LOS ANGELES (May 23, 2024) – PlayVS, the leading esports platform for high schools and middle schools in North America, today released its 2024 Scholastic Esports Impact Report, showcasing the powerful impact of esports on student mental health and well-being.
PlayVS surveyed over 600 high school esports coaches and players from the U.S. and Canada, and conducted in-depth interviews to gain insights on the role that esports play in students’ lives. The research highlights the positive impact that esports have on players’ wellbeing across areas such as socialization, communication skills, leadership, self-esteem, and academic success.
Key findings include:
Esports are a gateway to community & belonging at school, acting as a first step for students to start building safe, inclusive communities:
- For 46%, esports was the very first extracurricular activity they participated in at school.
- 57% of students reported that esports makes them feel like they’re part of a community.
- Esports gives students a place to build bonds with others that share their interests, with 46% of students stating that esports has helped them make more friends.
- Coaches also see the tangible results of esports on student socialization. In the survey, 90% of coaches agreed they have seen improved socialization among players.
Esports are a training ground for improved socialization. The team environment helps students further develop their communication skills under the guidance of their coaches:
- The top two qualities for esports success were a positive attitude and effective communication, ranked by 51% and 48% of students respectively.
- 38% reported they communicated better with peers because of their participation in esports.
- 85% of coaches have seen improvement in communication skills among their players.
Esports are an incubator for young leaders, providing opportunities for students to fulfill positions such as team captain, manager, social media lead and equipment support:
- There were over 5,000 team captains appointed in the very first season the role was introduced to the PlayVS platform.
- 83% of coaches agree that their players have improved their leadership skills as a result of esports.
Esports are a driver of academic success, by incentivizing students to maintain their grades via minimum GPA and attendance requirements:
- 60% of coaches have found an improvement in grades and/or attendance among their players.
- 45% of PlayVS students reported feeling more excited to go to school after joining an esports team.
- 30% of students said they feel more committed to school and academics.
“The positive impacts of traditional sports are widely understood, and today, we’re showcasing that esports should be held in the same regard,” said Jon Chapman, CEO of PlayVS.
“From communication and socialization to grades and attendance, our findings confirm the powerful benefits that students gain by competing in esports that they may not be receiving in other parts of their scholastic experience. We’re growing PlayVS and expanding to schools everywhere, so that as many students as possible can access these benefits.”
Read the Full Report : HERE
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About PlayVS
PlayVS (pronounced Play Versus) is North America’s leading scholastic esports platform, on a mission to unlock the many benefits of esports for players everywhere. PlayVS offers a single community in which players, coaches, educators and parents come together to compete, connect and grow through the power of esports. PlayVS is the official high school esports partner to the NFHS Network, the Special Olympics and state and regional organizations in the U.S. and Canada that offer officially sanctioned scholastic esports leagues. To learn more about PlayVS, visit https://playvs.com/.
