On Wednesday, July 6, Chargé d’Affaires Jonathan Lee Yoo presented Mr. Francis Ah Wong with eSports equipment valued at USD 9,900 to facilitate and host eSports clubs and virtual exchange programs. The donation aims to encourage the use of eSports to build interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. Mr. Ah Wong, in partnership with locally selected gamers, will host regular STEAM programs, and in partnership with the U.S. Embassy, will recruit professional eSports athletes and streamers to conduct virtual training and exchanges.
“eSports is a growing industry. We believe that it is important to provide Samoa STEAM students and educators with the means to build networks, develop ideas, and explore this emerging field,” said Chargé d’Affaires Yoo.
“The eSports club will the launched in the coming months. This is an exciting adventure as there is talent in Samoa in programming, gaming, and eSports. We look forward to using this platform to boost STEAM education,” said Mr. Ah Wong.
Equipment handed over to Mr. Ah Wong included:
- 3 Gaming PC
- 4 Mechanical gaming keyboard
- 1 Gaming mouse
- 5 Stinger Gaming Headphones
- 2 x 24” Gaming curved monitors
- Joystick Controller Mixbox Controller; and
- DDR4 SDRam
In addition to the equipment, Mr. Ah Wong was granted USD 1,000 as seed funding to set up and promote the eSports club in Samoa.