The Impact of Esports on Academic Performance: 3 Benefits

Over 2019, people increased the time they spent playing video games by 19.3%. On average, those who play spend seven hours and seven minutes per week on this activity. For gamers between 26 and 35 years old, the gaming time is elevated. They spend eight hours and twelve minutes per week on video games.

This brings us to an interesting assumption: gamers spend more time on their hobby after they graduate from college.

They get more free time, so they can spend it however they want to. But even when students spend some time with video games, it’s not a big problem. Seven hours per week is not too much.

In fact, when professors realize that esports influence education in a positive way, they might start assigning gaming as homework.

How Esports Boost Academic Performance

1. Esports Improve the Collaboration and Friendships between Students

Esports is a video game that’s played like a sport due to its competitive nature. When the school forms a team with a highly professionalized approach, they will compete internationally in the game of their choice. It’s a serious endeavor with devoted players, managers, sponsors, and fans.

Maryville University of Saint Louis, Miami University, Columbia College, and many other educational institutions in the USA already have their teams. When the students join forces to compete, they develop the important skill of teamwork. They learn how to collaborate. They aim to distinguish themselves as an individual, but never at the cost of team achievements. They understand what a common goal is, and they work towards it.

League of Legends reported that there are 500+ student clubs in North America. When someone likes esports, they can easily find a group of people who come together to play, watch games, and simply hang out with each other.

2. Gaming Has a Positive Effect on Tech Skills

A gamer has to rely on their problem solving and critical thinking skills. When they like a game, they never play it randomly. They strategize, make decisions, pay attention to detail, and focus on the flow of the game.

The students have to rely on teamwork through all stages of the game. They benefit from the knowledge within the team, and they make all kinds of situations. They have to plan a budget, calculate resistances, and figure out the mechanics of the games.

A good game gives the team an opportunity to develop STEM skills in an effortless manner. That’s why professors should encourage gaming. They already know that most students think “Why bother with math when I can hire a legal service to do my assignment?” If they start gaming, they realize that math is not a useless subject. It’s something that they use in real-life situations.

Throughout this process, the students develop research skills as well. They search for player handbooks, they talk to people on forums, and they try to find solutions for the issues they encountered while playing.

3. Esports Lead to an Improved Inclusion

Competitive gaming in educational institutions leads to opportunities for scholarships. Many applicants have a hard time getting into the STEM program they like, since it’s too expensive. Hispanic and African American students are under-represented in those fields. Esports are just like the good-old athletic programs that we all know and respect.

The clubs also offer an opportunity for students to find friends and feel like they belong somewhere. The programs are focused on non-selective inclusion. Gender, language, sexual orientation, ethnicity and race do not make a difference. The only thing that matters is the commitment to gaming.

It doesn’t matter whether students will bond over math, literature, or gaming. The idea of a college club is to offer opportunities for collaboration and new friendships. It makes the student feel comfortable for choosing that school. When the student gets included in the community, their entire educational journey becomes less stressful.

Gaming Is Useful

It’s not a waste of time.

It’s a hobby. Everyone should have one. Some students like jogging, and others love gaming. There’s nothing wrong with being passionate about a harmless activity. As long as it doesn’t become the only thing that they do, students will benefit from engaging in esports.

Gaming improves their problem solving and critical thinking skills. It encourages them to implement math skills and collaborate on a higher level with their team. Gaming boosts one’s memory capacity. Should we even mention the fact that it’s the best activity that relieves stress?

All these benefits lead to an improved educational process.

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