Why youth should partake in organized sports and activities to improve esports performance

How often have we seen “adults” speak up about young gamers not doing enough sports, being anti-social or not being active in organized activities? I constantly keep hearing it in my age group and even with younger parents.

It’s not that I don't agree with it, but I really don't agree with the approach most people use when talking to their youth about it. Much of the wording is based on ordering, shaming or pressuring them into something other than gaming. And everyone who has worked with youth knows, if that’s your approach they will oppose you...

I want to challenge all parents and adults to take a different approach when talking about this. Talk it up and meet the young gamers on their terms, make it make sense!

What skills can a young gamer learn from organized sports and activities other than the “physical health” aspect that everyone is nagging at them about? What can they bring with them into a gaming career? There’s plenty, but I will try to highlight a few that I have experienced myself.

Being part of a team: Being a part of a team is so much more than finding your role in a CS go lineup or winning your lane in LOL. Sports and other activities at a young age taught me to communicate with different people. It taught me what it means to be a team player and understanding that I don't have to be the center of attention all the time. I learned to work with coaches and support staff, trusting in other people’s guidance and opinions. ALL these things have been crucial in my career.

Mental strength: We have seen an influx of mental health problems in esports and young talents breaking down because it is not a focus point. It needs to be on the agenda for all esports organizations, but a lot can also be learned from other activities. Martial arts gave me the mental fortitude to push through the pain and struggle I kept running into as a young gamer. I knew that at the end of the struggle I would be more resilient and I would be able to master any challenge. Working as a volunteer with people who had nothing and learning to interact with them gave me abilities to put myself in other people's shoes. And it made my own “problems” with people being mean online insignificant to me. I KNEW there were people out there with real problems, and that allowed me to ignore a lot of the hate and toxic stuff. I learned to set goals and reach them and I KNEW I could reach my goals if I put the work in and that it was all up to me.

Physical health: It is not something we can ignore, because it is important. The approach to it can be changed though. Young gamers do not have to spend hours and hours at the gym or keep track of every single thing they eat. However, having normal physical abilities and being smart about food DOES HELP. We see people in esports with stress related injuries all the time and wrists, neck, lower back problems are common. I have avoided these problems for 20+ years and I am 100% sure I can attribute that to activities and later on in life a serious change of diet and what I put in my body. Talk to your youth about this, but don't shame them for what they are NOT DOING... Talk to them about the benefits and help them understand why it MAKES SENSE for their gaming career!

This is a challenge we can all take on as a global community. Gaming is not going to disappear and the youth need guidance rather than lectures from adults. There’s thousands of “adult” gamers out there who have really felt the problems of not knowing these things in their youth. So let’s make sure the young generation does not have to repeat these mistakes.

#esports #gaming #youth #positivereinforcement #talkitup #education