San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
NATIONAL CITY WELCOMES ESPORTS FOR LOCAL YOUTH
New, free program offers competitive video gaming and STEAM activities
When Kelly Tovar saw how quickly her son Ronnie socialized around others over video games, she knew she made the right decision to try out National City’s newly launched esports program.
“He’s had a hard time making friends, especially during the pandemic, and look at him now,” the National City mother said Wednesday.
Ronnie, 13, was one of four teenagers who played a couple video games inside a room designated for the new program at Casa de Salud Youth Center, which started Monday.
The esports program is about more than just playing video games, said Elyana Delgado, a recreation superintendent at the youth center who oversees the program.
“This will bring a competitive aspect to video gaming,” she said. “We saw that there was a void that the kids here don’t really get exposed to. I know that parents are reluctant to have their kids in front of a screen for long periods of time but with this program, we can have this in an organized manner and also offer a place for kids to explore new skills.”
The program, which is targeted toward youth 13 to 17 years old, also offers a series of STEAM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, such as how to build a desktop computer, operate a 3D printer, create decals with Cricut devices, and how blockchain technology might impact their future.
“Learning these strategies and techniques, whether it’s from gaming or blockchain, it’s important to expose (youth) because you can show them that there is a viable career path or even just a creative endeavor,” said Michael Morton, a coach at the youth center.
Morton grew up in National City and said he wished he had an esports program growing up.
“When it comes to these technologies, I wish I had someone tell me, ‘Hey, this is the future. If you’re really good at this, you can actually make a living out of it,’” he said.
Esports, also known as egames, is a fast-growing international form of competitive, organized video gaming. The esports industry was expected to exceed $1 billion in 2021, according to a Newzoo Global Esports and Live Streaming Market Report.
In recent years, esports clubs have opened in K-12 schools and in higher education institutions. In San Diego County schools, there are at least 34 esports clubs, according to the North America Scholastic Esports Federation.
There aren’t any known clubs in National City, however, though some middle schools do provide video game consoles for casual playing, said Delgado.
“I think it’s the first of its kind here and the idea is that, eventually, we’ll have a competitive group and we’ll have a home team to be able to go to tournaments and get that experience for (the youth),” she added.
Morton envisions having a team ready by the time San Diego County’s esports clubs ramp up again after pandemic-related pauses, he said.
The county Office of Education held its first esports competition in Fashion Valley Mall in 2019 that involved school teams from around the region. Schools hope that by creating esports teams, video games can become catalysts for learning, socialization and career development.
For Ronnie, playing video games in a professional manner is something he sees in his future, he said, especially with his interest in coding, which his mother said he started learning at a very young age.
The youth center plans to expand the program to accept more than 20 youth at a time. It is currently held in a small room with four computers and stations for STEAM activities, said Delgado, adding that it was funded using Community Development Block Grant funds.
The program is free, but registration is required. As of Wednesday, there was still room for at least 13 more enrollees, said Delgado. It runs Mondays through Wednesdays from 3 to 7 p.m.
tammy.murga@sduniontribune.com