Photo/Illutration The esports club at the city-run Minato Sogo Senior High School in Yokohama’s Naka Ward hosts an esports event on Sept. 20. (Tomoko Adachi)

YOKOHAMA—The Yokohama municipal government will start offering esports classes at a city-run high school next spring, allowing third-year students to earn credits by learning about the video gaming industry.

Minato Sogo Senior High School in Naka Ward will join the Saga Prefecture-run Karatsu Seisho Senior High School as the nation’s first public schools to offer such courses.

Under the Yokohama school’s new curriculum, third-year students can study esports, a form of competitive video gaming, as an elective for 35 hours from April to September.

After gaining basic knowledge about the history of esports and its current status, students will learn the various roles of team members, including coaches and other staff.

They will deepen their understanding of the industry and the wide range of job types, such as gameplay streaming, in-game commentary, marketing and competition management, and analyze trends.

Eventually, the students will be split into groups that must each plan and manage an event.

Takeshi Tsuda, 60, the school’s principal, emphasized that a wide range of topics can be learned from esports.

“It’s not just about playing video games. It’s a means that allows people to communicate regardless of their age, disability and nationality,” Tsuda said. “We want to provide students with learning opportunities after finding out what they love to do, in addition to expanding the possibilities of career choices.”

Minato Sogo Senior High School is known for its liberal culture and offering integrated courses in which students can earn credits from elective classes.

Seeking topics of high interest, the school took notice of esports, especially after students founded a hobby society last year.

The city government, which has been attracting large events for esports competitions, supports the school.

It created the curriculum under the supervision of Cellorb, a Yokohama-based company that manages Varrel, a top-tier Japanese professional esports team.

According to Cellorb worker Jiei Mukasa, 26, the curriculum is aimed at having students learn about teamwork, acquire digital proficiency and develop problem-solving skills.

It is not about encouraging students to become professional esports players, he said.

“Excellent video games are designed to make players overcome hurdles and gain self-esteem,” Mukasa said.

He added: “When they hit a wall, they sort out their problems, go back to where they made mistakes and learn other things while they experience the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Action) cycle. I think we can provide new values at a public school that is open to everyone.

The school also intends to teach students how to play video games in an appropriate and enjoyable way, providing them with rules to prevent gaming addiction.

In August, Tokyo-based Sony Marketing Inc. donated five top-of-the-line monitors and five headsets to the school for its esports club, which was formed by the hobby society.

“Initial expenses are the hurdle for esports (beginners), and it is easy to get started when we have equipment,” said Takato Yamada, a third-year student who leads the club.

The esports market in Japan was worth 14.7 billion yen ($97.6 million) in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 17 percent, according to a 2024 report published by Kadokawa Ascii Research Laboratories Inc.

An estimated 8.56 million people were esports fans and viewers in 2023. The figure is projected to surpass 10 million in 2025.

The first Esports World Cup was held in Saudi Arabia last year. The second edition, held this summer, drew more than 2,000 players from at least 100 countries and regions.

The inaugural Olympic Esports Games, established by the International Olympic Committee, will be held in 2027.

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