NewScience Winter 2022 Edition - Saint Louis Science Center

Esports Program Ahead of the Game

The Saint Louis Science Center is a proud member of the Association of Science and Technology Centers, or ASTC, and at this year’s ASTC conference, our esports team was able to show science museums across the country just how ahead of the game we are here in St. Louis!

The presentation, titled “National STEM Gaming Network: Let’s Talk About Purposeful Gaming,” brought together representatives Doug Stanze and Mike Harris from the Science Center, but also managers, directors and leaders from the Science Museum of Minnesota, the San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology, the Arizona Science Center and the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

From left: Mike Harris, Manager, Cyber Security Education, Saint Louis Science Center; Chris Demko, Manager, Omnitheater & Immersive Media Manager, Science Museum of Minnesota; Doug Stanze, Director, Guest Services, Saint Louis Science Center; Cliff Zintgraff, Ph.D., Chief Learning Officer, San Antonio Museum of Science and Technology; Alyson Smith, Senior Vice President, Engagement, Arizona Science Center; Ted Black, President & CEO, Whitaker Center

This loose network of science centers is referred to as the National STEM Gaming Network and aims to allow each member institution to become a resource for gaming and esports education in its community. All the members of this network support the idea that gaming and esports programming are vital ways to engage youth in the future, and they have been communicating and assisting each other in their endeavors for over a year now.

Director of Guest Services Doug Stanze said, “It was a pleasure to finally meet these individuals that we have been collaborating with virtually for the last 18 months.”

In the presentation, Stanze and Harris, as well as their collaborators Chris Demko, Cliff Zintgraff, Ph.D., Alyson Smith and Ted Black, discussed the programs they have started at their own science museums and explained how their completed projects in the esports arena are faring.

Each institution has approached the esports and gaming programming differently, allowing the presenters to share various experiences with the attendees. Some museums have created physical spaces, events and competitions, while others have focused on educational programming. These five museums, among the first to offer programming of this kind, will truly bring science and technology centers into the future.