“Mom! Fortnite might get me into college! See, I told you! It’s not a waste of time!”

You can now make every person who told you, “video games are waste of time,” eat their words.

Well, provided you’re really good at them . . . and you plan on attending one of the growing ranks of colleges with an electronic-sports (e-sports) program.

March 26, seven students from Mrs. Lori Guondolo’s Sports, Arts, and Entertainment Management class had the chance to attend an e-sports seminar at the new Pittsburgh Playhouse located on the campus of Point Park University.

Seniors Alec Berg, Zach Hansen, Brodie List, and Jake Miller, and juniors Josh Hedge, Hayden Vongray, and Sam Elliot were accompanied by Mrs. Guondolo on the trip.

“The field trip at Point Park University was very informative. I think we learned a lot about the e-sports industry and how big it is. I’m excited to see how it’s going to expand in the Pittsburgh area. I think there’s a lot of kids in our school district who will benefit from involvement with Point Park and learning about e-sports and how they can participate,” stated Mrs. Guondolo.

E-sports are anything and everything involved with the world of professional video gaming. There are many national and international leagues and tournaments that this upcoming sport showcases n each year.

Yes, I say sport, and soon everyone will recognize e-sports as a legitimate sport. For example, many e-sports teams are partnering with traditional sports teams and even the Olympic Committee is considering adding e-sports to the Olympic Games.

During the seminar a coordinator from the Cleveland Legion (Cleveland Cavaliers’ e-sports team), the director of the Pittsburgh Knights (an e-sports conglomerate in Pittsburgh), and two members of Point Park’s very own e-sports team spoke to students about all the opportunities e-sports bring, whether it be for players or for business.

“The e-sports field trip was very interesting because I didn’t realize there was that large of a market for e-sports,” said senior Brodie List.

E-sports are exploding with popularity, drawing in millions of online streams and views. E-sports have garnered so many followers that many colleges and universities now actually offer scholarships for them.

If you’d like to go on field trips like this as well as learn the ins and outs of business then you should definitely enroll in SAEM next year.