The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As esports finds a place, kids hope parents adjust
Federation boasts 17 states active in competitive games.
A few weeks before homecoming, a cloudless sky hung over Washington-Liberty High School in northern Virginia’s Arlington County, and sounds of a promising new school year filled the air. In one technology classroom, a group of eager students asked Assistant Principal Miles Carey questions.
“Do we have a competitive Pokémon team?” Not yet.
“Will I need to create a Discord account?” Eventually.
Carey was running a meeting for the school’s esports club, a program he started two years ago to engage students who were not otherwise participating in school activities. He said the club has achieved its goal so far; roughly a third of last year’s 70-plus members did not participate in any sports or activities outside of esports, according to Carey.
“(The club) gave kids a way to find people with similar interests,” Carey said. “But then it took off. We ended up winning a tournament, and a few kids got to split a $12,500 scholarship last year.”
Like many programs across the country, Washington-Liberty’s esports club is becoming increasingly competitive, especially since Virginia added esports as an official academic activity. In addition to greater structure and funding, players will be able to compete for a state championship in the video games League of Legends, Rocket League and SMITE for the first time.
The Virginia High School League joins leagues in 16 other states affiliated with the National Federation of State High School Associations participating in esports this year. Although the state tournament provides greater legitimacy to an activity for which many young gamers are clamoring, Norton said not everyone is so enthusiastic.
“Practices have been kind of difficult,” senior Scooter Norton said. “It’s easy to get parents to prioritize traditional sports and clubs — things that look good on college applications. But it’s hard to get players online at the same time to practice esports.”
Nate Estevão, now a college freshman, captained Washington-Liberty’s Counter-Strike: Global Offensive team last year. He quit the crew team to devote more time to practicing CS:GO and launching the esports program as a junior.
“My friends thought it was stupid,” he said. “My parents thought it was stupid.”
Estevão was part of the team that won the $12,500 scholarship and national championship last year.
The NFHS is partnering with PlayVS to build the infrastructure for its high school gaming competitions. The partnership was announced in 2018, but Mark Koski, the CEO of the NFHS Network, said the governing body “hesitated at first” because NFHS is “generally on the athletic side.”
“At the end of the day,” Koski said, “it’s students involved within their high school setting, under the direction of a teacher or coach, learning teamwork and leadership skills.”