i have a lot to say about esports and with the extreme rise of popularity and support for esports on campus, it's crucial that you're being vigilant.

there is a misconception that the majority of gamers in the US are men, although there are more boys/men playing games, girls/women make up 40-50% of gamers in the US.

w/ how much good esports brings to folks, there are some serious and real dangers of being a woman/queer/financially insecure/ basically anything but cis-white-straight-men in esports.
all of my higher ed folks need to be woke if you're implementing esports...especially now

before we go further, watch this.

as a gamer myself, i've experienced misogynistic, homophobic, and just mean things said by boys and men. the sad part is that when boys say something horrible, i know it's because they're a direct product of our culture.

so, when implementing an esports program/ intramurals/ you name it, you must recruit folks who will promote your values and TALK TO THEM ABOUT THIS SHIT. dont just say "be inclusive" and "don't say these things" talk to them about the statistics.

ask them how they plan to create a safe place online. ask them how they trash talk others. be straight up with them about the toxic culture that esports has and determine if y'all are all big enough leaders to challenge the present to enrich the future.

im sure my esport student leaders had no idea what they were getting into with me as their advisor, but i know that even though these conversations are uncomfortable sometimes, we HAVE to get uncomfortable to create change. i think they'll thank me later.

if you need help with your esports program/intramural event, let me know.