking about I guess a number of 11 year olds are at secondary school so maybe it's more acceptable.

Of all the things that kids need ‘coaching’ in, video games aren’t one of them!? A ‘sport’ 😂 WTAF, why would any parent encourage it, let alone pay for it!?

Bonkers. Maybe you could set up a ‘coaching’ platform for when they turn 16 & teach them how to drink cider & snog girls, then when they get to Uni you could teach them how to oversleep and miss lectures - the possibilities are endless..