Video games have come a long way since we first sat down to play Asteroids on our Atari. And they may have further to go if futuristic movies like Ready Player One become reality.
And now these games are finding their way into schools as sanctioned events and organized activities called esports.
Word is Bentonville's school board voted this week 6-0 to establish esports programs at its high schools.
Here's more from the papers: "Esports is organized, competitive online gaming between individuals or teams. The Arkansas Activities Association approved esports as a new activity for the state in January. More than 100 schools in Arkansas started esports in the spring, said Bentonville athletic director Scott Passmore. Other big districts in northwest Arkansas--including Springdale, Rogers and Fayetteville--either have adopted or are preparing to adopt esports as well, Passmore said."
The costs are minimal because Bentonville's school district already has computers. The esports teams will just be taking advantage of what's already available. Furthermore, team members will be charged for uniforms and pay a fee to participate.
One board member had an attitude we imagine would be common among most readers of a certain demographic: "I've seen it all now," said board member Travis Riggs after the presentation. Still, he must not have opposed too fiercely if the program was approved without any votes against. There are probably also concerns about declining physical activity as a result of these esports.
But there are advantages, advocates say. The most obvious being that these kids are already playing these games. Might as well bring them into a school environment where they can learn values like teamwork and healthy competitiveness. And yes, they'd be under the careful eye of a coach, believe it or not.
Another benefit: These tournaments bring in lots of money. And some of that money means scholarships for college teams which are recruiting for their own esports teams.
Henderson State University became the first college in Arkansas to have an official esports team. Now there's talk of big events at Arkansas State University. Higher education institutions awarded $15 million in esports scholarships nationwide in 2018. The joke is, we're not kidding.
With all the talk of record student loan debt, why thumb our (older) noses at kids being offered more scholarships for college just because they're related to video games?
Esports can foster team environments, scholarship opportunities and, who knows, maybe even encourage further interest in high-demand fields like computer programming, if these kids get to wondering how the games they love are made.
Our considered editorial opinion: If Arkansas schools have the resources, organize esports teams for students. Game on.
If only they had Tetris scholarships when we were in J-school . . .
Editorial on 07/21/2019