The idea of holistic education is taking a front seat in the fast-pacing paradigm of education today. It is an approach that develops a student academically, socially, and emotionally for life outside the classroom. One area of education where holistic education has significantly come to impact is esports. High schools embracing esports into the curricular scope are able to harness student interest, build skills, and open the gates to countless career opportunities.

As esports grow in popularity and find themselves more and more in the mainstream, they align perfectly with the principles of holistic education. Esports may engage students into the things they are passionate about and teach them essential life skills. In this blog post, follow key benefits of enabling a holistic esports program at the high school level to support and build student passion, career readiness through experiential learning, and transferable skills that apply in any industry.

Related: The Need for Esports Education: Shaping the Future of Learning

Intrinsic motivation and passion

Central to holistic education is the idea that students learn best when they are involved in things they are passionate about. It's been argued time and time again that it's intrinsic motivation—which is done out of interest with no outside rewards—that actually leads to deeper learning, greater persistence, and higher achievement. Esports presents a unique opportunity for students to pursue these intrinsic interests within a formal educational environment. Allowing students to explore their interests in esports will likely make them more invested in their education overall. That same level of engagement is bound to result in higher grades and future success. For example, a student who is very much into gaming will definitely be motivated to get better grades in maths and science, as that would imply a better understanding of the mechanics and game designs.

By building on these passions, a holistic esports program identifies intrinsic motivation in students and inculcates a lifetime love of learning. There is research backing the thought that passion plays a prime role in educational outputs. The Journal of Educational Psychology published research in which students who were more intrinsically motivated tended to be more successful in their schooling achievements and path toward higher education. Therefore, incorporation of esports within a high school's curriculum allows for better engagement and successes due to the motivating aspects students are likely to have concerning esports.

Career Options in Esports

Thus, esports becomes an industry for both players and non-player opportunities. When the industry grows, it requires a lot of skilled manpower in different roles. A holistic esports program in high school can, therefore, prepare students for these careers by giving them skills and knowledge associated with the industry and experiences.

Professional Gaming: Some students have made this a career, and one with exceptional gaming skills can take it up professionally. The overall esports program will provide training and support in competitive gaming through coaching, practice, and tournament access.

Coaching and Management: Not all students will want a player's career, but there are lots of opportunities behind the scenes. Coaching, team management, and esports organisation administration are crucial to this industry. A full-fledged esports program would be able to teach those students how to become leaders, communicate effectively, and be organised—all important skills in those types of careers.

Shoutcasting and Content Creation: For those interested in a career in media and communication, shoutcasting (commentating on esports) or content creation offers an interesting opportunity. Students can develop their public speaking, video production, and storytelling skills through a comprehensive esports curriculum.

Esports Management: Managing esports teams, tournaments, and events is a totally different ball game and requires a whole other skill set. Therefore, a well-rounded esports program would prepare the learners for the different roles in a comprehensive program, including aspects such as event planning, marketing, and team management.

Game Design and Development: For individuals looking at the more technical side of esports, a career in game design and development might be a good fit. Comprehensive programs can prepare students to learn all about coding, graphic design, and principles of user experience.

Holistic esports programs, through practical skills training, networking opportunities, and industry insights, ensure that students are well equipped for such different career paths. Success stories within the esports industry are very real and widespread, often starting as early as high school esports programs. These programs give students a foundation from which they can pursue exciting and rewarding careers.

Related: Guide to Starting an Esports Program in Your High School

Transferable Skills

The development of transferable skills is another considerable advantage of esports education that would help an individual in a career outside the field of esports. More specifically, skills like teamwork, communication, leadership, strategic thinking, and digital literacy are the most desired in the labour market nowadays.

Teamwork and Communication: Esports is such a sport where students are bound to work with others in cooperation to reach common goals. This helps students develop strong communication and other collaboration skills that are highly essential in any workplace.

Leadership: Being in control of an esport team or managing a project taken from a more holistic program teaches the ways of motivating others, delegating duties, and making strategic choices. Leadership skills are transferable to most other careers.

Critical Thinking: Esports demands that the student be capable of critical thinking and making decisions in a high-paced, stressful environment. This strategic thinking will be applicable and useful in many professional contexts, from business to healthcare.

Digital literacy: The tech-based industry, through esports, students develop their digital literacy in software, online communication, and data analysis. This is very important in a moment when the vast majority of human activities are carried out in a digitally mediated form.

Students who participate in esports gain these valuable skills, which make them more competitive in the job market. Case studies have shown that those who have developed such skills through esports education have gone on to succeed in various professional fields, from tech start-ups to corporate leadership roles.

Related: Esports for Kids: Guiding Your Child in the World of Competitive Gaming

The Competitive Edge

Esports are underlined by the most inherent aspect of competition, and it is good for personal and academic growth among students. They learn resilience, strategic thinking, and a growth mindset through participation in esports tournaments.

Resilience and a Growth Mindset: Esports instils in students the ability to cope with challenges, setbacks, and failure, which is crucial not only in their lifetimes but also in the lives of academic work. With such skills to persist even under difficult conditions, students can formulate a growth mindset that is important for their future success.

Strategic Thinking: In esports, one has to think much ahead, take one or two steps ahead, what possibly could be the next move of the opponents, how one could adapt to the changing situation. Strategic thinking will be beneficial not only for the game but also in academic and professional lives.

Improved Confidence and Social Interaction: Winning esports competitions helps to build self-confidence among students as well as instils positive social interaction. It shall allow creating new relationships, improving communication skills, and a feeling of belonging with peers.

Esports tournament winnings are also one of the sound proofs that students can show while applying for colleges or any professional pursuance; hence, it enhances their interest in different universities and employers. Competitive activities were beneficial for young people, which were significant factors found in educators and psychologists to have positive effects on the self-esteem and social skills of students.

Related: How an Esports Coaching Academy Shapes Future Champions

Advocacy for Esports in Higher Education

With the rising demand for esports professionals, there is a need for better-educated leaders in the industry. High school educators have an important role to play in providing essential esports programs that best prepare students for higher education and future careers.

Many colleges and universities around the world are already working esports into their courses of study, offering scholarships and academic classes in addition to conducting research in the field. It is college opportunity and preparedness that a strong high school esports program is laying the foundation for. Participation in a well-developed, holistic esports program will afford the students the ability, skills, and credentials to carry through with further studies in esports, positioning towards success in a growing field.

Industry Growth and Future Opportunities

Esports grows in the industry day by day. According to Statista, it is expected that the global esports market will surpass $1.8 billion in 2025, driven by growth in viewership, sponsorship, and media rights. Such a rapid expansion is bringing great opportunities to future leaders in this field. Now is, therefore, the right time to put in place comprehensive esports programs for high schools. The action would set a stage for it to prepare students for the emerging opportunities in the dynamic industry. The educational programs should be equally responsive because of the continued growth and evolution of esports in preparing students for the new skills and knowledge requirements in the industry.

All the industry experts agree that the future of esports, as a global phenomenon, is very bright, with huge potential for growth and innovation. Now is the time for schools to invest in esports education to position students for success in this booming field filled with limitless possibilities.

Adopting a comprehensive esports program within high schools can be a great way to ignite students' passions and open them up to numerous career possibilities, while at the same time preparing them with critical transferable skills. This is crucial because, in the future, as the esports industry continues to explode, demand for education with such great professionals will only continue to surge upwards.

At Squid Academy, we are proud to provide the very best in quality esports education that students need to prepare them for the world ahead. Engage, inspire, and let your student be fully equipped to compete and succeed in the digital age with our holistic esports program for high schools. Contact us today to find out how Squid Academy changes your school's approach to esports education.