11 year old Student’s Perspective on eSports

Joanna Severino, Founder & President of Prepskills and Justin Souto, a Sterling Hall School Grade 6 student joined us for a conversation about esports.

Justin likes video games, plays soccer and basketball in school and became interested in esports when he was about 4 years old and found he enjoyed playing sports (tennis) computer / electronic games.

When Justin was 8 and his older brother got a PS4 and then his best friend introduced him to keyboard games. Justin stated that he “started out with a regular lap top and regular mouse”. Justin cautioned students that it is important to build your skills before investing in more advance equipment and technology, he stated “You can’t just start out with an advanced set up until your skills improve or are making money on tournaments. You need the right equipment to participate in tournaments and you need great internet speed”.

You can listen to the conversation here:

Justin talked about the importance of regular practice to advance your skills as well as developing Aim Training. During the conversation, it became clear that there were some transferrable skills from the gaming world to school, business and life.

One such example is the importance of taking time away from the screen, essentially, taking technology breaks. Justin warns people to ensure they are getting unplugging and giving themselves regular breaks from the screen. This is such wise advice for adults as well. Being resilient requires us to unplug and recharge.

Another essential skill set that Justin spoke about was the importance of self awareness and to be able to recognize when you need a break or distraction. Justin made a powerful suggestion ” If you can’t create balance, then esports may not be healthy for a person”.

Many parents worry that computer games may create a disconnection with peers, Justin talked about enjoying the team aspect and interaction in esports which boosts his confidence and team skills. When playing electronic games with friends he said he feels increased confidence and the interactions seem to help.

Other transferable skills that Justin pointed out are the entrepreneurial spirit… using strategy, skills and objectives.

When asked what the Top 3 skills learned by participating in esports, Justin summarized:

the way that you think and form opinions and develop strategy
esports can help boost skills in other areas of your life (such as your reaction time in a sport, and your math skills when you have to calculate during the game)
you learn how to work as a team