10 benefits of the esports tournament (part 1)
10 benefits of the DSH esports tournament (P1)
We know that esports opens up a world of opportunities for students. Not only do we have evidence of this in our landmark esports report, but we continually see the positive mark that engaging schools in esports has on education: from increasing school attendance and heightening interest in team sports, to maintaining friendships and improving communication skills.
We want to shout about all the incredible opportunities that esports brings, not only because we believe in its power for good, but also because we see how teachers year on year witness its positive influence in their school and on their students.
So here we are – showing you exactly how esports engages education. Based on our landmark report Esports: Engaging Education (2018), and taken from teacher and student anecdotes, here are all the reasons why we encourage you to get involved in the DSH esports tournament.
- Maintaining and growing friendships
Our tournament brings together students from all over the UK, who strike up friendships and friendly rivalries as they battle it out to become esports champions. However, we also know that friendship and team spirit are the best strategy, and teams won’t go far if they don’t work together! That’s why we see increased cross-age and cross-school friendships flourish, as 95% of participants recorded that their friendships grew or were maintained during the course of the tournament. Playing games is certainly a great way to connect over a shared passion and bring people together over shared interests!
- Interest in careers in games industry
Our aim is to raise awareness and share brilliant opportunities with our students. We know that while many are interested in games, they aren’t always privy to the wealth of career opportunities that exist. With a shortage of talent in the creative digital industry, our tournament bridges this gap by connecting students with industry pros, who show them exactly how they can get involved. As a result, almost 90% of students record that the tournament made them more interested in a career in the video games industry.
- Real life work experience
The tournament really allows for students to take ownership of their own event. We encourage students to oversee, plan and execute the event as much as possible. Roles are crafted by the video games industry, for our participating students. Students take on roles as event mangers, tournament admins, and shoutcasters. At the Grand Final, we open up for students to be able to work alongside the pros, as they have a go at being audio mixers, video mixers, and observers. Some students have, through networking with industry guests, even been invited to complete internships and work experience with video games companies.
- Team sports and collaboration
81% of participants in the esports tournament said they were more likely to participate in other team sports as a result of taking part. As almost 25% of students reported being bullied at school, team sports could be a much-needed source of social support. We’ve seen the brilliant team spirit that our students bring to the tournament, helping to create a supportive environment as they really cheer each other on.
- Increased interest in computing
The esports tournament is a great hook for showing young people the exciting side of computing. The tournament has raised the profile of computing at school and made it more of an attractive subject to study. In fact, as a result of being exposed to the esports tournament, 93% of students said that they were more interested in computing.
Stay tuned for part 2 where we’ll be revealing the rest of the 10 benefits!
If you want your school to be involved in this immersive career experience, expressions of interest for the 2020 tournament (commencing this September) are now open.
Registration will go live on 4 September.
All stats included refer to our landmark report, Esports: Engaging Education.