Depending on who you ask, video games can be universally adored or universally despised. However, esports—or competitive gaming—are rapidly gaining popularity. Esports offer many of the same advantages as traditional sports, such as sportsmanship, leadership, communication, and teamwork, but without the drawbacks of travel for practises, games, and tournaments or the risk of injury. Here are the top benefits of gaming and Esports you should know.
1. Building Community
Esports is a great opportunity for students who aren’t interested in traditional sports but want to be a part of a team and learn new skills. They also provide a unique opportunity to connect with people from various backgrounds. The goal of esports is to play together in a shared space, whether that space is virtual or physical, such as an esports arena, and doing so fosters community, friendship, school spirit, and a sense of belonging.
2. Fostering Social-emotional Learning Skills
Regardless of their gaming ability, esports players develop social and emotional learning skills as they form teams, form mentorships, collaborate, and compete with students who would not otherwise interact with one another. Coming together to play, teach, discover, and enjoy time together fosters relationships, expands socialisation opportunities, and boosts school spirit. Players, like any other team, must collaborate to overcome obstacles and failure, which fosters grit and perseverance. They must also be willing to quickly adapt to changes, try new tactics, and promote teamwork.
3. Academic Excellence
Players who participate in esports programmes have a higher interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) subjects and have high average GPAs. Esports allows them to interact with their peers and school administrators.
4. Problem Solving Skills
According to research, those who actively participate in video games have a far better chance of navigating through complex psychological issues than those who do not.
5. Improved brain function
According to one study, Super Mario players had more grey matter in their brains, which is important for cognitive function and memory retention. More research has been conducted into the beneficial potential of gaming on specific areas of the brain as well as its ability to sharpen problem-solving skills.
6. Lucrative career paths
There are numerous professional applications for fantastic gaming abilities. People gain a valuable understanding of how to design and potentially market new products by truly understanding the ins and outs of some of the most popular games available—something that major companies such as EA, Nintendo, and Microsoft highly value.
7. Increased coordination and dexterity
However, studies show that participating in esports leagues can improve manual dexterity, which is unquestionably beneficial in our digital age. Further research indicates the complex coordination required to compete at a high level.