Game Insider Game Insider We Happy Few Cover Issue | Page 42

homophobic language are common in game chats, and
have even shown up in professional competitions. And
sometimes players abuse and insult each other when
they’re “tilted,” a slang term
for feeling angry and frustrated after a big loss.
But these aspects of the culture shouldn’t scare schools
away, said Steinkuehler. For one, unsportsmanlike conduct
isn’t unique to video games.
operate similarly. A team trains in one game—
Overwatch and League of Legends are two of the most
popular—and play in online, tournament-style
competitions over the course a semester. Most
leagues provide instructional resources for teachers or
other staff members who will be managing the team,
explaining game play and offering suggestions for
promoting good sportsmanship.
Some leagues offer first-person shooter games on
their platforms, while others don’t, and some charge a
per student monthly fee. These costs vary: the High
School Esports League charges $5 per student per
month, while PlayVS plans to charge $16.
The National Federation of State High School
Associations authorized esports as an activity—not a
sport—for the upcoming school year. The organization
and PlayVS hope to partner with 18 to 20 states in the
first year, with the eventual goal of reaching all 50
states and the District of Columbia.
“There are more students who are participating in
gaming than there are in most of our sports at this
time,” said Mark Koski, the CEO of the high school
federation. Esports would give many of these students
the opportunity to be part of a team for the first time,
he said.
“You see valedictorians gaming cheek to jowl with
kids who are doing poorly in basic coursework,” said
Constance Steinkuehler, a professor of education and
game-based learning at the University of California,
Irvine.
For students who haven’t previously shown interest
in extracurricular activities, having one of their
passions validated by teachers and school
administrators can change their outlook on school
altogether, said Steinkuehler. “They feel for the first
time that school is a place where they might belong
and fit in,” she said, adding that the California-based
North America Scholastic Esports Federation, formerly
the Orange County High School Esports League, has
seen a decrease in school absenteeism among
participants.
‘Showcase Their Skills’
At Arrowhead Union High School in Hartland, Wis., the
opportunity to game together has engaged a broad
group of students, said Mike Dahle, a former business
education teacher at the school and the coordinator of
the Wisconsin High School eSports Conference. Some
kids who he’s seen struggle socially are now eager to
stay after school and work with their classmates.
Esports is an opportunity for them to “showcase their
skills and abilities,” he said. However, others argue that
esports is inherently inappropriate for school.
Even if teams avoid first-person shooters, the other
games available can still include significant
violence, said Josh Golin, the executive director of the
advocacy organization Campaign for a Commercial-
Free Childhood. Schools should be investing in
extracurriculars that allow students to do activities they
wouldn’t be able to do on their own at home, and that
keep them active, he said. “Given how much time kids
are spending on screens, [schools] should be
designing afterschool programming that doesn’t
involve screens.”
Even though Whitlock’s practices revolve around
screens, they depend on the structure of a traditional
school activity. Like in traditional sports, players adhere
to a practice schedule and focus on developing
strategy.
During practice, Whitlock, the Illinois teacher, works
with teams on strategy, researching their opponents’
rank and team composition—the characters they
choose to play within the game. The varsity students
meet together once a week and then practice on their
own time, while the junior varsity teams also
scrimmage together.
Esports presents opportunities for adults to teach
students tenets of good sportsmanship, like how to
communicate, or how to lose well, said Steinkuehler.
Toxic social behavior can be an unfortunate part of
gaming culture, she said. Racist, sexist, and
“Can you just imagine a football field where everyone in the
stadium got a microphone?” she asked. But more
importantly, she said, teachers and administrators have the
power to change the discourse by modeling what
appropriate behavior looks like and monitoring the space.
“I try to emphasize that you’re humble in your winnings and
you’re graceful in your loss,” said Whitlock. When her
students compete in matches, they are required to use a
school channel on Discord, a voic