If you step into a certain classroom at P.S. 100X in Soundview, there is some serious mouse-clicking going on. Fifth-grade student Shafquat Wafi and his team are working on a school design project, using the game Minecraft, where kids use coding to build with blocks.

“We are getting our inventory set up to build it, and we’re about to code,” said Elysse Robles, a member of The Straw Hat Luffers, a Minecraft team named after a Japanese anime the students enjoy.

The team participated in the city’s "Minecraft Education Challenge: Battle of the Boroughs," an esports competition held on June 8 at the Brooklyn Public Library. The Straw Hat Luffers made a big splash, tying with P.S. 84 from Manhattan in a competition that started with 601 teams from 130 schools. Only 15 teams made the final.

“They really make me proud showing that Bronx kids know technology, and when you invest in them, they can do some really incredible things,” team coach and teacher Eric Scattaretico said. Scattaretico is also the school’s tech coordinator.

That’s what the competition presented by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment and the city’s public schools is all about, preparing students as the city moves towards making the five boroughs a hub for game design.

“Gameified education is here, and it’s a way for us to engage students and get them excited about learning,” Alia Jones-Harvey, associate commissioner of education and workforce development at the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, said.

While some parents are trying to cut down on screen time for their children, this is a case where experts say the games are beneficial, and it’s not all sitting in front of a monitor. It’s also a way to make kids really eager to get to school and learn.

"The issue of screen time is kind of negated because the kids are not just on screens, they are also doing work within their classrooms, within their curriculum during the school day, that then leads into their builds,” Anthony Casasnovas, an instructional technology specialist with NYC Public Schools, said.

Kids at P.S. 100X said they couldn’t be more excited. They got help from local partners, like Galaxy Gaming Lab. From the Bronx, which sells Bronx-themed merchandise, hooked them up with t-shirts and some cool prizes.

Team members say just being part of this is pretty amazing.

“It feels good to be on a team where I know everybody and I am with my friends and they can help me with stuff [when] I am having trouble understanding and stuff like that,” Anthony Ramirez said.

Jone-Harvey says the Battle of the Boroughs will be back even bigger next year. Meanwhile, the city’s Summer of Games is back — featuring conferences, expos, workshops and esports competitions all summer.

For more information, head here.