By Katie Pierce and Michael Reisman
At the Warminster, Fairless Hills, and Doylestown branches of River Crossing YMCA, more and more youth, teens, and community members are participating in safe and supervised gaming through Metro Esports. For readers unfamiliar, esports is competition, through video games and digital sports. YMCA partner, Metro Esports, has helped the Y build, staff, and maintain the most high-tech video gaming lounges in Bucks County, featuring industry-leading gaming PCs, the latest and greatest gaming consoles, and innovative programs and experiences for our community. Youth and community members of all ages stream into YMCA Metro Esports gaming lounges, open 7 days a week, for open play, organized competitions, S.T.E.A.M. programming, and more. Open gaming and weekly events are included with YMCA membership at their respective branches. Members and nonmembers play and compete with each other, as well as online players, on popular game titles such as Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, Rocket League, NBA2K, and more. A full list of games by location is available on River Crossing YMCA’s Metro Esports webpage.
Often the question is asked, Why Esports at the Y? Like many Ys across the country and world, River Crossing YMCA is known for its fitness centers, pools, camps and child care programs - screen free opportunities for physical health and wellness. What is less known about the Y, and River Crossing YMCA in particular, are the more contemporary manifestations of the three YMCA pillars: Healthy Living, Youth Development and Social Responsibility. Simply put, River Crossing YMCA’s partnership with Metro Esports brings gamers out of their bedrooms and basements, into a healthy, social, supervised environment of safety, belonging and learning in areas like STEM to prepare them for their future.
21st Century Skills
In the YMCA Metro Esports environment, trained gaming experts and counselors turn preconceived notions about gamers upside down, creating a fun space for kids to develop 21st Century Skills while doing something they enjoy. 21st Century Skills refer to 12 skills required of people entering today’s fast-paced workforce. The twelve 21st Century skills are:
- Critical thinking
- Creativity
- Collaboration
- Communication
- Information literacy
- Media literacy
- Technology literacy
- Flexibility
- Leadership
- Initiative
- Productivity
- Social skills
These skills are intended to help students keep up with the lightning pace of today’s modern markets (Hummel, 2024). When youth and teens jump into a game, they are not on their own. More often than not, they are joining a team of players from across the globe. One does not need to stretch one's imagination too far to understand how the above-listed skill set is supported by esports. Video games present a simulation of real-world scenarios and problems to solve inside a fictional (sometimes historically fictional) world. Players must collaborate on plans, communicate and persevere together through challenges or struggles, and make very quick decisions. Sometimes those decisions result in adverse in-game consequences requiring a change in perspective, and a pivot in plan. As educational researchers will tell you, when we have the opportunity to practice these skills in the “play” environment, we are more likely to be comfortable applying the same skills in real life (Tulchinsky, 2023). Simply put, when gamers fail, retry (or respawn), fail better, retry, and eventually succeed, they are developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills that will help them succeed in school and life.
STEAM Learning
The programs at the YMCA range from team-based competitions to creative workshops and accredited tech-education courses. All programs intend to meaningfully integrate Metro’s curriculum for esports development, sports psychology, health and wellness, and the vast careers and tech pathways that exist across the industry. These programs also act as effortless gateways into the many fields of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Teachnology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). There is a heavy correlation between a love of gaming and an interest in game development, game design, engineering, and technology. Meeting gamers where they are and using the passion they already have for gaming allows Metro to introduce programming like “Roblox and Code”, and “Build a PC Workshop” to help kids apply these skills in different ways that can open up doors to their future.
Social Skills and Self Esteem
Research also supports that the online collaboration, communication, and problem-solving required to compete in esports contribute to the development of strong social skills and prosocial behaviors. Prosocial behaviors are the kind of actions and behaviors we deem as healthy for making friends, school success, and positive self-esteem (Wiederhold, 2021, 213). This is another example of how when we feel comfortable in our environment, we are more likely to express ourselves freely, inviting others into our experiences and vice versa. Not only do the gamers benefit from making friends in the online world of the game, they are also in a room with other gamers from within their own geographical community, building in-person relationships strongly grounded in the common interest of esports.
Online Safety
Metro Esports ensures a suite of online protection tools and safety guidelines. They have partnered with Kidas Software on the implementation of ProtectMe. Kidas’ ProtectMe software, the most advanced technology available to protect children from serious online threats (i.e., cyberbullying, online predators, sexual content, hate speech and other toxic behaviors) while playing online PC games, has been integrated into the gaming facilities across River Crossing YMCA. ProtectMe software silently integrates into a computer’s operating system, monitoring text and voice communications for serious threats. Real-time alerts for immediate risks will be delivered to Metro Esports staff who can address the alert on the spot, ensuring a safer gaming experience.
When young gamers are assembled in a River Crossing YMCA Metro Esports gaming lounge, qualified Metro Esports staff are there to make sure they are treating each other respectfully, behaving appropriately, and providing a safe, welcoming yet monitored space in which they may be themselves; all under the same roof as runners, basketballers, swimmers and physical athletes of all types and kinds. The Y is for all.
References
Hummel, B. (2024, March 14). What Are 21st Century Skills? iCEV. Retrieved October 9, 2024, from
Tulchinsky, I. (2023, March 30). Your Gaming Skills Can Help You Shape Your Career. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved October 28, 2024
Wiederhold, B. K. (2021). Kids Will Find A Way: The Benefits of Social Video Games. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 24(4), 213-214. 10.1089/cyber.2021.29211.editorial
About the Authors
Katie Pierce is Director of Marketing for Metro Esports
Michael Reisman, M.Ed. is Association Director of Communication for River Crossing YMCA