The U.S. military struggled to break into Twitch this year. Its esports team came under fire from gamers who would not stop asking questions about war crimes, and Columbia University's Knight First Amendment Institute removed them, banning people from asking questions could actually be a violation of the First Amendment said, "The Army's return to Twitch in August worked as well as could be expected without being moderated in this way.

Despite these headaches, the U.S. military services have not given up on their gaming-oriented youth outreach efforts; Generation Esports announced today that it is partnering with the Army National Guard, along with Asus and Intel, to install "fully equipped esports labs" in 25 high schools across the country. Each school will receive six Intel Core i7-based PCs built around Asus ROG components, and one randomly selected school will receive a "complete internet infrastructure upgrade" from Extreme Networks.

"We know that setting up an esports lab can be costly, and since the STEM community plays such an important role in the continued growth of our economy, it is important that we work to engage students in these fields in a way that fosters enthusiasm and excitement for a lifetime." said Jason Kirby, President of Generation Esports, Inc. Not only will this project provide students with lifelong learning about computer assembly and maintenance, but it will also give them hands-on experience with esports gaming, which could lead to future careers."

Students from schools selected for the program will receive training on how to build and maintain an esports lab." Partner representatives will also be on hand to provide expert advice on STEM-related career choices and college programs." Kirby confirmed that "partner representatives" visiting the schools could include members of the National Guard and its esports team, unless the schools refuse.

"Schools may choose not to have the National Guard participate in school activations," Kirby explained in an email. 'This is an option for schools once they have been notified that they have been selected.'

Otherwise, the National Guard hopes to bring esports teams to selected schools for "friendly exhibitions [games] with new equipment" as well as "talk about the benefits of pursuing a STEM-related career in the National Guard." [The NFL's website has a page featuring Air Force flight overs, including a shot of an F4 in the air over Super Bowl VI in 1972. In addition, both the Navy and the Air Force are sponsors of major esports tournaments and usually have booths on site. Lest we forget, the U.S. military has been going on for almost 20 years now.

While the U.S. military's involvement in sports and video games is not without criticism, the military's recruitment efforts in schools are particularly disconcerting: the audience is young, impressionable, and literally captive. While there is a choice, it is unclear whether the selected schools will actually opt for the National Guard's stopover offer.

Full program details, including hardware specifications, application links, and complete rules, are available at highschoolesportsleague.com.