Through the Y’s eSports program, teens are welcome to be who they are, excel at what they love, and connect with like minds to develop the social, strategic, and problem-solving skills needed as they grow into thriving adults — all in a safe, moderated, and inclusive environment.
While concerns over the potential growth in sedentary lifestyle and social isolation are important to recognize, the National American Scholastic eSports Federation (NASEF) – a group working to make eSports part of high school and college curriculum – finds eSports participants show higher levels of inclusion and mutual respect and learn life skills like teamwork and strategic thinking while forming new types of social and community bonds through gaming.
Students have options to play NBA 2K21, Rocket League & Super Smash Bros on the Nintendo Switch or Xbox One, from home, or at the Summit YMCA Teen Center. eSports offers cross-platform playing so students with different game consoles (Xbox or Nintendo Switch) can play together. Coaches are assigned to teams for supervision, guidance, and safety. Players compete in tournaments, where they vie to be placed through qualification matches. Tournament formats can vary from single or double elimination to hybrid with group stage. Winners of tournaments (Champions) may gain national sponsors and international viewership. Players are also eligible for scholarship award opportunities and monetary prizes.
Students join teams to experience gameplay, practice for tournaments, and reach team goals, like building workout and dietary plans to keep players healthy and improve reaction time. Through eSports, students will also learn online safety, teamwork accountability, academic improvement, and punctuality. Students will also gain knowledge and experience in the career aspect of professional video gaming like how to improve skills to place in competitions, live stream, video production, and game development. Students also incorporate the basics of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and teamwork to develop key skills like problem-solving and good sportsmanship.
