Photo courtesy of JUNIATA COLLEGE Mifflin County High School football standout was a member of the esports team at Juniata College in 2022.

MIFFLINTOWN — Once considered a niche hobby or pastime, esports has been transformed into a powerful force in education. Esports programs are reshaping how students collaborate, think strategically and engage with technology in meaningful ways.

Esports – short for electronic sports – have become a form of competition using video games to create organized, multi-player video game competitions between teams, or in this case schools.

With a growing presence in high schools and colleges around the state, education experts believe esports not only provide an outlet for competitive gaming, but also equip students with critical skills that translate into career readiness and real-world problem-solving tools.

The Juniata County School District Board of Directors looked at creating an esports program in 2023 but opted against it, refuting the educational or collaborative value. There have been subsequent rumblings about revisiting the idea, although no formal action has ever been taken.

Earlier this month, the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit in Milton, Northumberland County, hosted a conference about scholastic esports. Administrators from the state esports league, Pennsylvania Scholastic Esports League, discussed the value of esports to educators from that region.

In July, the state esports league also announced the launch of regional leads to provide localized support and expand their reach across the state, which is divided into eight regions. These regions are designed to help foster community, streamline technical assistance and bring more scholastic esports events to students and educators.

Mifflin and Juniata counties are assigned to Region No. 5, under Intermediate Unit Regions No. 10 and 11, along with Huntingdon, Perry, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Cumberland, Dauphin and Fulton counties.

Snyder County is part of Region 4, under Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, with Bradford, Columbia, Lycoming, Montour, Northumberland, Sullivan, Tioga and Union counties.

Region 4 has a design, sell and build Minecraft event scheduled for Tuesday at the intermediate unit as well as an online coach’s meeting planned for Dec. 15.

“Esports are competitive video games,” Matt Swan, representing PSEL, told those at the conference. “Here you have players, some as individuals, others on a team. But all of whom are trying to achieve the same goal.”

Esports are more than just kids sitting around a room playing video games, Swan said.

“We love being able to connect high school juniors and seniors to different workforce opportunities,” added Colleen Epler-Ruths, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) consultant with the intermediate unit.

Training was a major reason for educators attending the conference, Epler-Ruths said. Attendees were advised how to build, coach and create successful esports teams, as well as how to integrate teamwork, leadership and technology into their school programs.

Best practices for team management, community building and promoting teams through streaming and social media were also discussed.

The conference featured presentations from experienced esports coaches and experts on designing and launching an esports gaming lab.

Competitive gaming nurtures a wide range of skills that are crucial for success in the workforce, including:

Critical Thinking and problem-solving – Esports players must strategize, adapt to challenges and make split-second decisions, mirroring real-world problem-solving scenarios.

Teamwork and collaboration – Much like traditional sports, esports requires players to communicate effectively, coordinate efforts and develop leadership skills within a team setting.

STEM and digital literacy – Many esports-related careers have strong foundations in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, exposing students to essential technical skills.

Resilience and perseverance – Competitive gaming demands dedication, discipline and the ability to overcome setbacks, helping students build grit and determination.

“In a way, we are teaching teachers about the benefits of esports,” Epler-Ruths said.

Esports, which started four or five years ago with teams out of Philadelphia, have grown to more than 200 teams playing in the PSEL across the state.

Juniata College, located in Huntingdon, has fielded esports teams, which included Mifflin County High School football product Julian Jackson in 2022.

“A lot of what we’re seeing going on with esports ties in with standard computer science, career pathways, and general skills that students are building,” Swan said, “Such as understanding basic network infrastructure. Or coding. For those students with such interest, these are future pathways to post-secondary school career.

“There is a job for every student you encounter, based on their school-level interests — jobs such as organizers, entrepreneurs and content creators,” Swan said.

As esports continues to grow, opinions about it are also changing.

“There was a time when I knew little about esports and their educational value,” Epler-Ruths said. “I began as a skeptic. Now, I am a proponent.”

We’ll see if the Juniata County School Board makes the next move.