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Esports, or competitive gaming, is often falsely associated with negative outcomes. Many people believe that participation in gaming will cause participants to close off, become violent or addicted, or develop laziness and malaise. While these things are not always untrue, there are tried-and-true ways to ensure gaming does not have a negative impact on youth and, even better, can actually impact gamers positively.

The Benefits of Team-Based Competition

Traditional sports have long been lauded as beneficial for youth. Parents across the world encourage their kids to participate in these activities for their health and developmental benefits. Esports programs allow participants to reap many of these same benefits through active participation in practices, camps and competitions.

Socialization, development of communication and teamwork skills, and a sense of belonging are some of the most important bene-fits of participating in a team-based activity. Whether a child chooses to learn these skills through traditional sports or esports, it truly does not make much of a difference.

Esports Reaches a Demographic That Traditional Sports Can’t

Not all children have the ability to participate in traditional sports. Some kids lack physical function, others lack the ability to be around others, and more still have illnesses that make them susceptible to injury.

Esports allow individuals with disabilities, illnesses, immuno-compromising conditions or other health issues to gain the same experience of being on a team that traditional sports provide. Many gaming consoles and games even have adaptations for specific individuals, including those with paralysis and amputations.

Other kids just might not want to play sports. Just because someone does not want to play sports does not mean that they should not have the opportunity to compete on a team. We shouldn’t force kids to participate in traditional sports either, but instead encourage them to follow their interests in a healthy and balanced way.

How Can You Support Your Gamers?

There are many options for gamers who want to take their hobby to the next level and join an esports team. Many schools across the country are adopting esports as after-school activities, and many community organizations are starting esports programs as well. You have the option to start your own league or team, or just start off more simply with an after-school club. Many esports programs are flexible and fully virtual, allowing you to implement the activity in whatever way works best for you.

The best way to really get going is to ask the potential participants what they want. Send out a survey to see what level of competition they would like to see. What games are they playing? What times are they free to get together for practice?

Once you have gathered enough interest, it’s time to dive in. To begin, consider hiring esports coaches, scheduling practices and participating in local or national leagues. Wherever the journey takes you, it’s sure to be a reward-ing one.

Celine Charitat is Marketing Manager at Vanta.