Editorial: E-Sports

With rapidly advancing technology, video games have become more and more complex and competitive.  Because of the pandemic, many individuals turned to video games as a hobby when they weren’t able to participate in traditional team sports.  As a result, the popularity of video games is growing faster than ever, with the video game industry revenue growing 20 percent in the past two years. Schreiber should add an E-Sports team to accommodate this interest and provide different types of sports for all students.

The concept of E-Sports teams is not a new one.  Colleges such as Ohio State University, University of Delaware, and Northeastern University have Division I E-Sports teams as a part of their athletics.  Last year, a group of nine public school districts in Oklahoma launched the Oklahoma E-Sports League, which was the first high school sponsored E-Sports league.

There is a strong correlation between student engagement and success in high school, and eSports is another opportunity for us to connect with students and make the high school experience more relevant for them.  A number of colleges are offering scholarships to eSports teams, so by becoming the State Champion in a game, students will increase their chances of helping to cover college tuition,” said Todd Borland, the executive director of technology for Union Public Schools in Oklahoma.

Traditional varsity sports typically only appeal to a small population of the student body that is athletically talented.  If you aren’t at the top level of a sport, there is a good chance you won’t be chosen to be a part of that team.  However, there are so many students that don’t have much athletic ability, but want to have a team and community with similar interests.  By creating a varsity E-Sports team, Schreiber will be able to reach out to these students and provide them with a group of people they share common interests with.  If these students are given the opportunity to showcase their talents just like athletes are, they will become more engaged in their school and be more motivated to succeed in academics.

A varsity E-Sports team would create a more inclusive environment for students who aren’t very athletically or academically talented to showcase their success in other areas of interest.  It would give all students the opportunity to be a part of something and allow Schreiber’s extracurriculars to evolve with the changing times.