BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For the St. Francis High School E-Sports team, this is more than a game.
"Every life lesson you can learn in person, you can learn in a game," said St. Francis High School student, Alexander Kochan.
Through problem solving and even communicating with their teammates, the E-Sports team is learning while playing.
"It's an extracurricular just like every other sport or club or activity. And everything that these guys are gonna do here supports their work in the classroom," said St. Francis High School Vice President, Timothy Monahan.
And thanks to the St. Francis Alumni Association, there is a gaming arena inside the high school complete with monitors and gaming systems where they can compete against 100 other schools online.
"They're not super fast. Maybe they can't perform on the tennis court, basketball court, or in the pool. This arena gives them that space where these guys that are really good at playing can still experience all those things, experience that competitive nature, and still be apart of that team and that brotherhood," said Monahan.
For Kochan, getting to play alongside his teammates brings benefits to the game.
"Being able to get together as a team and sit next to them is a cool feeling. Unless you're a professional player, you will never get to sit next to your teammates and being able to sit next to your teammates in high school is a pretty cool feeling," said Kochan.
More than 30 colleges across the Unites States have competitive gaming scholarships. And for St. Francis President, Matthew Foley, having another way for students to succeed is very important.
"I think I would be negligent as an administrator if I didn't provide this as one of those opportunities for our young men."
E-Sports Popularity:
According to the National Education Association, more than 8,600 high schools have created E-Sports teams since 2018.
E-Sports Benefits:
According to the New York State Education Association, E-Sports encourages student interest in STEM fields like programming, graphic design, and networking.
