Burgeoning, esports could have IHSA state tournaments next year
Not all kids who play video games countless hours a day are wasting time.
Some are training to be state champions.
The Illinois High School Association is expected to add state tournaments in esports, or competitive gaming, perhaps as soon as the 2020-21 school year, according to IHSA Associate Executive Director Kurt Gibson.
Who will be the first to have a first-place medal draped about his or her neck for winning the state title in NBA 2K? Or Rocketball? Or Super Smash Bros? Which team of five players will win the first state trophy in League of Legends?
Though subject to change, gamers can expect to compete in those four titles when esports become an official IHSA activity, likely sooner than later. Before high schools were shut down statewide in March, 96 were participating in esports, according to the IHSA emerging sports list.
"When we first started with our advisory board committee over a year ago, it was a matter of if this would ever happen," Gibson said of an IHSA esports state series. "Now, it's more a matter of when. There is definite interest all around the state."
The IHSA was expected to vote on whether to sanction an esports state tournament at its April board meeting. That meeting has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Things are on hold for now. "We're still hopeful it will begin next school year," Gibson said.
Explosion of interest
The popularity of esports has exploded in the last decade. According to tech website VentureBeat, the global fan base is estimated to have grown from 270 million in 2016 to 495 million.
Professional esports competitions draw eyeballs. Teams compete for millions in prize money as millions of fans watch via livestream.
Multiple global professional leagues exist. For example, the esports league for the game Overwatch has 20 teams worldwide, 11 in the United States.
Likewise, colleges are adding esports teams at a furious rate. Over 170 now offer varsity programs. There were seven in 2016, according to the National Association of Collegiate Esports. Some colleges offer full scholarships to attract top players and hire retired gamers as coaches.
The esports movement gained traction in Illinois a few years ago after Robert Morris University hosted a local-area network (LAN) tournament for 48 high school teams. "At this time no one really knew anything," Steinmetz teacher and esports coach Todd McFarlin said.
McFarlin quickly learned the ins and outs of high school competitions. Teams normally compete over the internet during the regular season. Playoffs are done in person. Players compete on high-end desktop computers equipped with monitors, headsets, keyboards and mice.
Soon after McFarlin witnessed the growing popularity of esports firsthand, he and Oswego East French teacher Amy Whitlock co-founded the Illinois High School Esports Association. The goal of the IHSEA was to maintain momentum and grow interest until the IHSA could be convinced to bring esports under its umbrella.
The IHSEA has since become the main resource for high school administrators interested in establishing esports teams. The organization points interested schools to local networks in their respective regions. It even schedules and runs leagues in some cases.
McFarlin estimates 15-20 Illinois high schools have added dedicated esports labs in the last two years. Naperville North and Naperville Central opened such labs last spring. According to Naperville District 203 esports coach Andy Mendez, those labs have 13 computers and include a coaching station for reviewing game footage and offering tips.
Naperville North has made good use of the new equipment. The school's Overwatch team placed second in North America at a national scholastic tournament held in Santa Ana, California on Jan. 18.
One of the club's former players joined the academy team of the Atlanta Reign, a professional Overwatch franchise, when he was a sophomore. He was ranked No. 8 in the North American rankings at one point.
Another Naperville North player recently received a full scholarship to a small college in Michigan. Mendez said several more will earn scholarships of varying degrees.
Gibson said esports will be considered an activity by the IHSA, not a sport. The distinction is important. Activities are not required to follow amateur rules, meaning participants would be free to play for their school one weekend and compete for prize money the next. Also, the requirements to coach or be a sponsor are far less stringent than for athletic coaches.
Gibson said an IHSA state series would likely resemble track and field. Sectional qualifiers would advance to the state finals.
Those who champion the esports cause say the benefits of bringing it into the structured high school environment extend well beyond scholarships and prize money. They say participant attendance rates improve because players must be in school on game days to compete. Also, students are taught the basics of being a good online citizen by adults instead of peers.
Supporters also point to the inclusionary nature of video games in general. They say esports develop players of all grades, genders, races, sizes and shapes into a more unified community. Students with few or no friends who never took part in an after-school activity suddenly find others with similar interests. They begin to interact more and grow.
"They go out to team dinners, they mingle, they communicate," Mendez said. "Groups of different kids just become a group of friends. That's what high school is all about, right?"