Esports powered up through investments in Georgia's high school, college programs
Whether it’s Mario Kart or Mortal Kombat, video games have been a popular pastime for decades, but in recent years, gaming has leveled up into a mega-popular sports division — and even career opportunity.
The highest-level championship competitions for games like Fortnite, League of Legends and and Call of Duty all offer prize pools of more than $2 million. Michael Grzesiek, a famous gamer known as "Shroud," has a net worth about $20 million and isn't even 30 years old. Gaming is also one of the most popular online video categories, with channels like PewDiePie's (another gamer) among the top 10 on YouTube with 111 million subscribers.
Schools are starting to see a lot of potential in this arena, and not just for all that coin.
Here’s a closer look at how and why Georgians are investing in esports on the high school and collegiate levels.
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Esports and Georgia high schools
Earlier this fall, the Georgia High School Association renewed its ongoing partnership with PlayVS, a scholastic esports platform, to help facilitate esports teams and competitions in schools. More than 100 teams have been registered across a handful of leagues. But these aren't kids just messing around playing video games.
"There's a difference between you being on a cross country team and you just running for fun; same thing for esports," said Greater Atlanta Christian coach Russell Lawless.
Like with other sports, players meet after school to play with their teammates and compete with other schools (over the Internet) for opportunities to climb the ladder and make varsity, JV and state championships. Individuals that perform exceptionally well also have a chance to receive a letter in esports.
The Augusta Chronicle spoke to three different high school teams, and one consistent thread among them was the importance of the in-person participation and collaboration.
"Typically, when you think of video games, you think of kids that are sitting at home by themselves with their headsets in their rooms," said Harlem High School coach Brad Williams. "In-person is way more developmental. ... Only then do you actually look the other person in the eye and develop that camaraderie and say, 'This is how we're going to work together to accomplish this goal.'"
Students like James Gould of Harlem and Chase Sykes of Greater Atlanta Christian were longtime gamers before joining their teams, and since joining have had a great time while improving their skills. But these programs have a broader reach than just hardcore gamers. They have also recruited brand new players like Taniya Harris of Dodge County High School, who started with Brawlhalla and gravitated to more fighting games.
"We're reaching a type of kid that might not be involved in your traditional sports or extra-curricular activities," said Dodge County High coach Ashley Hodge. "Esports gives that kid a way to come together and be a part of a community and develop good skills such as communication, teamwork, coping with a loss, overcoming difficulties and managing toxic behavior."
The regular season ends this week. Georgia's esports playoffs start Monday followed by the state championships on Dec. 15. For more information, go to ghsa.net/esports.
Esports at the collegiate level in Georgia
Once off to college, young players will likely want to stay in the game. Isaiah Masiello of Harlem said he is seeking an esports scholarship, while Victor Wickham and Ellie Hudgins of Atlanta are interested in making their own games.
Several postsecondary schools have picked up on these desires and their professional applications. The Georgia Esports League consists of more than a dozen schools — including major universities like Georgia Tech and the University of Georgia — and, as of 2019, had awarded nearly $20,000 in scholarships, according to Animation Career Review.
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Last month, Augusta University unveiled its brand new esports arena, featuring multiple Alienware gaming stations, all housed in the Georgia Cyber Center. AU's esports coach Joshua LaFavor described how, in setting this up, it was an opportunity to showcase (and further grow) a field that covers a wide variety of disciplines.
"It's not just competition and video gaming, but community building, business organization, we have some graphics and designs in here that were created by our students," he said. "The game piece is a huge part of it, but it's all encompassing and it's very much a holistic discipline."
AU plans to further grow the program with new scholarships and, one day, a minor in esports.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Esports at Georgia high schools, colleges promote 'community building'
