Our esports team consisted of a diverse range of students, including boys and girls, students from year 7 to 13 and, most importantly, the vast majority of our participants had never represented The British School in Tokyo in a competitive fixture before. Watching the teams discuss tactics and skills, and work collaboratively to collectively improve, was wonderful to see, but it was also clear that friendships were being created and strengthened, and that the students' feelings of belonging, identity, and their own importance as positive contributors to the British International School community, were also developed. This opportunity provided a unique connection to their international school peers around the world. All teams spent time before each fixture discussing where their opponents were playing from, which led to some fascinating discussions on Uganda, Azerbaijan and The Cayman Islands!