Video interview: UK veterans Odee and R2K on the opportunities in schools and how esports has changed

We caught up with Team Dignitas general manager and British Esports advisory board member Michael “Odee” O’Dell (right), and Rams “R2K” Singh (left), at the 2018 Digital Schoolhouse finals at the Gfinity Arena last week.

Odee said: “It’s pretty cool that the Digital Schoolhouse is moving into esports. I wanted to come along and support it. Anything that’s educational on the side of esports – in this country especially – is what I’ve been waiting for, for a very long time. So I’m happy to support anything like that.

“It’s nice to see the teachers actually getting involved with this, and the schools allowing this to happen and understand that the students don’t see this as a thing, but it’s something that’s part of their lives and it’s naturally growing. Hopefully more schools and colleges will get involved.”

R2K added: “In esports and gaming, there’s always been a slight stigma around it when you talk about it in public, people make weird comments about it like, ‘oh, you do that, what is this, we don’t understand that’, and it’s not really accepted.

“But we’ve come to a time now where governments and schools are now looking at it, and we’re nurturing these pupils and these guys to look at gaming a lot more.

“When the parents and the teachers understand it along the children as well, that’s when it starts to grow a lot more, and we can have a nice healthy atmosphere towards gaming.”

The pair also spoke about their time together on Team Dignitas and other teams in the past.

You can check out the video interview here: