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K–12 Schools See Emergence of Esports Clubs [#Infographic]

Educators see competitive gaming as an opportunity to build teamwork and social skills.

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Eli has been eagerly pursuing a journalistic career since he left the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill School of Journalism. Previously, Eli was a staff reporter for medical trade publication Frontline Medical News, where he experienced the impact of continuous education and evolving teaching methods through the medical lens. When not in the office, Eli is busy scanning the web for the latest podcasts or stepping into the boxing ring for a few rounds.

The number of K–12 competitive esports clubs and teams is increasing across the country as the legitimacy of competitive gaming in education rises.

A surge in global interest and investment from higher education institutions is encouraging K–12 schools to look beyond the typical stereotype associated with video games to find real educational value.

“We’re not talking about sitting on the couch playing a game casually. We’re talking about playing to win,” Laz Alberto, vice president of K–12 esports league organizer PlayVS, said in an interview with EdTech.

“Esports develops teamwork skills: understanding how your role within the game synergizes with the rest of the team, understanding how to make the right decisions together as a group and to communicate together as a team,” Alberto says.

Schools that have already decided to support an esports program will now need to start investing in gaming hardware, internet updates and network bandwidth. For a better understanding of what schools will need to get their esports programs off the ground, as well as deeper insight into the rising trend of competitive gaming, check out Edtech’s infographic below.

K12 esports infographic