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WATERVILLE — Thomas College has reimagined the annual Thomas Cup, which in this, its sixth year, will be held in a virtual space and meet the needs identified by high school students and teachers.
This year’s Thomas Cup features five separate opportunities to participate. One of those opportunities is a week-long esports competition (Jan. 11-16).
Students who register will be the first in the world to compete using a new competitive game mode for Minecraft Creative Clash – Pirate Cove. They will also have the opportunity to meet the Minecraft game designers, coders and artists and give them feedback on the new game mode (like play testers) and learn more about these types of computer science and information technology careers.
The competition will take place in “Minecraft: Education Edition,” which can run on PC, Mac, iPad and Chromebook. Thomas College has the ability to provide students with a short-term license so they can participate. The college has leveled the playing field so that all students, with or without gaming devices, can participate fully. Strong communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills will be required to develop winning strategies.
The event is free for high school students. Register at thomas.edu/thomas-cup.
“Thomas remains committed to fostering homegrown talent at the nexus of business, technology, and innovation,” said Thomas Cup co-organizer Amanda Nguyen. “We are excited to partner with Microsoft to offer this amazing opportunity to high school students. Beyond the fun of competing, students will have a chance to talk with the Minecraft team about the knowledge, skills, and experiences needed to succeed in the tech industry – and we hope this inspires them to explore more of those in-demand careers.”
Microsoft’s Senior Engagement Program Manager Stephen Reid said, “We are really excited about this partnership with Thomas College. The Thomas Cup is an incredible opportunity for young people to connect with and explore potential futures. Microsoft has been developing our esports Minecraft content for the last year and the Thomas Cup represents an incredible opportunity for us to work with those young people interested in the technology and gaming industries to playtest that content and give us direct feedback that will shape our roadmap for 2021.”
