Esports seen as pathway to boost diversity in STEM careers
Esports seen as pathway to boost diversity in STEM careers
Esports seen as pathway to boost diversity in STEM careers
By Claire Savage
December 21, 2022
Summary
By channeling students' enthusiasm for esports - multiplayer competitive video games - schools and businesses like Fair's aim to prepare them for careers in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, at a time when the fields lack racial diversity.
Johnston is reframing the conversation about video games by coaching communities of color on how esports can lead to careers for their children.
Grace Collins, a Cleveland area teacher who launched the first all-girls varsity esports high school team in 2018, said creating a welcome space and improving representation is crucial to building out diversity in both esports and STEM. "I think the challenges for diversity in esports and the challenges for diversity in STEM are often very similar so solving this problem in one place can help alleviate them on the other side," Collins said.
Reyes, who is Hispanic and Latino, said esports feels like a welcoming community for students of color, and is "Absolutely" an avenue into improving diversity in STEM. Although civil rights advocates say racist hate speech persists online, overwhelmingly the gaming community is accepting, in Reyes' experience.
She's aware of inequality issues in STEM and video game design, mentioning Activision's Blizzard Entertainment president, ousted after a discrimination and sexual harassment lawsuit cited a "Frat boy" culture that became "a breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women."
Video games are not a cure-all for the STEM diversity gap.
Online safety is also a concern - video game company Epic Games, maker of Fortnite, will pay a total of $520 million to settle complaints involving children's privacy and methods that tricked players into making purchases, U.S. federal regulators said Monday.
Reference
Savage, C. (2022, December 21). Esports seen as pathway to boost diversity in STEM careers. AP NEWS. Retrieved January 19, 2023, from https://apnews.com/article/science-technology-sports-esports-business-653754ded508fade18beac5cae288356