Emily Kalka
Staff writer Gaming brings up a variety of stereotypes. Usually something that kids do to waste time when they should be doing homework. However, the tides are changing.
With the rapid growth of esports around the country, gaming is now seen as a sport that could lead to scholarships or even a career. Three schools in Lincoln and Pottawatomie Counties have embraced the growing trend and added esports programs.
Noah Stelzer at Prague High School was 100% behind starting their esports program, which is now in its second year. He said his principal gave him a heads-up about OSSAA adding esports, so he started a gaming club that transitioned into esports.
He is still expanding the program. They started with just PlayVS, the OSSAA- sanctioned esports platform, but now also compete in two regional leagues—Oklahoma Scholastic Esports and Oklahoma Esports League. Stelzer said he wants to give his students more opportunities.
“People have gotten esports scholarships through these other programs and esports leagues,” he said.
Stelzer hopes to someday get a dedicated esports class period. He would also use that time to teach students about other unconventional career paths, like streaming.
“I recently started streaming and I was like, this is a perfectly viable career path in this day and age and there’s a lot of things you have to learn,” he said. “There’s options upon options that don’t necessarily require college or career school. So I want to give students an open view of the potential that there is.”
North Rock Creek was one of the first in the area. Current coach Austin Guinn said their principal started it a year before he took over as an after-school program. He is in his second year and now has two dedicated class periods. There are a little under 30 students between the two classes, with about 12 that compete consistently in the fall and spring seasons.
Guinn said it’s been a learning experience. He played basketball in school and didn’t get into gaming until later.
“I’ve told people it’s weird going into an environment where you’re supposed to be the coach and you know far less than the people you’re coaching,” he said. “The first year really was me learning and now I can go in there and talk and not sound like a complete fool.”
NRC competes through PlayVS,, and Hearthstone, a digital card game. PlayVs is virtual, with only the state competitions being done in person. Guinn said most of his players compete in at least two games.
He added that esports has been good for building relationships. A lot of his students likely wouldn’t be friends outside of the team. It also helps build accountability. They are responsible for being on time and logging in to compete.
“It’s not just about them. If they miss more than two competitions, their team can’t compete in playoffs. If you forfeit twice, then you’re out of the competition,” he said. “So putting some responsibility on them to where they are relied on and they have to rely on other people.”
The program has been successful, with Guinn saying he’s had three seniors who’ve received letters from universities as big as Kentucky about playing for their teams and potential scholarships.
Even smaller schools like Davenport have joined the movement. Coach Brian Willingham said their superintendent, Danny Accord, contacted him when OSSAA decided to add esports.
“Mr. Accord was trying to be ahead of the curve on programs he was bringing to Davenport,” he said.
Davenport has esports for junior high and high school, with three class periods that have anywhere from six to seven students to up to 15. Willingham said his students predominantly compete in Smash Bros. While there’s no travel, he said getting set up was a challenge. They worked with their IT department to find a spot in the school where the firewall would let them do virtual competitions. They ended up using the gym, though they are able to practice in his classroom.
He said the program is more than just playing games. Students have to keep their grades up to compete, like any other sport. They also have to learn how to work together, communicate, and how to control their emotions while playing. Willingham said the program is still growing and he’s still learning more effective ways for them to practice and improve.
He said esports has given students who don’t necessarily fit into athletics or get to participate in other organizations like FFA another avenue to find success.