All around the world people play or know people who play games, but what a lot of people don’t know is how competitive it is or how much money can be made off it. The top players for co-op games are usually signed with a team to make content and/or compete competitively at championships. This is called Esports, and the market is worth over a billion dollars.

As Esports becomes more and more popular it’s starting to be included at schools around the nation. Students have been offered scholarships and opportunities just to play video games for a certain school. The number of schools that participate in some form of Esports is increasing every year and more than 125 colleges offer varsity esports, giving out more than $15 million in scholarships annually. 

Some may think that there is no value in playing video games aside from personal enjoyment, but students and adults alike can learn some things from it. Most of the games included in Esports gaming are multiplayer. This means there will be a team and students will have to work together to win.“I do think that Esports is something you have to work together for because it’s needed to win.” Senior, Timothy Zachary, states that “Unless you’re really good.” Even people who play games for fun know that you need your teammates in order to win. While working together, students will be learning how to react quickly to situations and help with strategy making.

If the possibility that Esports became a school activity, how would students feel about having it as a club? Sophomore, Alexis McCarthy, thinks that “Esports would be cool for the school to have because so many teens have that interest, and by bringing it to school could help students find an extracurricular activity they enjoy.” If people enjoy something they are usually passionate about it. 

Because video games are so popular, so many different kinds of people play them. Bringing something like Esports to school could open lots of doors for lots of students and, in general, just be a lot of fun.