Parks and Recs Esports: Why Running Tournaments Isn’t Enough

Kids need more than competition

This morning I had a chance to revisit a program we ran last summer. Bravous Esports and the City of Rockville MD ran an experiment — a “Pay for Play Virtual Esports”. The goal was to put forward a series of video game tournaments to engage the youth of Rockville, Maryland. The community response was “tepid” to say the least. Recently, I was able to ask the program manager for his perspective on the program. I wanted to know why he felt it hasn’t worked. He said something interesting. “The parents wanted to know why they should pay for their kids to play video games. They play games at home for free. Perhaps, if we had offered better prizes.”

There is no doubt that most people think of prizes when they talk about video game tournaments. It seems to be an unwritten rule that video game tournaments must give great prizes. But do they? Is prizing really the only reason people compete? When I think of little league, basketball, flag football, we played for seasons to get a small plastic trophy. How important is prizing really?

I believe tournaments, at least for Bravous Esports open-style tournaments, have proven popular with Colleges and Universities not because of prizing, but because they actually deliver something more valuable that people want. They deliver a sense of camaraderies and community. Colleges are trying to build student engagement. A live-streamed video game tournament that gives emphasis on inclusion and casual competitive play is a manifestation of engaged community. You can see it! You can see the players interact on the stream, you can watch the games, and listen to the commentator and make it entertaining. In short, those events work because the colleges are getting the value they want — people having fun together, interacting, and forging new friendships.

So why does it not work for cities?

Well first, it does work for cities. The City of Surprise in Arizona ran some of the largest virtual tournaments in the country. But when the social elements are dropped, and players are only left with automated competition — something fundamentally true about human nature pops up. It is easier for you and me to be friends when we compete together against someone else. It is significantly hard for you and me to become friends by competing with each other. Especially if we cannot see or hear each other. As a general rule, players competing do not hear each other’s voice chat.

For esports to really take off in the Parks and Rec space, programs are going to have to offer more than competition alone. They need to answer the question, “What can they provide that is valuable not only to players, but also to the parents?”

In fact, that is the question.

What can City Esports Programs Offer Parents?

I believe the answer to this is simple: children need to play and display. To display, they need to be seen. It is about recognition. One of the seven key positive youth experiences is to form a relationship with an adult who is not a parent or a teacher, but someone who cares about there wellbeing. In short, it should be a coach. With so few kids participating in sports, fewer and fewer children are having access to that kind of experience. And the impact shows.

That is why tournaments are not remarkably interesting to parents, or even with kids. It’s not about winning, or the prizes. It is about being seen.

I recently heard that even with an increase in pay, 76% of employees want recognition from leadership for their work and accomplishments. The need to be seen, to be recognized is not limited to adults. If anything, this need is even stronger with teens. According to Robert Moore, one of the functions of mature leadership is to make sure that the people who look up to us, know that we see them. We all want to be recognized for our contributions by someone we respect, and (or) someone in authority.

As it turns out, competition, whether its through online or anonymous, is not a very compelling way to be seen. Also, it is not conducive to forming new relationships. The programs that are gaining traction actually address a deeply human need for the players to be seen and feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves.

Kids Want to Be Seen

Recently, on our Bravous Stream channel, one of our top coaches, GEM, offered up to his audience for players to join him on screen and he would critique their play and help them get better. The response was so quick that not everyone could get on the show. So Coach GEM offered to review and comment on VOD’s (Twitch video recordings) of gamer’s play. Again, the response was overwhelming. Most surprising of all were the parents that started to play Splatoon 2 with their son when they saw him providing coaching help.

Here is my perspective on making esports work for cities. It is almost entirely about human connection. When cities host a commentator-driven virtual programs, players participate because this is a novel experience. Less than 1% of gamers get to experience professional commentary of their matches. What’s more, they get to interact with other players and the Tournament Staff — creating a sense of connection. In short, they feel seen.

While this is useful for starting a program, it is rarely enough to sustain it.

What seems to have more sustainability is when coaches connect with players in a way that helps players improve. Sometimes, this means that the coaches actually play alongside with the players and assess their skills. Other times, it means coaches will analyze the matches and break them down to help the players understand how to improve. Once parents realize that someone — like a coach — cares about their child’s well-being and help them improve at the game — the participation increases. If the events are structured in such a way as to create unplanned unstructured interaction, the formation of friendships is practically guaranteed.

Summary & Key Takeaway

As COVID restrictions continue to lift, I believe that Parks and Recreation professionals should be looking ahead on how they should provide a combination of in-person and virtual programming. The focus of skilled coaches helping players improve, creating connection and community will continue to draw in more people. From Excelsior Springs, MO to the City of Maricopa in Arizona, they were able to draw in players when they could meet in person.

When kids have a chance to meet other people their own age, who they could actually hang out with, they come back. When people form new friendships, it makes our communities stronger. Teens, no matter how surely or indifferent they may appear, still crave to be seen and recognized by adults for doing something they love.

I just have to believe that most parents of gamers would be open to enrolling their child in a program that is going to help their player develop better social skills, learn to be more resilient and develop more emotional regulation. When people bond, improvements will show. Making friends is not just fun, but it’s also essential for our psychological well being. On top of that, you get a chance to work with a coach who cares. Those programs are working now, even virtually because the foundation for human connection is there. I do believe they are only going to get better as things return to normal.