STRIKE

Esports, sim racing, streaming and digital production.

Overview

Competition, analysis and broadcast in one room.

STRIKE is Sunmarke School’s hybrid ICT, esports, sim racing and broadcast lab. During the school day it operates as a fully equipped ICT classroom. When activated for esports, the same environment becomes a structured space for competition, teamwork, performance analysis and digital production.

Students use gaming desktops and laptops to develop communication, strategy and decision-making through school-approved esports titles. The STRIKE Racing Simulator introduces competitive sim racing, while a dedicated Streaming Pod allows students to explore commentary, production, graphics, audio and live-event broadcasting.

STRIKE extends well beyond playing games. Students examine computing, mathematics, business, media, English, wellbeing and digital citizenship through esports-related projects, and explore careers across game development, broadcasting, event production, data analysis, coaching and marketing.

What makes it distinctive

Competition with educational purpose

Esports becomes a structured environment for teamwork, preparation, communication and reflection. Matches are opportunities to analyse decisions, identify improvements and understand how teams perform under pressure.

More than the player

Students can become competitors, coaches, analysts, commentators, producers, observers, graphic designers, event organisers, technicians and content creators.

Racing meets digital competition

The STRIKE Racing Simulator introduces sim racing, track strategy, reaction and consistency. Improving a lap requires controlled practice, observation and evidence.

A broadcast studio inside the lab

The Streaming Pod lets students experience the production side of esports — how commentary, camera selection, graphics, audio and technical production combine to create a broadcast.

Key activities and activations

What students do inside the lab.

Team esports competition

Students form teams, take defined roles and compete using approved titles – preparing tactics beforehand, communicating during play, and reviewing afterwards to identify specific improvements.

Race, analyse, improve

Students compete on the STRIKE Racing Simulator and study how driving decisions affect lap performance, changing one part of their approach and testing whether it worked.

Produce the broadcast

Students use the Streaming Pod to produce an esports programme, taking roles as presenter, commentator, analyst, observer, producer, audio operator and graphics operator.

Become the performance analyst

Students collect match information, convert it into charts and summaries, identify patterns and present recommendations to their team.

Build an esports brand

Students create the identity for a team – name, logo, visual identity, social assets, player profiles and event materials – with older students exploring sponsorship, audiences and budgets.

Run an esports event

Students plan and deliver a tournament: format, rules, fixtures, registration, schedule, communications and roles across competition management, broadcast, technical support and operations.

Initiatives

Championships, broadcast challenges and industry careers.

STRIKE Championship

An annual Sunmarke esports competition using selected age-appropriate titles. Students take part as players, coaches, analysts, commentators, producers and organisers, with awards recognising teamwork, leadership, communication, improvement and sportsmanship alongside results.

STRIKE Racing Championship

An annual sim racing competition built around consistency, race craft and measured improvement. Students compete through qualifying stages to a final, assessed on lap time, consistency, racing decisions and improvement across the programme.

STRIKE Broadcast Challenge

Student teams produce a complete esports broadcast – programme plan, graphics, commentary, technical production and pre- and post-match segments – assessed by an expert panel on communication, production quality, storytelling and teamwork.

Esports Industry Live

Guest sessions and career encounters with players, coaches, game developers, broadcasters, commentators, content creators, event producers, marketers, designers, data analysts and technology specialist

Skills students develop

Competitive teamwork – communicating clearly and coordinating decisions under time pressure

Strategic thinking – reading situations, anticipating consequences and adapting a plan

Performance analysis – collecting information, identifying patterns and using evidence to improve

Broadcast production – planning programmes, managing audio and video, creating graphics and delivering live content

Communication and commentary – explaining complex action clearly for different audiences

Digital content creation – graphics, video, social content and promotional assets

Event management – schedules, participants, responsibilities and delivery

Digital wellbeing – managing screen time, physical health, behaviour and sustainable participation

Where this can lead

Study and career pathways this lab opens up.

Top-tier universities in the UK, USA, Canada, Europe, the UAE and beyond. Strike Lab introduces students to the fast-growing world behind gaming and esports. From competitive play and performance analysis to game development, broadcasting and content creation, students discover how their interests can connect to future study, emerging industries and exciting careers.

Esports competition and coaching
Performance analysis
Game development and design
Software engineering
Broadcast and sports production
Streaming and content production
Commentary and presenting
Video production
Graphic design
Animation
Audio production
Event management
Marketing
Sponsorship
Social media
Data analysis
Cybersecurity
Network engineering
Sports psychology
Motorsport simulation
Community management and journalism

Curriculum

Curriculum connections

STRIKE is a hybrid learning environment that uses competitive gaming as a context for applying curriculum knowledge and developing technical and personal skills. It should support normal curriculum learning rather than operate only as an extracurricular gaming space. The strongest learning occurs when students have defined tasks, roles, outcomes and opportunities to review their performance.

Students investigate computer hardware, networking, latency, internet connectivity, peripherals, software configuration and digital security. Advanced projects can introduce game development, programming, cybersecurity and network administration.

Students collect and interpret performance data through percentages, averages, probability, ratios, rankings, graphs and statistics. Sim racing creates opportunities to examine lap times, averages, consistency, speed and performance trends.

Students write match reports, scripts, interviews, event announcements, reviews and analytical pieces. Commentators practise speaking, questioning, listening and responding quickly while communicating clearly to an audience.

Students examine how live broadcasts are planned and produced, including camera selection, graphics, sound, commentary, audience, branding, editing and storytelling.

Students examine team management, sponsorship, marketing, events, revenue, intellectual property, audiences and brand partnerships. They can develop business plans for an esports event, team or related product.

Students examine gaming hardware, ergonomics, peripherals and the design of physical gaming environments. They can design accessories, workstation concepts or solutions that improve comfort, organisation or accessibility.

Students examine reaction, coordination, concentration, posture, recovery and the routines required to maintain healthy performance, including breaks, movement, hydration, sleep and balanced screen use.

Students address respectful communication, online conduct, cyberbullying, privacy, identity, inclusion and responsible gaming. They learn how to compete intensely while maintaining respect for teammates and opponents.

Sim racing and gaming provide contexts for studying forces, motion, reaction time, human performance and energy. Students can conduct controlled investigations into variables that affect physical or digital performance.

Students create logos, team identities, overlays, broadcast graphics, digital assets and event branding. They consider typography, composition, consistency and audience.

Students explore microphone technique, sound levels, audio mixing, sound effects and music used in digital production.

Students examine roles surrounding esports and gaming, including broadcasting, content production, coaching, software development, event operations, analytics, marketing and technical support.

SCHOLARSHIP

Interested in a technology scholarship?

To find out about scholarships at Sunmarke, please contact our Admissions team.

Contact Admissions

Gallery

Inside Strike

From competitive gaming and racing simulation to streaming, teamwork and strategy, these moments capture students building confidence, creativity and digital skills through immersive, hands-on experiences.