LA PLUME, Pa. — Educators say there has been an explosion of interest.
It was already popular but has become even more so in the past year during this pandemic: video game coding and esports.
“It’s a way for kids to connect to still have fun, to talk to one another even though they may not be able to see each other as much in person. A great social way to stay connected in this new life," said Ben Leskovansky, coding and game design instructor at Insight PA Cyber Charter School.
Keystone College is now offering a brand new bachelor's degree program in esports and gaming management.
“It’s exciting; I think that we will offer a unique opportunity, especially in this area. I think a lot of our current students are excited as well, even though right now they’re probably in a business degree or sport and recreation management degree. Again, they are excited, which in turn makes me more excited," said Keystone College program director Adrienne Mellott.
That interest extends to elementary, middle, and high school students, too, who are taking that interest in screen time and looking for information on coding and building their own video games.
“If you want to create games, it’s going to take come coding, it’s going to take some math, so it’s important to understand that, but again, where we’re at right now, the interest was always there, but the conversations are really coming out now to talk about it and taking it serious," said Leskovansky.
Educators expect this trend to continue long after this health crisis is over.