Move over Tetris; the Fox Theatre is bringing eSports

WALSENBURG — Fox Theatre long-time supporters and team (left to right) Devin Hamon, Jen Knight, Julianna Ksander, Evan Ksander, and George Ksander pose under the freshly updated marquis thanking the CoSHI Grant for giving the opportunity to launch the eSports program. Photo by Helena Cappon by Helena Cappon WALSENBURG — Exciting things are underway at the Fox Theatre on Main Street in Walsenburg. Through relentless effort, executive director Mike Peters along with his team are launching a new, free program for active students through CoSHI grant funding that will come in addition to the regularly scheduled movies and events. For those unfamiliar, eSports is a style of gaming that holds space even at the collegiate level, with many colleges and universities offering courses, career paths, and varsity eSports teams that play in national championships.

eSports encompasses several different popular video games and countless others, with an audience of over 496 million tuning in to watch these teams compete; a number that surpasses even the viewers of American football, according to Trinidad State College. Considering that eSports is not only sweeping the nation, but the globe, Peters and his team are bringing limitless possibility and opportunity to the youth of Walsenburg. In their year-long program, attendees of the Fox Theatre’s eSports program may learn a range of skills that are not only essential for eSports, but for postsecondary readiness as a whole. Attendees will learn alongside and train like their collegiate counterparts, and will learn “high-level goal setting, analysis, evaluation, planning, study, and learning techniques through gaming to improve their school experience,” according to Peters.

Peters continues on to explain that these students will also be able to attend online and in-person events, workshops with collegiate and professional gamers, and even be a part of structured gaming/training sessions, parallel to collegiate and professional teams. Video gaming, while in the past has been known as a fun and relaxing pastime mostly employed by children and young adults, is now an all inclusive and booming industry with many pathways that can lead to extremely lucrative and fulfilling careers. Both Peters and his right hand man, Evan Ksander, have a passion for all things gaming and computers that has been life long for both, and are now eagerly anticipating sharing this passion and knowledge with Walsenburg as a whole. Ksander, who met Peters at the age of 15, has spent years helping the Fox Theatre grow into the institution it is now, and is truly thrilled to see it able to become home to the first eSports program the town has seen.

As Peters and his team bring eSports to Walsenburg, it provides an opportunity for the youth here to learn a new style of literacy online and in media that is compatible Fox Theatre long-time supporters and team (left to right) Devin with many careers even outside the video game and eSports industry. Hamon, Jen Knight, Julianna Ksander, Evan Ksander, and George Ksander pose under the freshly If you have a student interested in signing up to learn more about eSports, updated marquis thanking the how to be a part of a team and sharpen a lifelong skill set, head to CoSHI Grant for giving the foxtheatrewalsenburg. org for more information, or contact Mike Peters opportunity to launch the eSports directly at (719) 890-4292, as this free program for active students will begin program. Photo by Helena Cappon in the next few weeks.