Not too long ago, playing video games consisted of powering up your Atari, grabbing a joystick and shooting space aliens trying to attack your ship. Eventually, Nintendo came along and this process evolved into using two buttons to guide a plumber through harrowing lands in his quest to save the princess. If you were lucky, you had a second controller so your best friend could play. No groups. No internet. No headphones.
In the years that followed, video games changed drastically, switching from side-scrolling quests to interactive, story-driven movies and contests. The advent of the internet allowed for online play, where gamers could compete against each other in different types of matches. It wasn’t long after that people discovered they could form leagues for competitive play.
That’s when gaming competitions started popping up. StarCraft, Warcraft III, and, of course, Madden, seemed the most popular. Esports was born.
And the state of Ohio loves it.
In 2023, the Ohio High School Athletic Association officially partnered with Esports Ohio, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing an Esports league for high school students.
While face-to-face video game competitions have been around since 1981, it wasn’t until 2000 that they fully evolved into the internet-based mass competitions we know today. These organized multiplayer competitions, played individually or by teams, grew tremendously since then; not only in participation but in the amount of media attention they received, mainly because the grand prize could go as high as $1 million.
Seeing this opportunity, a group of educators formed Esports Ohio six years ago. At the start, they had 12 high school teams. This year, they have 803 rosters, 5,015 players and 294 schools.
“We feel that we will continue to add more players in teams,” said Esports Ohio President Jacob Gebers. “We hope to have over 350 schools in the next 5 years.”
The partnership has been a win-win for both organizations. Students who may not be interested in contact sports now have the opportunity to compete in an activity more suited to their interests. OSHAA can help the organization grow.
“OHSAA has a long history of high school sports and have (sic) connections throughout the state,” Gebers said. “They are able to help promote to schools our league and what we can do while we can still control the logistics. We are also able to hand out OHSAA trophies to winning teams which is a fantastic accomplishment.”
Gebers said Esports Ohio was founded to give students the ability to play other schools in Ohio and build upon existing rivalries.
Video gaming obviously was important to the Esports Ohio founders. But why? Gebers said that despite the negative connotations video games often receive, the benefits of playing in a team setting can have a positive impact.
“I am a gamer when I have the time. I really like the way it forces people to have teamwork and also giving an outlet for those that may not be involved in other activities. Learning how to work together with other students is a long-life lesson,” Gebers explaiend. “This also includes learning how to communicate efficiently as well as problem solving.”
Now, games like Overwatch, Fortnite, League of Legends, Super Smash Brothers, chess, baseball and even Just Dance are in the mix.
Locally, the sport is growing, with schools like St. John Central Academy, Belmont Harrison Career Center, Buckeye Local High School, Buckeye Trail High School, Caldwell High School, Cambridge High School, Conotton Valley High School and East Liverpool boasting programs, according to the Ohio Esports website.
