PlayVS Aims to Make Esports a Part of Athletics Programs in Schools
Hailed as one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for the Gaming sector in 2019, there’s a lot to look forward to in PlayVS. It holds great promise as it pushes for recognition of esports as an athletic school program.
Despite being a popular activity among young people, gaming is not yet incorporated into the extracurricular framework. With gaming often not taken seriously by the academe, this isn’t too surprising. However, it has consistently proven itself to be a challenging and engaging activity for young individuals that not harnessing its potential can put many parties at a disadvantage.
PlayVS aims to address such worries by building a competitive gaming platform that will host tournaments for high school esports players. The goal is to bring high school players into the fold of competitive gaming. While there are now lots of esports leagues and competitions, there are no options for high schools to join. This is quite a shame since already about 36% of American teens already play video games.
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Through a partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations or NFHS, the organization that supervises sporting activities in high schools, PlayVS is turning esports into a legitimate after-school activity. They can then use the platform created by PlayVS to compete virtually or in person.
Being the first of its kind, PlayVS has attracted a lot of attention from investors around the country. This isn’t surprising as the concept holds a lot of promise. Esports is a burgeoning industry and this platform will make it easier for leagues to find and tap young talents. It may also open up opportunities for young individuals to explore their interests and talents in tech.
It’s true that schools may still need some convincing that esports is just as valuable as an after-school program as football and basketball. But with how things are progressing in the esports industry and how it is becoming recognized as an actual sport, it’s just a matter of time for schools to come around.
Founder, Editor-In-Chief // A native Angeleno. John studied engineering at UCLA; founded Schmoozd, an offline social tech networking event in LA with 30,000 subs; ran a startup accelerator (StartEngine). Worked for several major brands like Toyota, DIRECTV, Hitachi, ICANN, and Raytheon. A mentor at Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Entrepreneur School, Dr. David Choi. And advises a dozen local LA startups building amazing tech in various industries; and invested in some. // Let's Connect: john@lastartups.com
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