by PRP Group, on 04/12/2024
I first started trying to get an esports program at my school in 2011. At the time, there was a lot of resistance around the misconception that violent video games make violent kids, despite all the evidence to the contrary. Another common roadblock I faced was the idea that video games make young people antisocial. That’s not true, either. Kids love socializing through video games.
I started building an esports curriculum and, every time, I got shot down, I would add an element to the curriculum addressing the reasons I was told we couldn’t have a team. When I was told that video games cause young people to become antisocial, I added a section on social-emotional learning (SEL). Family members and other educators worried about excessive screen time leading to poor physical health, so the curriculum calls for every practice to begin with calisthenics and stretching, and we talk about the performance triad of a healthy diet, plenty of sleep, and appropriate nutrition.
