(You can find the application form here: https://forms.gle/Un6B5hzRY5NfLeV87)
The Dark-Side of Gaming
Are video games bad for your son? The short answer; is that video games can either have extreme negative effects on your son OR be his greatest source of self-development. The difference lies is HOW he approaches the game. With the wrong approach, it can lead to a lot of destruction and setbacks, but with the right approach, it can amplify his success in his life outside the game. And to better understand this, let’s look at both the negative and positive sides of gaming.
Now, there are a lot of myths about gaming, such as that playing violent video games can cause kids and teens to act more violently. Fortunately, this isn’t the case at all. We, as humans, are smart enough to separate our behaviour in a video game from how we act in real life.
Unfortunately, some of the other worries about gaming can be true! The biggest risk is video game addiction. In fact, you might already be worried that your son plays too many games. But does that mean he’s addicted? Well, addiction to video games doesn’t happen from playing too much; that is just a byproduct. Video game addiction starts when we use video games as an escape from real life!
So if your son sees video games with an unhealthy mindset or source of escape from his problems, then it can slowly lead to big problems, including a lack of social skills, reduced motivation in his life outside of the game, declining grades, and ultimately a huge setback in his life as a whole.
But don’t worry, with a healthy mindset and a new approach to gaming, none of this will be a problem. In fact, quite the opposite! Video games, especially competitive video games (referred to as esports) can be the perfect tool for self-development!
Using competitive video games, you can teach your son the soft skills needed to succeed in school, work and life! You can think of video games like a trojan horse for self-growth or the mental equivalent of tricking a kid into eating their vegetables.
Gaming for a Better Brain
Sounds too good to be true? Well, just look at the research. Numerous studies have shown that fast-paced, competitive video games can actually improve cognition.
Multiple studies done by Daphne Bavelier and her colleagues have linked playing video games with better attention, enhanced vision, decision-making ability and improved working memory.
But the brain boost is just the beginning! More importantly, if your son has the proper guidance to help him treat his gaming hobby like an athlete treats their sports training, it can lead to some incredible skills that will set him up for success. Competitive games have been shown to have massive benefits towards:
- Communication & team skills; games require fast-paced leadership and team-based skills.
- Work ethic; competitive games require disciplined training plans and schedules.
- Managing emotions; in high-pressure gaming situations, they must learn to control their emotions and the emotions of their teammates so they can stay focused.
- Self-confidence; setting gaming goals, and attaining them through practice and effort it increases confidence and a mindset of growth & learning.
- Learning how to learn; getting good at games requires better habits for learning, studying and training.
Gaming for Success
But how well do all of these skills transfer into real life? Well, just look to great figures who’ve developed similar soft skills within athletic sports that lead to great success:
- Basketball legend Michael Jordan launched one of the most lucrative shoe lines in human history.
- Football star David Beckham owns a fashion wholesale company, two licensing companies; a TV production company; and a property holding company.
- American football player Tom Brady has a multi-million dollar line of athletic apparel and supplements.
These and other athletic examples may be familiar to you, but you may not know that esports has incredible equivalents! For example, Matthew Haag, an ex pro-gamer founded a gaming organization called 100 Thieves which has an estimated valuation of $460M USD. From his gaming career, he developed a strong work ethic, leadership and strategic mindset that ultimately lead to incredible success.
But again, all of this comes back to having the right guidance to ensure your son treats video games with the right approach. Without such guidance, video games can become a major barrier in his life. But with some help, he can use video games to amplify his skills, train his mind and prepare him for success.
My Battle with Gaming
I truly believe in both the danger and the potential of games because I myself have a first-hand experience with both sides of gaming. From the ages of 12-16, I was admittedly incredibly addicted to video games. I would spend every free moment in front of the computer, alone and focused on improving an in-game character while neglecting myself in real life.
At this time, I had extreme social anxiety due to a lack of social skills, I had low motivation for my school work, causing my grades to fall behind, and I entered a downward spiral that just got worse and worse. There was a point where I would skip class just because I couldn’t handle the anxiety of going. At this time, I knew I wasn’t a dumb kid, but I felt like somehow I was just destined for a life a failure.
Then around the age of 16, I started to see video games through a new lens. I discovered competitive gaming teams that were playing on-stage in front of sold-out arenas, honing their skills in order to play in million-dollar tournaments. At this moment, I switched my mindset toward gaming. No longer was I a “gamer” but now an “esports athlete”. I spent the following years studying performance psychology, training my communication, leadership and discipline, all in an effort to improve my results in the game.
And as you might imagine, through my new approach to gaming, I learned valuable soft skills that ultimately turned my life around. Not only was I getting far better at the game, but I suddenly had the confidence and ability to regain good grades around in my final year of high school and eventually follow my passion, launching my first business at the age of 19.
And today, I own two modest-sized esports companies, I’ve trained over 5 million gamers through YouTube and close to 1500 directly through courses and coaching, and I’ve even created esports-based curriculums for colleges and corporate trainings.
Gaming Mentorship
Now my mission is to help the new generation! Over 90% of kids play video games, which can be one of the biggest problems or biggest opportunities for our collective future. My goal is to make sure it’s an opportunity and to help teens take it!
This is what inspired our mentorship program, where we teach teens how to use games to succeed at life! The program includes 3x online classes a week on how to excel at various games like an esports athlete, each taught by real professional coaches (some of which your son may already know and look up to). Then we provide a weekly one-on-one mentoring session on topics like avoiding video-game addiction, developing communication skills, the qualities of leadership and many other key skills required to succeed both in-game and in their life beyond it.
If you want to make sure your son uses video games in a healthy way and even as a tool for self-development, then feel free to apply!
All the classes are online and remote, but we’re currently focused on serving teens aged 13-17.
Feel free to apply with the form below, and we can set up a one-on-one call to give you more information and see if your son is the right fit for the program.
Otherwise, I hope you learned a ton about the value and potential video games have for your sons future!
You can find the application form here: https://forms.gle/Un6B5hzRY5NfLeV87