QUEUE UP

I turned one of my biggest hobbies into a successful and award winning career.  But it wasn’t easy and I had a little luck 🍀 (I think a lot of you can relate). When I finished grad school the subprime mortgage crisis happened but I found a job in sports marketing. Eventually, a client asked what they’d be sponsoring in the next five years and, as a lifelong gamer, I opened their eyes to the world of video games. The door of opportunity opened 🚪 and I walked through it. 8 years later, I’ve been lucky enough to lead two different esports and gaming organizations and now I want to help my readers get more into gaming with their family or in their own lives..

1. A STRONG FUTURE VIA GAMING

2. ICYMI

3. SCREEN STUDIES

4. COACH'S CORNER

5. LEARN THE LINGO

6. LOAD OUT

A STRONG FUTURE VIA GAMING

Being born in the mid-80’s, I was blessed to grow up with Nintendo, GameBoy, and the entire video game entertainment revolution. The world was different then, and I heard all of the commentary from my parents and society: 

“Video games will rot your brain.” “Go to bed already.” “Stop playing and go outside, it's too nice out to be inside playing video games.” “Violent video games lead to school shootings.”

All of those things are debunked as the best surgeons in the world are gamers, there is zero correlation between playing violent video games and increased violence and, well, going outside is still good for you 🌳 🌞. Everything in moderation, I guess.

Even though I work in the industry and love video games, I am constantly weighing how much and what they should play. Screen-time discussions are for another newsletter, but I do want to make sure you realize the benefits and the opportunities out there for your child.

While becoming a pro gamer is a possibility, the chances are just as low, if not lower, than traditional sports. However, that doesn't mean all those hours are wasted! 

There are over 200 colleges and universities with esports programs and there are tons that provide scholarships, including schools such as UC-Irvine, Akron, Utah, Western Kentucky, and Miami (OH).

Esports presents a truly viable option to help defray the higher education costs, and with the cost of college these days, I think we’ll take any help we can get!

The reason schools are targeting these gamers is because playing video games has a fairly high correlation with STEM Education 🧪 🚀 🧮. Playing games instills basic coding logic through experimentation and sequences of inputs/outputs. As games grow more complex, advanced concepts like physics engines, 3D modeling, algorithms and procedurally-generated environments come into play. Even popular "builder" or “sandbox” games like Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite are virtual playgrounds for learning and applying engineering basics.

Moreover, games foster analytical thinking, resource management skills, and systems-level understanding—all crucial for STEM fields. Additionally, communication and the ability to work under pressure have led Fortune 500 companies to specifically target in-game leaders for key positions.

So the next time you think your kid may be playing too many games, remember that ‘one more game' could be helping them secure that future scholarship or job.

ICYMI

My favorite thing this week:

• This massive Pokémon Lapras pool/lake float 🛟has to be one of the greatest summer time pieces ever.

  

SCREEN STUDIES

Minecraft

Arguably one of the most popular games in the world. A game where the limits are your imagination. There are two modes: Creative and Survival - easy way to differentiate this: Survival mode means you can die ☠️.  Your goals are simple: Gather resources from the environment and build amazing things!

Minecraft is available on pretty much any platform from PC, Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox, to mobile.

1. Buildings - These are the things built by the player

2. The crosshair - this has to be pointed at the thing or block you want to manipulate

3. The Item currently equipped - Most items are used to gather materials, but some are weapons or potions

4. A pig - there are a vast array of animals, people, and evil creatures that populate Minecraft worlds

5. The toolbar - Here are the materials that can be placed to build things as well as any equipment that can be used

COACH’S CORNER

PlayVS, a leading scholastic esports program, conducted a study involving over 600 high school esports coaches and players across the U.S. and Canada. The research vividly illustrates the positive influence of esports on participants:

Key Findings and Highlights:

• Community & Belonging: 🫂

  • Esports serve as a vital entry point for numerous students into extracurricular involvement, with 46% stating it was their initial school activity.

• Social Skills Development: 💬

  • The majority of students identified a positive attitude (51%) and effective communication (48%) as crucial for success in esports.

• Leadership Opportunities: 🗣️

  • The structured setting of esports teams allows students to occupy leadership roles, such as team captains. A significant 83% of coaches observed enhanced leadership skills in their students due to involvement in esports.

• Academic Motivation: 🧑‍🏫

  • 60% of coaches reported improvements in student grades and attendance by their players.

  • Players also felt a heightened eagerness for school, with 45% more excited and 30% feeling more committed to their academics.

Send your burning questions, random asks, or gaming stories to [email protected]. We’ll try to share or answer the best ones in upcoming newsletters.

LEARN THE LINGO

LOAD OUT

A lot of people dismiss gaming as a waste of time. But the numbers and the studies don’t lie, it’s a huge boost to nearly any younger person’s growth trajectory and it may even give them the chance at a free ride to college. I’d say based upon that, it’s time well spent! ⏳

As always, I’d love to hear any feedback - you can reach me at [email protected]

GLHF,

Chris

What I’m playing right now:

Okami HD on PC