Is Competitive Video Gaming Coming to Iowa High Schools?
We've recently learned about a progressional video gamer, from Iowa, who makes more money than 97% of the people who live in this state. It may be tough for some people to jump on board with this, but video games could very soon be recognized as a legitimate sport throughout high schools.
You don't have to like video games, you don't have to play video games, and you surely don't have to watch people play them, but soon, you will have to accept they are a huge part of today's generation and will be a major moneymaker for years to come. There's a Kennedy High School student who is trying to get his school to sponsor a competitive video game team.
Ethan McCord attended a CRCSD School Board meeting and stood up for the value of E-Sports. According to KCRG, he said
On the 18th of December, something big happened in Iowa. A high school student at North Linn High School was given a scholarship, but not for something that you would expect. Davenport University in Michigan granted Tyler Stanley a scholarship for competitive Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, one of the largest games and competitive e-sports.
He went on to ask CRCSD to consider the possibility of funding an E-Sports program for high schoolers. He informed the board E-Sports programs would require $64,000 for start-up equipment which would mean $16,000 per school. This money would go to things such as gaming PCs, monitors, and peripherals, according to KCRG.
In my opinion here's where the trouble lies for legitimate E-Sports programs at the high school levels. Money. As beneficial as E-Sports could be for high school students as far as building relationships, friendships, being part of a team, and possibly college scholarships, it's going to be really hard to convince schools to spend $16,000 on video games.
It feels as if schools are always looking for ways to save money and cut costs where they can. It's going to be hard to convince people money should go to video games instead of books, desks, lunches, other athletic programs, and school building improvements. The list could go on and on.
Without a big personal donation from someone, asking a school to shell out $16,000 for something we've never seen before, might prove to be pretty difficult. I do think the future is bright for high schoolers who want competitive gaming to be a legitimate thing. Colleges are already offering scholarships for students who excel in gaming. Eventually, I predict we see a surge of high school video game teams in the near future.
In your life would you have ever guessed video gamers might be considered the new "jocks" in high school?