HELPING YOUR CHILD
SUCCEED IN ESPORTS
Gaming has recently become so much more than just an after-school activity for children. Esports as an industry has grown astronomically in the past few years. New and exciting ways to participate in the esports community are emerging every day, including jobs and scholarship opportunities. Here are some helpful tips to foster healthy habits to help your child succeed in esports.
Do Research
If you are ever unsure about the games your child is playing, take a minute and do some research. Try playing with them once or twice (or as many times as they will let you) to get a better understanding of their games.
Online Safety
Teach your child how to be safe on the internet. Ensure that they know how to stay protected and not give away their information to strangers. If there is a worry about who they are talking to online, in most games there is an option to turn off the chat function.
Keep Your Child Social
A common worry among parents of gamers is that they are not getting enough socialization. Usually children are more inclined to play the same games their friends are playing; encourage this! See if there are any gaming cafes for your child to hang out with their friends or invite them over to play. Some schools and communities have esports leagues where children play with a team and a coach. If your school doesn’t have one, encourage them to start one. If you would like the National Esports Association to help with this, please contact us!
Benefits of Esports
Gaming, especially when part of an esports community, can help your child to develop important skills. Involvement in esports requires strategy, teamwork and coordination and you must master these skills to succeed in the game. It also fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. These are skills that are essential to succeed in today’s digitized world.
Time Management
Remind your child that no professional, regardless of their sport, is constantly playing. Encourage them to practice only for a limited period of time so they don’t get frustrated when fatigue impacts their performance. If your child has a lot to do outside of practice, try to help them prioritize their time so that they can still accomplish everything they need to. College esports coaches look for good grades and a strong work ethic in addition to gaming skills when making scholarship decisions. Even Michael Jordan had to do his math homework!
Managing Screen Time
Outside of school and work screen time should be around 2-4 hours. This is plenty of time to run drills and get a game or two in. Remind them that progress does not always happen overnight and sometimes it is better to stop while you’re ahead.
Clean Work Environment
Encourage your child to keep their gaming station clean. Remind them that if they are trying to pursue this professionally, they need to treat it like a job.
Prevent Eye Strain
To prevent eye strain, teach your child to practice the 20/20/20 rule; every 20 minutes they should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Not everyone feels the strain from the blue light on their eyes in the same way, but some are more susceptible to it than others. If your child is experiencing eye strain, but does not want to cut down any more on screen time, you could see if blue light glasses or turning the screen’s brightness down helps them.
Staying Properly Fueled
Many pro gamers are sponsored by snack and energy drink companies. This entices children to want those snacks and drinks because their pros ‘love’ them. Gently remind them that those pros are paid to promote those drinks and snacks and try to steer them to a healthier option.
Stretch Breaks
Try to get your child up to stretch their legs once every hour. Have them aim for one minute of standing during every hour of sitting. Remind them that athletes have to take care of their bodies to stay successful in their sport.
Healthy Sleep Schedule
It is easy for children to get wrapped up in their games and want to stay up late into the night playing. However, it is important for them to get 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Try to get them to have an hour before bed to wind down. Even the pros need sleep!
Set Up for Success
Try to find some drills for your child to practice. That way, when they do play a game or participate in a tournament, they are set up for success. If they are feeling discouraged after a game they didn’t win, remind them that a soccer player wouldn’t jump into a game without getting the basics down.
When to Get Involved
In the same way that you know about their day at school, you should know about their gaming activities. A healthy amount of independence is encouraged, however, it is helpful to monitor your child to ensure that they are being safe.
Gaming has recently become so much more than just an after-school activity for children. Esports as an industry has grown astronomically in the past few years. New and exciting ways to participate in the esports community are emerging every day, including jobs and scholarship opportunities. Here are some helpful tips to foster healthy habits to help your child succeed in esports.
Do Research
If you are ever unsure about the games your child is playing, take a minute and do some research. Try playing with them once or twice (or as many times as they will let you) to get a better understanding of their games.
Online Safety
Teach your child how to be safe on the internet. Ensure that they know how to stay protected and not give away their information to strangers. If there is a worry about who they are talking to online, in most games there is an option to turn off the chat function.
Keep Your Child Social
A common worry among parents of gamers is that they are not getting enough socialization. Usually children are more inclined to play the same games their friends are playing; encourage this! See if there are any gaming cafes for your child to hang out with their friends or invite them over to play. Some schools and communities have esports leagues where children play with a team and a coach. If your school doesn’t have one, encourage them to start one. If you would like the National Esports Association to help with this, please contact us!
Benefits of Esports
Gaming, especially when part of an esports community, can help your child to develop important skills. Involvement in esports requires strategy, teamwork and coordination and you must master these skills to succeed in the game. It also fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. These are skills that are essential to succeed in today’s digitized world.
Time Management
Remind your child that no professional, regardless of their sport, is constantly playing. Encourage them to practice only for a limited period of time so they don’t get frustrated when fatigue impacts their performance. If your child has a lot to do outside of practice, try to help them prioritize their time so that they can still accomplish everything they need to. College esports coaches look for good grades and a strong work ethic in addition to gaming skills when making scholarship decisions. Even Michael Jordan had to do his math homework!
Managing Screen Time
Outside of school and work screen time should be around 2-4 hours. This is plenty of time to run drills and get a game or two in. Remind them that progress does not always happen overnight and sometimes it is better to stop while you’re ahead.
Clean Work Environment
Encourage your child to keep their gaming station clean. Remind them that if they are trying to pursue this professionally, they need to treat it like a job.
Prevent Eye Strain
To prevent eye strain, teach your child to practice the 20/20/20 rule; every 20 minutes they should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Not everyone feels the strain from the blue light on their eyes in the same way, but some are more susceptible to it than others. If your child is experiencing eye strain, but does not want to cut down any more on screen time, you could see if blue light glasses or turning the screen’s brightness down helps them.
Staying Properly Fueled
Many pro gamers are sponsored by snack and energy drink companies. This entices children to want those snacks and drinks because their pros ‘love’ them. Gently remind them that those pros are paid to promote those drinks and snacks and try to steer them to a healthier option.
Stretch Breaks
Try to get your child up to stretch their legs once every hour. Have them aim for one minute of standing during every hour of sitting. Remind them that athletes have to take care of their bodies to stay successful in their sport.
Healthy Sleep Schedule
It is easy for children to get wrapped up in their games and want to stay up late into the night playing. However, it is important for them to get 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Try to get them to have an hour before bed to wind down. Even the pros need sleep!
Set Up for Success
Try to find some drills for your child to practice. That way, when they do play a game or participate in a tournament, they are set up for success. If they are feeling discouraged after a game they didn’t win, remind them that a soccer player wouldn’t jump into a game without getting the basics down.
When to Get Involved
In the same way that you know about their day at school, you should know about their gaming activities. A healthy amount of independence is encouraged, however, it is helpful to monitor your child to ensure that they are being safe.