It’s 2025. Esports launched more than two decades ago, but every week, I am still asked, “Why do we need esports?” To me, the answer is simple: it benefits students. In fact, the students who see the most benefits are often the students who are currently the most marginalized, disengaged, and isolated in classrooms and schools.
Esports is an activity where students form teams and participate, train, and compete in organized gaming competitions with online and in-person spectators. ~Intel “Esports in Education”
Esports is so engaging that nearly every student wants to participate. Why? First, students are already playing video games. You don’t have to convince them to participate. Secondly, esports has very few physical requirements, no socioeconomic barriers, and no gender bias for participation. Many games are freely accessible on affordable devices and platforms. Finally, data proves that participation in Esports correlates positively with increased attendance, improved social and emotional skills, and higher academic success.
Reports from 2024 indicate that 85% of teens play video games, with 40% engaging in daily play. That’s a pretty staggering number of students interested in a single extracurricular activity. Esports enables students to game in a safe environment, supervised by a mentor, leader, or coach, alongside like-minded teammates. This setting allows for them to practice and refine their critical thinking and strategic planning skills while working toward a shared objective and common goal.
Who benefits most from esports programs? Disengaged and marginalized students.
Over the past four years, studies have shown that roughly 63% of students who participate in esports have never participated in any other school activity. Not sports, drama, spelling bees, choir, not a single activity. For decades, we have known that participation in extracurricular activities is strongly associated with more engaged and successful students. Esports’ has a unique ability to create an environment of equity, inclusion, and accessibility because it meets students where they are and provides a safe space for students to build relationships.
In many districts that offer esports programs, as many as 35% of participants are neurodivergent, meaning they think and process information differently than neurotypical students. The term neurodivergent means having a mind that functions in ways that diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.” Neurodivergent brain neurons fire differently, and neurodivergent people are often diagnosed with one or more of the following: ADHD, ADD, autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, turrets, anxiety, depression, or other diagnoses.
These students have often been siloed or segregated from their peers in a classroom because their interactions have been deemed disruptive. However, esports activities, programs, and events enthusiastically invite neurodivergent students into a learning environment that removes the barriers that often exist in traditional learning environments. Through the structure and pathway of esports, previously marginalized students thrive. Neurodivergence often enables students to hyperfocus on tasks and skills that interest them, and esports is a natural interest for many students.
Esports creates inclusion.
Esports provides an environment that builds confidence and inclusivity for students who may struggle with the structure of a traditional learning environment. Many neurodivergent students are physically and/or socially isolated from their peers in a classroom setting. Some have an adult aide with them while others may find the environment of a full classroom overwhelming or overstimulating. Participating in esports helps these students compete on the same level as their peers, building common goals and objectives to achieve the highest level of performance and win the game.
Learning and building skills via screens provides a safe environment for neurodivergent students because the screen is neutral. They don’t require overstimulating interactions or awkward eye contact. The game characters perform as designed, don’t react unexpectedly, can’t ask surprising or off-putting questions, and don’t send off awkward cues to be misread or misinterpreted. For these reasons and more, neurodivergent students find safety and security in communicating with teammates, coaches, and fellow competitors online and via screens, rather than in person, which leads to an increase in their ability to collaborate more effectively, lead more acutely, and develop authentic friendships and relationships with peers.
Students participating in esports rise as leaders and often demonstrate gifted abilities that may have previously been hidden. Their success in esports propels previously disengaged students to join other school-related opportunities and activities.
Esports has a low barrier to entry.
The average cost for a school or district to launch an entry-level esports club is $1000. Here’s how those costs might break down:
Esports prepares students for the modern workplace.
I routinely hear the following concerns from employers and my community partners about the students who are matriculating into the workforce: 1) young people struggle to communicate effectively, 2) they lack the passion and willingness to lead, and 3) they are unsure or inept at collaborating with peers and leadership.
Esports magnificently challenges the dynamics creating these deficiencies in student competencies. Students participating in esports programs must learn to communicate and collaborate with teammates to succeed during the game. And esports students are some of their schools’ most fiercely passionate, competitive, and driven students. Esports interactions require critical thinking, extreme focus and determination, strategic planning, split-second decision-making, and the ability to build incredible trust and team collaboration. These are the very skills employers are looking for.
Esports provides the same social-emotional, teamwork, and sportsmanship development as traditional sports. Some argue that esports offers an increased ability to develop these skills due to the constant fluctuation of game speed and dynamics that vary by match. This environment allows students to actively work on their emotional reactions and well-being as they improve as players and teammates.
What about screen time?
Adults should evaluate their daily screen time. The national average is 7 hours and 4 minutes per day. Take a moment to review your own screen time. Some apps do it for you, calculating the daily time spent on computers, tablets, or phones.
Why do we spend so much time on our devices? They are portals to many facets of our life: work, communication, connection, play, creativity, administrative tasks, and relaxation. The presence of screens is not inherently a problem for adults or students, but we should be aware and concerned about how they are used. Not all screen time is equal.
Check out esports events– streaming or in person.
To best understand the power of esports, seeing is believing. If you have never witnessed and specifically attended a high school esports tournament, I highly recommend finding one in your region. Twenty-two states have state esports associations as part of the Interstate Scholastic Esports Alliance (ISEA), and these associations hold local, regional, and statewide tournaments. Countless districts and schools nationwide have teams participating in national online leagues that are streamed daily. A simple search query will provide several options to engage and experientially understand the need for esports.
Don’t focus on the screen; instead, focus on the students and how they work together. Listen to their communication. Think about the skill, knowledge, dedication, and commitment required to perform at such a high level. It should quickly become clear why we need to offer access to esports in every school nationwide.
Esports isn’t just a vehicle for developing applicable skills. There are tangible career opportunities that support the industry outside gameplay. Some of those include production, casting, event planning, tournament management, audio and visual engineering, IT networking, physical training, nutrition, content creation, and marketing. Students participating in esports are earning applicable experience for career pathways immediately following high school graduation and skills that augment their post-secondary education experiences.
ALP supports school systems across North America to launch esports programs and opportunities.
To explore building an esports program in your district and partner with an experienced ALP consultant, contact us. We offer a free consultation call and an esports guide to get you started.
In the past 5 years, ALP has provided consulting and partnership for esports to X districts in North America, including recently #1 ranked Windemere High School (FL) and the expanding esports program at Tucson Unified School District (AZ).
Resources to learn more about esports in education
Esports Products, Solutions & Services | CDW
Esports in Education: Fostering Student Success – Intel
The Educational and Academic Benefits of Esports
What is esports? A systematic scoping review and concept analysis of esports – PMC
About the Author
Julie Mavrogeorge – Julie is the Founder and President of the California Esports Association, a Microsoft Innovative Education Expert, and serves as a Generation Esports, Minecraft Education, and Drone Legends Ambassador. She is an ALP consultant and has worked alongside Intel, CDW, British Esports, Spectrum Industries, LANFest, Minecraft Education, Generation Esports, and other partners to bring esports to districts including Los Angeles Unified, Fresno Unified, New York Public Schools, Atlanta Public Schools. Julie has presented on all facets of esports program development and implementation at The Future of Educational Technology Conference (FETC), Texas Computer Education Association (TCEA), International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), DreamHack, and the National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors (NAECAD). She serves on the boards of NAECAD and Affinity Esports.
Connect with Julie on LinkedIn.
