Include esports in school games

Last week, we were treated to some scintillating action as the school games took center stage in Eldoret, while the National Drama and Film Festival went down in Mombasa. Two great reminders of the beauty of co-curricular activities.

It should also challenge us to find ways to offer each learner a pathway for showcasing their talents and skills. Not every student can produce the athleticism for sports, the agility of dancers or the charisma of actors.

Such students should not be ignored, rather, they should be accommodated in other programs. Which is why I believe the school games should expand the programs on offer to include esports.

With the rapid advancements in the digital world, video games have become one of the most popular leisure activities for teenagers. It is at this age that our reaction speeds and creativity which are key ingredients for esports, are at the optimum.

Already a spot check at the public video gaming shops will show you that past 4pm and during school holidays, it is this age group that flock in to play games.

Opportunities around esports are springing up everywhere. There exists a Global Esports Championships held annually, while leading sports organisations like the IOC, Fifa, Fiba, WRC also have dedicated esports competitions. There is a need for a reliable talent conveyor belt to be developed and where better than our schools?

On the academic side, esports scholarships are springing up in the west and Asia for talented video gamers, and we ought to prepare our learners to go for them, in order to keep up with this increasingly competitive world.

Esports also compliments the newly established competency based curriculum as it is hugely tied to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and mathematics). Therefore interest in subjects like coding and robotics can be enhanced by having esports in our schools.

For institutions just setting up their first computer labs, esports can accelerate the digital literacy of learners as playing is a faster, engaging and immersive way of learning how to operate electronic devices.

Playing video games in a social setting with peers also helps combat negative vices associated with video gaming like addiction and sedentary lifestyle. In school, best practices like hydrating, physical exercise, sitting postures, and healthy gaming durations can be imparted.

A learner is transported from the solitary world of digital gaming into the common space of the school computer lab making it a social experience.

Esports also teaches valuable skills like teamwork, communication, collaboration, and strategy while offering brain exercise that improves spatial awareness, hand-eye coordination, strategic analysis, concentration and time management.

Let us therefore include esports in our co-curricular programs.