High School Esports Benefits And Starting An Esports Team

If somebody asked you which interscholastic sport continued even as the pandemic shut everything down, would you know? Probably not. Though now it's somewhat in the distance, this disruption changed almost everything and forced students apart with sports among the casualties. Those who'd participated in school esports teams, however, kept going in many cases. What began as structured competitions for passionate, lifelong gamers has blossomed into a billion-dollar industry of these highly skilled video game professionals competing in massive tournaments all around the world, earning scholarships, and making money. Esports in education has also become huge and it's even permeated many high schools and colleges. It's opening up brand-new opportunities for students who otherwise probably wouldn't be competing in interscholastic sports as well. So, we have important info to share on the rise of esports and how you can be part of it.

Why start an esports program?

Esports has remained an extremely fast growing area, especially in high schools and colleges, with various new leagues, tournaments, and players popping up on a regular basis. For this reason, we offer a variety of school esports solutions, products, and services directly on our store. We could also help you establish an effective esports program and growth-centered experiences for teenaged students. So far, this feedback from educators at schools with esports teams and clubs has certainly been positive. Esports helps support teamwork, collaboration, structure, interpersonal communication, STEAM and technical skills development, and even marketing, video production, and business skills. We fundamentally believe that it creates a great opportunity with many differences from home gaming. Additionally, it could open up doors to new careers for students, college admissions, and even scholarships. 

In some cases, interscholastic esports competition continued throughout the pandemic—even once many school buildings were physically closed. Since they could access equipment that was reliable enough, the players were often able to game together though much of that formal competition and connection was put on hold. This did, however, help them learn to make virtual connections and how to explore the new types of relationships that developed from this unique form of athletics. Esports programs in high schools and colleges are popping up all throughout the country. Some students are even earning scholarship money to eventually go on to play esports in college. In this white paper, we’ve highlighted key benefits of esports in schools and what high school technology and athletic directors should know. With the right guidance and a plan, it can certainly become easier to capitalize on this extremely popular trend.

Important things to know.

Starting an esports program at the high school level can come with some challenges. For example, you'd have to determine how to attain funds, how to create the space for practices and matches, and how to find a coach. As these elements come together, however, it could catalyze some truly beneficial experiences for all students. This white paper includes insights from educators who are leading esports initiatives and their thoughts on their investments. At the top of the list is opportunities for team building and developing real-world communication skills, but the vast potential benefits of esports for students can extend well past that. For starters, they can get exposure to many different types of careers just within the esports industry alone. These include everything from management and streaming to advertising and marketing jobs. 

If you’ve considered starting a program—or if you're worried about the cons of esports in schools—we'd invite you to download the white paper to learn more about interscholastic esports and the requirements in education. Furthermore, if you know some teachers taking this on, we’d love for you to forward it over! The Eduporium team can provide guidance and consultation for equipment that complements all the advice we shared in the publication. Also, our esports store category contains some of the equipment students could use in gameplay. Below, you can find some of those options, including computers, headsets, and more. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more and download the white paper here!