Not-for-profit organization The British Esports Association partnered with Westminster City Council and DinoPC for a free two-hour after-school program. The pilot program was an esports training club featuring Rocket League. The British Esports Association discovered that competitive esports in moderation can be beneficial to children.
“The idea is to better educate Britain regarding the benefits of esports, and to show parents, teachers and children there are viable career paths within the industry,” said Dominic Sacco, Content Director at The British Esports Association. “There is a real demand for regular clubs at libraries and schools. And by targeting the younger demographic, we are looking at the bigger long-term picture with the goal of creating more British esports talent in the future.”
The experimental esports pilot program found several benefits for kids, including teamwork, communication, leadership, and confidence. All of these skills can easily be transferred outside of gaming, such as in schoolwork, socialization, and physical sports.
Esports casters also participated to teach kids live casting techniques and skills.
The program was a sellout, with more children and parents signing up than they could fit.
“We believe the educational aspects of what the British Esports Association aims to achieve are highly beneficial to children and younger audiences,” said Nic Carnelutti, marketing manager at DinoPC, who provided the hardware for the program. “This scheme encourages young people to learn teamwork and participate in a challenge – building up their social skills which can then be used in other aspects of life.”
Each child received a certificate, T-shirt, and hat from the event. All the children said they would like to take part in a regular esports club, whether at their school or similar public place.
“I think it was extremely fun and I really enjoyed casting and working with my team to win,” said 13-year old Mohammed Badamasi. “Commentating is fun, Rocket League is fun – we had to work as a team to score. I would absolutely love to do this again 1000%.”
The British Esports Association compiled a detailed report of their esports program here.
