If I had told my parents that I wanted to study competitive gaming in college, I can only imagine the explosive reaction I would have felt. Fortunately, public opinion about gambling has changed considerably since I left school in 2010, and an interesting twist of fate saw my younger brother experience this hypothetical scenario late last year when he announced that he would study esports. . To my surprise, I was the only member of the family who opposed the idea.
For those who don't know, esports is short for "esports," which refers to competitive video gaming. I had the same reservations I assumed my parents would have: that the chances of a career as a "pro gamer" were slim and that pursuing that dream was too risky. I tentatively suggested safer (if duller) course options that I thought would offer more useful job skills, but was quickly turned down not only by the rest of my siblings, but also by both of my parents.
Turns out they're not alone. A UK study by Dell Technologies found that 48% of parents think esports should be added to the school/university curriculum, while 69% think esports could help their children learn more. develop skills that they may not acquire through traditional methods of education.
Indeed, it is not just parents who have a positive view of esports in education, as along with the 1500 parents interviewed in the study, another 500 financial decision makers such as school leaders and heads of department, also expressed a positive opinion on the subject, with a whopping 79% believing it should be taught in schools.
Not just for rich kids
However, the same data also confirms some suspicions I had, with only 32% of the same parents expressing that they would be happy for their child to pursue a career in esports, and 67% admitting that their own lack of eSports education. the subject makes it difficult to discuss. Given the seemingly explosive rise in popularity over the past decade, this is an understandable concern and one I had fallen into despite active monitoring and support from the esports industry.
One trap I fell into was thinking that these kids would literally sit in front of an expensive gaming system for 8 hours a day learning in-game skills for League of Legends, Dota 2, and other popular competitive titles. In fact, the courses created by the British Esports Association are well balanced and teach essential skills that are easily applicable outside of a gaming environment, such as social media marketing, streaming, business planning and game production.
Introduction to these skills can connect to a wide variety of careers, so even if the student chooses not to pursue esports after graduation, they have the means to enter the world of community management, game publishing, and gaming. marketing, to name a few. . In fact, that same brother who expressed an interest in the esports course left to pursue journalism and broadcasting after falling in love with shoutcasting (a style of live broadcast commentary born out of esports).
One of the biggest concerns I had besides the usefulness of these courses in the long term was also about their diversity. After all, consoles, gaming PCs, and laptops are incredibly expensive, and not all families can afford to provide this type of hardware, which could prevent low-income families or the health care system physician submit an application first.
I had the opportunity to discuss these concerns with Camilla Maurice, who teaches an esports course at Mid Kent College. He said that 70% of parents not only believe that esports promotes inclusion, but that the hardware needed to join the class is much more affordable than I originally assumed, since most of the expensive technology required for the games and streaming is often manufactured. available on campus. She stated that "kids really only need access to a laptop or tablet to take lessons, so the hardware they need at home is not much different than what is required for any other course."
Kill them with kindness (virtually speaking)
Finances aside, that wasn't the only inclusion issue that worried me. While gender discrimination is rare in professional gaming, you'll be hard-pressed to find a player who hasn't experienced toxic behavior due to his gender in online gaming lobbyists. I myself no longer play any competitive titles because of this, so I was relieved to learn that this is something that is covered in the currently ongoing courses.
Gary Tibbet, Director of Education at the British Esports Association, informed me that toxic behavior is addressed in the curriculum, stating that “we have a zero tolerance policy for toxic behavior of any kind. It is not allowed to attack someone based on her gender or ability in the game. We see a much more inclusive environment within universities these days as people begin to understand that their classmates are there because they share a common interest and passion.”
It seems that along with skills that will be genuinely useful outside of the game, people who take these courses also learn how to have a healthy relationship with online spaces and competitive environments. Regardless of your feelings about kids aspiring to be "pro gamers," nipping trolly and toxic behavior in the bud is a positive step forward.
The global lockdowns linked to COVID-19 have also likely helped foster some positive attitudes towards hobbies like gaming. With families stuck at home, parents have had a great opportunity to learn more about esports and gaming from their children, reducing the stigma associated with them. After all, outside of video calling platforms like Zoom, online gaming gave kids a chance to interact with their friends at a time when no one could leave the house.
The past few months have certainly opened my eyes to a school bias I didn't know existed. Hypocritically, my own degree specialized in prosthetic makeup and wig making, which is a far cry from writing about computers and games, but you'd be surprised how much the skills of the two can overlap.
Yes, it's statistically unlikely that all graduates of these courses will become famous esports athletes, but they could be production managers, journalists, and more, all while having a healthier relationship with the game at their age than the older generation. As the esports and gaming industry continues to grow, we will need a lot more of this.
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