Esports: The Future of Engaging Education

The author of this article isHank Chou, Associate Manager, Acer HQ

Traditionally, there’s a debate over video games having negative effects on kids as most people have the stereotype that gaming leads to increased violence and more deviant behavior. However, with video games having evolved from pure PC/Console single-player gaming to multiplayer online competitive gaming, there are more facts and evidence showing thatesportshave a lot of benefits when it comes tothe competitive and social aspects of gaming.

The benefits are pretty easy to see and understand, especially in theeducation scene. Schools play a vital role for kids’ development as the educational structure helpsdevelop habits, skills, views, mindset that will foster students’ social, physical, mental, and academic abilities. As esports gains more popularity among young people, it’s a no brainer that schools can adopt this trend to leverage its benefits to facilitate learning and boost students’ academic or career performance.

Communities Help Grow Esports, and Vice Versa

Esports is being built around communities across different game titles, collective interests, and the desire to meet and connect with similar-minded people. According toNiccolò Maisto, the co-founder and CEO of FaceIt: “It’s so natural that gamers should be connected with the community because esports basically grows with active communities. Community is the key of esports, and what differentiates it from traditional sports—esports is something that was born by community. It’s about taking a game beyond the session, and making it part of a lifestyle, building social connections, interactions and friendships. That’s how esports basically grows.”

竞技游戏深深植根于人性之中。举个例子来说，体育是一种竞争性的游戏，与游戏类型无关。换句话说，带着获胜的野心与他人竞争已经成为我们DNA的一部分。同样地，玩家必须有加入社区并寻找团队成员或对手的意图，从而创造出对社区感和归属感的持续追求。

Furthermore, there is significant evidence showing the gaming industry is growing super fast asthe games market is projected to generate revenues of $189.3 billion in 2021and theglobal live streaming audience is projected to pass 700 million this year. The huge growth of esports has fostered the growth of communities; moreover, the development of various gaming communities has started to represent a social identity, or, in other words, a unique lifestyle. This lifestyle manifests the culture of gamers and attracts more esports enthusiasts to join the community, facilitating the growth of esports to the next level.

Why Esports Communities Matter in Schools

As esports start to be considered as high-potential career options, it’s imperative to understand the importance of building up a pipeline for self-development (or career development) for student players on campus. By creating an esports-focused community in schools, students can connect their passion with their academic and personal goals, creating a well-nurtured environment for students to learn, improve in, and embrace different aspects of esports. From tournaments, teams, clubs, and scrims to coaches, team leaders and sponsors, these elements within an esports community will help establish a structured pipeline for students to learn, grow and develop.

Esports is able to improve collaboration and friendship between students by creating a sense of community. Unlike traditional sports, it is inclusive to anyone regardless of gender, age, and physical strength. Therefore, it allows any student who is interested in esports to join the same community to cooperate, connect, and engage with other similar-minded peers.

The importance of communities

通过电子竞技社区，学生可以发展STEM技能或支持更有效的STEM学习，因为它包含团队合作、解决问题、数据科学、互联网技术和编码。例如，对电子竞技充满热情的学生通常会深入研究他们的游戏，以提高他们的技能和表现。他们倾向于尝试并理解数据或尝试着深入团队机制以提高胜率。这个过程本身就是一种学习的方式。That’s why there are more schools using esportsas a learning platform.

From a social standpoint, the esports community encourages teamwork, which will end up helping students adapt to society after graduation. It also teaches students sportsmanship and how to respect opponents even in a loss. How to deal with failure and frustration is a lesson that everyone should learn as early as possible in their life. Esports also brings social interaction for students who are not good at getting along with others. Even the WHO worked with game companies during the COVID-19 pandemic for a#PlayApartTogethercampaign, urging people to stay at home gaming together because esports provides a socializing experience even when social distancing is required.

Career development and Esports

Career development is also another benefit. School communities can help students figure out their paths in the esports industry. Students are empowered to learn through participating in communities as they need to manage teams, host tournaments, analyze gameplay, etc. This process will help develop capabilities and readiness for their future career. Besides, they will get access to different career paths of esports as they will personally experience those jobs including securing sponsorships, carrying out tournaments, producing event broadcasts, etc. This hands-on experience will allow exploration and discovery of ideal jobs for students so that they’ll be able to envision careers in the rapidly growing gaming and esports industry.

A good starting point for students who want to enter the world of esports is creating a profile on specific social platforms.Acer’sPlanet9.gg, for example, can help students establish their gamers’ identities and create a sense of achievement. In fact, Planet9 allows players to connect with peers within a broad online community, thus creating new relationships and stimulating teamwork and competition.