Esports in Education: Benefits

Show notes follow.

Moral Panic

Before examining some studies, we need to dispel some misconceptions about esports. Moral Panic is a fear of a new cultural change that exceeds the threat posed to people—the 19th century vilified reading, specifically novels, that were once thought to corrupt the reader. Similarly, other media went through moral panic during its respective timeline, from comic books to movies and, not so recently, video games. Video Games tend to get vilified for inciting violence, corrupting the players, and causing lethargy and addiction. The reality is that video games are an easy target, just like the previous media were, because it is much more challenging to solve the root cause of the problems associated with novels, movies, or video games: trauma and mental health.

Retention

Speaking with a middle school principal, he wanted a program that would include all students. This strategy would improve student achievement and retention, which has been crucial since the pandemic. His idea of Esports became a bi-monthly tournament in our school district, with more students joining each time.

Studies

Unlike traditional sports, Esports is more than games. According to the National Institute of Health, “Video gaming may be associated with better cognitive performance in children.” In a study by James Rosser Jr et al. on surgeons who played video games, they found that “Past video game play in excess of 3 h/wk correlated with 37% fewer errors.” An example is NASCAR’s Ross Chastain was told on October 30th, 2022, that he needed to pass two more to advance or he would lose the race. Using his GameCube skills in the video game NASCAR 2005, he hit the wall hard instead of hugging the curve and continued to speed up, passing five and moving on to Championship 4:

Personal Growth

However, for students, “video games have many benefits, including developing complex problem-solving skills and promoting social interaction through online gaming,” according to WebMD. Esports is more than sports. Esports supports many career paths, from writing for social media, management, speaking in a live stream, and much more. For example, one of my students wanted to avoid competing. She was a referee.

For students, this will improve attendance and grades, but more importantly, mental health and multiple skill types, which are highly transferable to careers.

Comments

Based on the Ross Chastain example who used a video game skill in real life, what are other examples of transferable skills? What are other benefits?