An arena holds a cheering crowd of spectators displaying their team’s colors with pride. Larger than life banners with competitors’ somber, focused faces wave above the crowd. This is the environment one might expect to find at a football game, but in 2020, this is what it looks like to watch people play video games, and it could be coming to your high school in the near future.

Esports (also known as electronic sports, e-sports, or eSports) is a form of sport competition where participants use multiplayer video games, usually team-based, to compete. Some of the most popular Esports games are first-person shooters, where players participate in a simulated firefight across a variety of digital environments. There are also strategy games where the focus is on outthinking the opposing player, or even simulated or enhanced takes on traditional sports such as football and soccer. One may ask: are these activities legitimate sports? The Virginia High School League, the organization in charge of managing competitive sports and activities between Virginia high schools, is treating them as such.

Last May, the VHSL executive committee approved the implementation of “electronic sports” into their approved activities, specifying that “Esports is not video gaming but an organized, competitive activity governed by rules and guidelines,” guided by eligibility requirements, coach supervision, and organized play. The titles used for competitive play, Rocket League, League of Legends, and Smite, are all team-based, competitive games that require coaching, drills, and referees. By this definition, however, one may consider Esports just half a sport as it doesn’t meet the physical exertion requirement of most sports. Regardless, local coaches have expressed their interest and even supported the validity of Esports.

Jason Harrel, a football coach, supports the integration of Esports into the VHSL. “It takes a lot of skill to play a video game. You can’t just pick it up and then win. It’s not gambling or slots. You definitely have to learn how to play,” said Harrel.

Coach Harrel isn’t alone in his support of the VHSL integrating Esports into its program. Several students are excited by the prospect of competitive video games being taken as seriously as a traditional sport.

“I think it’s cool that they’re adding Esports because it takes lots of skill and talent, and it isn’t any different than a regular sport that people are passionate about,” said junior Chris Paschal.

While students like junior Jose Ramos Flores don’t think that Esports requires the same level of athleticism as traditional sports, he does believe that competitive gamers should be entitled to the same opportunities available to student athletes.

“It’s pretty cool because it gives players and fans more options, but it doesn’t really warrant the same physical exertion. It’s more like chess than basketball. However, this is an area that should receive scholarships,” said Ramos Flores.

With the support of coaches and students, Esports could find a home at Manchester. However, its implementation would require the support of Manchester’s director of student activities, Mr. Gregory Woodle, which he is not willing to commit at this time.

“I think it’s an interesting avenue that they’re going down. Right now I’m not really for it, or against it,” said Woodle.“There are a few things in [Esports] that Chesterfield County and Manchester doesn’t approve of. That’s why we’re not pushing forward right now. They’d have to make some changes.”

Woodle specified that a major obstacle to integrating Esports at Manchester is the content of the games themselves. While Rocket League is rated E for everyone by the Entertainment Software Review Board, League of Legends is rated T for teens due to its featuring of blood, fantasy violence, mild suggestive themes, and use of alcohol and tobacco.

“Some of the games they’re playing have violence and therefore are against school policy. They would have to switch up the games before Chesterfield would jump on board.” 

However, Woodle believes that it’s only a matter of time before Esports are played at Manchester. “Honestly, I think that Esports are going to grow and come eventually to every school because computer games are just so popular to the students now,” he said. “I think the whole state of Virginia will be playing them.”