5 Benefits of Youth Esports at Uplink
You may be asking yourself why your child should join Uplink and why you should be paying for your child to play video games they already play for free at home. Its a valid question. There are multiple reasons including:
- Online Safety & EtiquetteÂ
- Teamwork & SportsmanshipÂ
- CommunityÂ
- Scholarships & STEM
- Improved Attitude
Online Safety & Etiquette
Leaving your child alone online can be a scary thing. Our children are innocent, until they aren’t. And we need to help them understand that things aren’t always as they seem. They need to understand that they may not be talking to who they think they are and that not everyone has the best of intentions.  Their safety online is of utmost importance. Treat others as you want to be treated. That is the golden rule and it applies online as well as offline. We want our children to behave that way. Too often they act differently because people can only hear their voice and not see their face. We talk about online v offline and how they are different, but also the same.
Teamwork & Sportsmanship
Playing on a physical sports team has benefits far beyond learning to play the game. They learn about teamwork, sportsmanship, leadership, respect and more. At Uplink, playing on Esports team is no different. We instill those same intangible skills through our program!
Community
At Uplink we are creating a community of children that all love video games. They may not all be athletes or musicians, but they are all gamers. Its a safe placed for them to explore their passion without judgement and without bullying. Our leagues include kids from all walks of life with all sorts of backgrounds. We are a diverse group all united by the love of gaming. Friendships are being made at Uplink.
Scholarships & STEM Education
Did you know that over 200 colleges and universities offered over $50 million in scholarships last year for Esports? Schools from Immaculata and Widener to Duke and Kentucky now have Esports programs and we are creating a strong foundation for your child to potentially get a scholarship for Esports to offset some of the tuition costs. And, 54% of kids who play Esports pursue degrees in STEM programs. Future surgeons are using video games to enhance their hand/eye coordination. So, we encourage you to come check out Uplink and see how we can help you not only make better gamers, but better human beings.
Improved Attitude
I founded Uplink because I have a son (now an adult) who also plays a lot of video games. I was not happy with how he acted online when talking to others or whether he really understood the online safety guidelines. Worse, when it was time to stop playing and come set the table for dinner, his attitude was less than desirable. I realized that, at least in our house, video games were creating a source of contention. The daily battles were escalating and no one was happy with the outcome (parent and child). At Uplink we focus on a Player Code-of-Conduct, which stresses the importance of proper behavior. Our focus is to help children understand that playing video games is a privilege and that they need to learn how to behave properly and appreciate the time they have playing.Â