Brentwood esports coach Nicholas Metropoulos earlier this week pitched the idea of an “esports, board gaming and makerspace” to city officials.
Metropoulos, who coaches the esports teams for Brentwood Middle School and Brentwood High School, is asking for space within the city’s facilities to establish a Brentwood Community Technology Learning Center.
Metropoulos said the goal is to increase student engagement and expand STEAM learning by providing structured after school programs, strengthening both social and community connections. Metropoulos also teaches history at Riverview Gardens High School.
Metropoulos, who was joined by several members of the esports team, mentioned the Brentwood Public Library or the recently unoccupied space in the basement of city hall as potential locations. He also outlined a wish list of equipment that could be used in the space.
The items include gaming PCs, as well as equipment such as 3-D printers and Cricut cutting machines for the makerspace totaling roughly $26,000.
Members of the team also pointed to educational technology and library innovation grants, along with potential sponsorships from local businesses like Best Buy or Microcenter, as potential funding mechanisms.
He noted that many universities in the state are now offering scholarships for their esports teams, and the space would provide students a healthy environment to learn, interact and compete.
Schools including the University of Missouri, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Lindenwood University, Maryville University and Saint Louis University all offer scholarship funding for their esports programs.
Team members said they compete in popular games like Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart and Overwatch 2, among others. They also proposed that students could be required to attend some form of tutoring or mentoring before using the space for video games in what they described as a “learn first, play second” approach.
“They go through strategic thinking, team collaboration, leadership, problem solving and digital citizenship, and again, adapting under pressure,” said Metropoulos.
He compared the proposed space to Fusion 314 in Florissant, a similar esports and board game space that he currently pays $60 per month for 50 hours of game play there for his students. He also pointed to this as a potential revenue stream for the city, as the city could allow groups to rent the space for events, or host tournaments and competitions for the esports team.
The team has four planned stages for the development of the space if it receives approval from the city. First would be planning and partnerships, second would be equipment installation, third would be a pilot program launch, and finally, community program expansion.
Metropoulos said he expects to have up to 75 students participating immediately if the city were to provide the space. He also hopes to host at least 20 tutoring sessions, 12 tournaments and six family game nights.
While the team is still in the planning stages and has significant work to do to find funding for the space, Brentwood Mayor David Dimmitt and the board were interested in the idea, especially since the basement of city hall currently sits unused.
“I want to thank all the students for taking time out of your schedule to be here tonight, we really do appreciate that,” Dimmitt said. “I think it’s a very intriguing proposal, and I’d like to follow up with you some time soon to talk more about it.”