eSports scholarships are on the rise. How long until we see our schooling system adjust to the rise of competitive gaming?

In recent years we have seen an absolute boom in competitive gaming leagues. eSports is quickly making a strong name for itself in the world, and with more and more industries backing Esport leagues, we may wonder how far eSports will go.

Many saw the news that Fortnite: Battle Royale scholarships were becoming established in universities. Robert Morris University of Pennsylvania took a bold step forward in considering League of Legends as a varsity sport. And these aren’t the only instances of eSports and competitive gaming being embraced by universities.

It is the public who are most welcoming to the rise of competitive gaming. The League of Legends final was the most widely watched sporting event in America, second only to the Superbowl.

This makes us wonder, how long will it be until we see eSports in our schools? With more and more skilled and professional gamers gaining coveted scholarships, it doesn’t seem like such a ridiculous question to ask anymore.

‘Gaming’ clubs, while once a laughing matter, have become and established and commonplace club or extra-curricular activity in schools. In some ways, professional and competitive gaming is still mocked. Sure, there the claims that it’s not a ‘real sport’ are valid, but eSports have shown they’re here to stay. This is not a trend or a fad.

High School eSport Leagues are growing continuously. And as said by the ABC, it’s having a real and transformative effect on the modern classroom. However, much of the integration of gaming and classrooms weighs on the argument that it fosters a ‘career path’. However, as we have covered, careers in the Australian gaming industry are very, very hard to come by.

Is it likely, then, that we will see a more noticeable growth of eSports and gaming in schools in the coming years? This is hard to say, but with eSport industries growing exponentially by the year, it’s not such an unlikely proposition.

High schools and universities are growing a new league of athlete: The Pro-Gamer. This doesn’t show any signs of slowing down either.

More and more high schools and universities will come around to the growth of the competitive gaming industry as a reputable sporting league. With that, the possibilities of where eSports will go seem endless. Will it become commonplace in our schools? Potentially. One thing is certain, and that is that more and more children will be growing up saying they, too, want to be one of the professionals.