Esports is starting to be introduced into classrooms.
École Arthur Meighen School is one of the latest schools to introduce an esports club for kids looking to play videogames competitively.
Grade seven homeroom teacher Braden Schrader says it’s an excellent way for kids to learn better communication skills.
“It’s a good way also for those kids who maybe are a little quieter, that prefer video games over playing sports or something like that,” explains Schrader. “It’s just something different to help bring different groups of kids into the same room and same lobby.”
Esports are competitive video games that usually rely on teams going head to head against each other instead of individual play.
He adds, as well as getting students out of their shells, it can be helpful for things such as hand-eye coordination, too. While some people may consider esports to be a bit taboo, Schrader believes the club will massively benefit the students taking part.
“I find that video games are adept at bringing out the whole problem-solving aspect and skill into everyday life,” notes Schrader. “You’re given a problem of some kind and you need to find a way to fix it or get around it.“
The club currently meets once a week during the Thursday lunch hour and their current game of choice is the mobile app “Tumble Guys.”