Wednesday, May 4, 2022

A Little Bird Told Me: eSports Champs!

Did you know that West Genesee High School has an e-Sports team? It started an informal club this year thanks to the leadership of Coach Scott English and will look to become a board-approved club next year. In the meantime, WG recently won the East Coast e-Sports Championship for their excellent team play, rising to the top of a 180-team field. Congratulations to the Spring 2022 Smash Ultimate champions, Matt Keiling, Derek Sweeney, and Grant Mathews!



Across the country, groups of students who would not normally participate in traditional organized team sports are experiencing the thrill of competition and what it means to be part of a team through eSports. Students that participate in eSports teams develop a sense of community, build character, are exposed to scholarship opportunities and are engaged in STEM activities outside of the normal school day.


eSports by the Numbers


$16M

In the 2018-19 school year, some 200 colleges in the U.S. offered $16 million in esports scholarships, more than a threefold increase since 2015, according to the National Association of College Esports. 2

18%

The percentage increase in eSports related jobs posted to Indeed between 2017 and 2018. 3

90%

The percentage of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 who say they play video games on a computer, game console or phone. 4


Sources

  1. NFHS.org, “2017-18 High School Athletics Participation Survey” & Data.NYS.gov, “NYS Public School Enrollment 2017-18: Grades 7-12.
  2. NBCnews.com, “High school gamers are scoring college scholarships. But can esports make varsity?”, Sept. 20, 2019.
  3. blog.indeed.com, “Gaming Industry Spotlight 2018: Augmented Reality and eSports on the Rise,” March 29, 2018
  4. Pew Research Center, “Teens, Social Media & Technology 2018,” May 31, 2018
  5. https://www.ocmboces.org/teacherpage.cfm?teacher=3576


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