
Foley, Ph.D., is president of New York Institute of Technology. It's up to colleges and universities to up their game and prepare students for this booming industry. They prepare people for real-world scenarios. Here at NYIT, we have a Center for eSports Medicine that employs a year-round team of physicians and physical therapists to assist the school's esports athletes and conduct research on the medical implications of competitive gaming.įar from being a waste of time, video games offer significant social, cognitive, and economic benefits. Many schools have video design programs, which can set students up for well-paid careers.Įsports careers abound in the medical field, too. Becker College in Massachusetts, for example, offers a Bachelor of Science in Esports Management. But many students could work in the wider esports industry, as long as schools equip them for success. Video games often get written off as bloody and violent (which, some of them are).
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Only a relative handful of students will ultimately become professional gamers, a lucrative career that can pay millions of dollars per year. And since esports require very little equipment, they're more affordable than many other activities. Unlike traditional athletic programs that require extraordinary athleticism, virtually all students can participate on this playing field. After all, the NCAA has more than 1,200 members.Īdditionally, colleges could create and open up campus spaces dedicated to esports at all levels of competition - including intramural or club esports teams. Many games actually improve attention, memory, and decision-making, according to a analysis of video game studies published in the American Journal of Play. Plenty of critics argue that video games have few practical applications and even stunt intellectual growth.īut that conventional wisdom has been proven wrong.

The stereotypical gamer is a young man, isolated in a dark basement and staring at a screen. Video games have long received a bad rap. Colleges can play a role in preparing students for this industry by investing resources in video gaming and related programs.

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In other words, far from being just a virtual reality, esports teach people how to operate in the real world. And, unbeknownst to many, professional video gaming has become a big business, so job opportunities are swelling. These trivia questions promise to bamboozle even the most experienced video game experts - so watch out. If you think you’re a real gamer, it’s time for the ultimate test. It's one of the most accessible, inclusive activities for students. You’re not a video game expert until you’ve successfully answered this video game trivia. New research shows that gaming actually improves cognitive and social skills. College students need to play more video games.
