Esports bring valuable camaraderie and accountability to high school students
No video game experience? No problem. Let your students take the lead.
Each Tuesday afternoon this fall, Wisconsin high school student-athletes showed up for their scheduled match. They faced their opponents, squaring off in a test of skill and endurance. Teammates supported each other as the competition grew heated, cheering for victories and especially sharp moves, brushing off mistakes and losses. But for these matches, the field of play wasn’t a basketball court or soccer pitch: it was a computer lab. And the game? Super Smash Brothers, a multiplayer video game for the Nintendo Switch™. These student-athletes compete in esports or competitive group video gaming, and they’re not alone. The National Education Association reports that since 2018, more than 8,600 high schools have formed teams.
For many educators and administrators, it can be difficult to mesh the image of teens playing video games with the familiar sights of traditional sporting events — grass fields, uniforms, dripping sweat, and metal bleachers. And if you’re not a gamer, listening to students describe a recent campaign or level might sound like complete gibberish. So why should your school consider starting an esports program? And can a staff member with no gaming experience really sign on as a coach?
The basics: How do students compete in high school esports?
The structure of esports competition is broadly similar to other school-sanctioned sports. It’s worth noting that some students compete in both esports and traditional sports — they’re not mutually exclusive. Teams compete in organized leagues at the varsity and junior varsity levels. They practice together and compete in scheduled meets against other schools, potentially advancing to regional or state championships. And while players could technically log in from anywhere, many esports teams compete together in the same location. For example, the Wisconsin High School Esports Association (WIHSEA) requires “…students to play at school under supervision of a teacher or approved school staff,” says league president Mike Dahle, a full-time business education teacher at the Elkhorn School District, WI. In-person play is important, Dahle says, because it creates “a team environment — it’s not just you playing at home with your friends.” Most teams in the league have regularly scheduled practices, Dahle notes, and might also set drills and training packages for students to complete on their own. The league runs competitions for two different game titles each semester so players can gain experience at a variety of titles. Students “specialize here and there within the types of games,” Dahle says, explaining that the titles rotate because students enjoy playing multiple games. “And so if we ran them all at the same time, they would have to pick and choose… [They’re] almost like a multisport athlete,” he says.
Along with after-school practice sessions, esports athletes experience many of the same rites of passage as other high school athletes — tryouts, competition to make the varsity squad, and post-game dinners. For each video game title, “most students have preferred positions that they like to play, just like football or basketball,” Dahle says. To select teams, he explains, “we run different types of scrimmages. We look for synergy with teammates, communication, active listening, leadership, et cetera, and make our decisions off that.” With so many titles available, many high school esports clubs field multiple teams per season. In the case of Elkhorn’s Super Smash Brothers squad, Dahle says, “we host weekly in-house tournaments to decide our top five to play for varsity for the week.” Some other schools, he adds, “keep their fifth spot for coach’s choice so they can reward the student who shows up every week to practice and is actively working to get better.”
What are the benefits of esports in schools?
As one of the fastest-growing additions to high school athletic departments, esports offer one of the major benefits of traditional sports — camaraderie. Competitive gaming allows students to become part of a team, learn from and educate each other, and bond over a shared interest. Dahle says he gets emails from parents who are grateful that esports helped their child make friends after changing schools. “I’ve seen a lot of students come out [of their shell] as far as their personalities,” he adds, noting their growth.
Esports are almost perfectly suited to a global pandemic, unlike other team sports that are impossible to play while social distancing. Team members often play pick-up games together from home, Dahle notes. “You don’t have to drive anywhere — as long as you have a stable internet connection, you can participate.” On the other hand, he says, the pandemic has “opened my eyes a lot to how much tech inequality there is,” with some students unable to practice from home or even attend online classes due to slow internet speeds.
Beyond the social benefits, esports offer students academic accountability. Elkhorn holds esports athletes to the same standards for grades and attendance as other student-athletes. “It’s helped some schools with attendance,” Dahle notes and motivated some of his student-athletes to turn in missing assignments. And for some students, he says, playing esports simply allows them to make a positive connection with a teacher they might not otherwise have made. His students especially enjoy trouncing him in games. “I love it. They never let me live it down.”
While Dahle may be a seasoned gamer, he is quick to point out that most of the league’s teams are headed by educators and administrators with no gaming experience. “We have principals and athletic directors that are signing up to oversee programs, just so their kids have the opportunity to compete,” he says. These advisors offer students a critical opportunity to take on a leadership role. Dahle suggests “relying on your students who are fully ingrained in some of these games…putting them into a coaching role with you as the teacher or advisor. You’re there as the facilitator.” Rather than making top-down decisions about which game titles to compete, he recommends giving students the tools to be leaders in this space, to let them help build the program, taking accountability for the composition of the team.
What’s on the line: Thousands of college esports scholarships
Colleges are paying attention. The next step is college recruiting for serious esports athletes with top rankings. According to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, over 170 colleges have varsity esports programs, offering over $16 million in academic esports scholarships. Many colleges host high school tournaments that serve as a recruiting platform, Dahle explains, creating opportunities for local kids to see that there’s an esports program at their local college and that maybe that’s a consideration for their post-secondary education.
Colleges generally recruit students to specialize in a single game, Dahle notes, so interested high school players should look into university programs that fit their skill set. Of course, not all students are playing at a level that would attract college recruiters, and that’s okay. While some of Dahle’s students are doing their research into college esports scholarships, “many are just there because they want to play,” he says, and “they’re passionate about the game.”
The good news: You don’t need to be a gamer to support student esports
After years of pandemic uncertainty, many teens are feeling isolated and stressed. According to the Entertainment Software Association, three-quarters of them probably play video games. And they might be interested in representing their school and having their skills and achievements celebrated schoolwide. They might not know that they could earn college scholarships for esports or how to do so. What they need is a team advisor — someone who can take responsibility for coordinating matches and ensuring that all players are complying with league rules and guidelines. “There are more tools [for educators] that are coming out as this continues to grow,” Dahle notes. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Don’t be afraid if you’re not an expert at these games. It does not matter as long as you’re advocating for students. And honestly, sometimes it’s just being the adult in the room.” In other words, your students know how to game. They just need you to remind them when and where to show up and then stand back and let their leadership, communication, and gaming skills shine.
