The relationship between Esports and education
“Scholastic” is a term that means to concern learning and schools. When we are talking about scholastic Esports, we are talking about the relationship between Esports, schools, and learning. This definition is apt, as the relationship between Esports and schools; and Esports and learning, can be examined and understood separately – the “form” and the “function”, as it were.
Esports and schools benefit from mutually beneficial cooperation. Schools can incorporate Esports into their body through the format of dedicated, competitive Esports teams, through opening Esports clubs, or both. Esports teams allow schools to enter scholastic competition leagues where they can gain recognition, allow the team members to gain valuable competition experience, and even find sponsors and funding, both locally and nationally.
Esports clubs, on the other hand, serve as a place for interested students to learn more about Esports, run tournaments, learn what is involved in the industry, or just engage in their mutual hobby. Both Esports teams and clubs will increase student engagement with the school, create another avenue from which they create a sense of belonging, and allow students to gain experience and create bodies of work that will help them in their later careers.
When it comes to learning, the main advantage Esports provides is how easily it can be incorporated into social-emotional learning (SEL). Esports by nature encourages the growth of skills like communication, collaboration, leadership, decision-making, and problem-solving. Esports also allows students from all backgrounds to engage in the activity, thus teaching the importance of and fostering equality. Through competition, students learn other valuable skills like perseverance and empathy, and Esports can fill the socialization needs of students by allowing them to collaborate on a shared passion.
The need for critical thinking and adaptability in Esports means students will make good use of these soft skills in their future careers. A well-defined Esports training program will allow students to consistently work on and improve their skills in analyzing problems and communicating possible solutions – skills that are invaluable in the 21st-century job market.
Career in Esports
Future career prospects are where both school and learning relationships with Esports combine. By getting involved with Esports at a scholastic level, students can create three main avenues of career-building activities. The first one is of course becoming a professional Esports player. Adopting the discipline and dedication required of Esports athletes at the high school level ensures students can seamlessly transfer into professional players, and they can present themselves as valuable prospects through the tournaments and competitions they attend while representing their school.
The second way they can build their career is by getting involved in the technical side of Esports. High school Esports teams and clubs require students who can arrange live streams, manage tournaments through the usage of software, and execute the upkeep of required Esports hardware. These skills can all help them find future employment in the Esports industry.
The third area of employment that can be overlooked is that of the creative industries. Managing the social media presence of their club, creating team visuals and sponsorship decks, and acting as the casters and commentators of their school competitions can help students create their portfolios that they can present to possible future employers, from a very early stage.
As can be seen from the points presented so far, the inclusion of Esports in the scholastic environment will help schools and students equally, creating an environment of acceptance where students can train and compete to be shining representatives of their schools currently, and where students can improve both hard and soft skills to become future success stories.
