Key Advantages of Esports

Esports comes up with numerous key advantages, such as developing social-emotional learning skills, providing STEM education for students, and increasing self-confidence and socialization among students.

FREMONT, CA: Academic esports teams have also become more common as the esports industry has grown. The chance to compete while playing some of their favorite video games attracts students from all backgrounds to esports. Traditionally, esports has been associated with recreational video games that students played at home, making it difficult for parents and teachers to understand how this extracurricular can support students' educational goals.

Students traditionally participated in esports as a recreational activity, but esports in schools has many benefits. Academic esports improve students' academic performance and social-emotional development when they participate in school activities.

Schools can benefit from esports in the following ways:

Skills in collaboration and teamwork: Teamwork and communication are key components of a successful esports team. As with any sports team, students need to understand their teammates' skill sets and learn how to complement one another's abilities during competitions. Students learn leadership, sportsmanship, and communication skills while playing competitive esports teams.

Engagement in academics and social activities: With an academic esports team, students can channel their recreational video gaming into something they can participate in at school with their peers. The community aspect of esports often leads even disengaged students to look forward to coming to school because of their shared interest in gaming. To qualify for the esports team, students must maintain good grades and good academic performance, as with any school sports team that requires passing grades.

Brain function and capabilities are improved: The benefits of video gaming on the brain include improved visual perception, improved memory, and better attention and focus. In addition to helping students improve their gaming skills, these skills can also improve their well-being and academic performance. As with any extracurricular, being part of an esports team can improve students' time management and task completion at school.

College and scholarship opportunities can be found at tournaments as well as peer connections: Academic esports are distinguished from at-home gaming by tournaments and peer connections. Both virtually and in person, students compete against students from schools as close as the same district and as far away as the other side of the globe. By sharing a common interest in gaming, esports tournaments bring together students from different backgrounds and cultures. Many students can pursue college pathways through academic esports, with tournaments awarding significant scholarships and universities recruiting students to join their esports teams.