SPRING GROVE, Pa. — Self-distancing measures and statewide shutdowns have forced many to adopt a mild form of agoraphobia.

The extra free time and couch sitting from the pandemic has led to massive growth in video game usage. Video streaming platforms such as Twitch have seen historic increases in users, and now Nintendo Switch players are flocking to a sense of community in Animal Crossings: New Horizons. So, why not hold a wedding in a virtual world if you can’t in the real one, right?

Consequently, the multi-billion-dollar esports industry has seen another bump. And yet, esports were quietly taking over high school campuses statewide and nationwide even before a global pandemic forced us all indoors.

With the PIAA canceling seasons across the board, it appears esports are positioned to become the new high school sweethearts.

Josh Graham and Clint Walters helped launch Spring Grove High School’s esports team earlier this year. Graham coaches the school’s League of Legends team and Walters oversees the Overwatch team.

“We saw how much interest there was in something like this,” said Graham.

The pair have worked hard to erase a stigma that comes with video games. Most of their colleagues and some parents still view games such as Overwatch as just a shooter game. Or they don’t see any value in playing video games in school.

“I’ve won over everyone I’ve had a conversation with just showing them how big it is and the positive impact it is having on the students,” Walters said.

Infusing learning into gaming

Despite being a new program, the esports team is attracting students who usually do not participate in any extracurricular activities, Walters said.

“Instead of finding a platform that we hoped students liked, it seemed more beneficial to use a platform that students already loved and infuse learning into it,” said Brianna Titi, esports communication director at the Emerald Foundation.

Titi and her colleagues at the Emerald Foundation in Lancaster launched an esports initiative in 2018. The group is part of the North American Scholastics Esports Federation (NASEF).

Schools such as Spring Grove have leaned on the Emerald Foundation and become NASEF members. In large part to the group’s main goal: to use esports as a springboard to critical thinking, problem solving and vocational skill sets.

“A lot of kids are unaware this industry even exists. It is something you can get a graphic designer job, IT and broadcasting,” Walters said.

Walters credits the Emerald Foundation for building an instructional network for both coaches and students alike. He and Graham can communicate with other teams and coaches around the state and nation to troubleshoot the best avenues to build their respective programs.

“They start out with gaming, and little by little they include curriculum as kids get used to what they’re doing,” said Emerald Foundation esports director Rachel Ballentine. “We know we’re providing a safe environment for these kids, and that’s what is important to us.”

Pennsylvania has quietly become a mecca for esports, especially at the high school and collegiate levels. There are 76 esports programs at the high school level in the state, up from just 22 over the past year, Ballentine said.

Earlier this year, using PA Smart Grant funds, the foundation helped build a state-of-the-art esports arena at Lebanon High School.

“The growth is incredible,” Ballentine said. “The movement is here, it is now.”

‘Beyond’ just a video game

“(We’re) not about esports as you’d naturally define it. We’re about the scholastic nature of esports,” NASEF founder Gerald Solomon said. “It is curriculum-based, and all of our programming is free.”

Solomon has been working with the Samueli Foundation in Anaheim, California. He was given a task to find the best avenue to improve youth education with a $100 million investment from the foundation.