The real time ranking system I think is the root of a lot of this. It allows people to know where they stand and they can look to the community on how to improve their game.
Instead why not organize a catch-all chat for people to talk, like a Discord. Let people talk off-topic and organize to play games and such as a class if they want.
I think that's a great point but one that the Rocket League community somehow solves.
Trying to make education more like Rocket League, ignoring the wildly divergent motivations of the people involved, is a fool's errand.
What are the objective differences between getting better at Rocket League and getting better at stats?
Agreed if we don't understand or create a basic framework, trying to put lipstick on a pig and making stats look like Rocket League is dumb.
For an example of a vibrant community, I’d look toward what video games, such as Rocket League, have created.
Players have a specific ranking based on competition stats. They level up when they when a sufficient number of games within their ranking. Progression through the game doesn’t have to be a solo endeavor because players can look to the community for how to improve.
The community not on my celebrates wins and gives advice on losses, they offer free coaching that can result in paid tutoring [1].
Not only that, but on average the community members are positive and light-hearted.
I think other skill-based activities could learn a lot from how and why these communities function and incorporate those aspects into their platforms to help students succeed.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/RocketLeague/comments/hv2vus/coachi...