Brandon Clark, a 28-year veteran of competitive video gaming, is channeling his expertise into coaching E-Sports at Pattonville High School. Clark’s mission extends beyond teaching game strategies; he aims to use video games as a platform to instill valuable life skills in young players.
Clark, a math teacher and former robotics coach at Pattonville, recently added E-Sports coach to his resume. He’s partnering with fellow math teacher Mary Cross to lead the school’s E-Sports program.
“I’ve probably been playing video games for about 28 years,” Clark said. “I enjoy the competitiveness and the ability to enjoy it with friends.”
The program participates in weekly competitions through MOSEF, an organization that holds official seasons for high school E-Sports. Clark also coaches teams in Rocket League, Overwatch, and Super Smash Bros.
“I’ve always enjoyed competitive E-Sports,” Clark explained. “I like the idea of providing an avenue for people who aren’t involved in traditional sports to represent their school.”
Clark emphasizes character development through gaming. “Perseverance, communication, and teamwork are key,” he said. “Working together to complete a goal and not giving up, no matter the outlook.”
The program is showing early success. “Two out of three teams are undefeated,” Clark noted. “I think our skill level puts us in a place to go very far.”
Clark identified the team’s strengths as enthusiasm and diverse gaming skills. He sees communication as a primary area for improvement.
“Communication is huge. Every competitive E-sport revolves around comms,” Clark said. “The better we get at that, the better we’ll become.”
As the season progresses, the Pattonville E-Sports community will watch to see if Clark’s coaching will lead to championship titles.
